I’m a terrible email subscriber. There, I said it!
Someone sends a shiny email offer my way and I sign-up. I take my download and run. Over the next few weeks, my inbox becomes riddled with messages from this person.
Instead of reading them, I send them to the trash.
Why sign up if I have no intention of reading them? Great question.
I’m hopeful. Hopeful that one day these newsletters will contain information I actually need.
The truth is, I DO want to hear what that person has to say. Yes, at first, I just wanted their awesome email offer. What I really want is to get an email that really speaks to me. That helps me out.
Some brands get it right.
When I get an email from them, I open it every time. That’s because they’ve written an article that met my needs and piqued my curiosity. I know that when I read that email, I will gain some piece of knowledge I didn’t know before.
Are your emails doing that for your customers?
Before you put a finger to the keyboard, read over these simple steps and start writing better email newsletters today!
Know who you’re targeting and why.
If you don’t know WHO you’re targeting with your emails or WHY you want them to read, don’t bother creating a newsletter. The sole purpose of an email newsletter is to make your customers want to buy from you. Think of it as free marketing for your products or services.
Without extensive knowledge of your customer avatar, you can’t target them effectively with your emails. Think about the problems your customer could be facing right now. Now, think about how your product or service can solve that problem. Got it? Good.
Start with the end first. What is your goal?
Once you’ve nailed down the WHO, WHAT, and HOW of your email newsletter, it’s time to focus on the WHY. What is your purpose for sending a newsletter? Do you want your readers to check out a new blog post you wrote? Maybe, you want them to buy the new designer watches that launched today.
Figure out the purpose of the email newsletter your writing. You should do this before you start worrying about subject lines and all the other parts of the email. Without a clear goal, your targeting and conversion rates will be off.
Think of your email like the pieces of a puzzle. Each piece must fit for the whole thing to work.
Craft a compelling call-to-action.
The call-to-action is what will help you reach your goal. Let’s go back to the example of the watches. If your goal for the email is to get your customer to buy a new watch, your call-to-action might be something like;
“Now is the time for a new watch. Order your Deluxe, Really Expensive Gold Watch today and receive FREE shipping!”
The call-to-action doesn’t have to be creative or something that takes you hours to write. Get to the point and tell your customer what you want them to do once they finish reading your email. The clearer your ask, the easier it will be for them to say yes!
Create the body of your newsletter.
Now, for the fun part! Once you have the call-to-action written, you can focus on adding value in the email. Give your customer valuable information they can walk away with. This could include tips, step-by-step instructions, or special offers.
Earlier, we talked about finding the pain points and solutions of your customer. You can use that information to create a mini sales page within your email newsletter. Let’s go back to the watch example for this.
You might know your customer needs a watch they can wear while biking. This is how they get to and from work. You would mention something about this in the first part of your email. Then, write about some of the features. These could be the GPS within the watch, the anti-scratch faceplate, and easy-to-close clasp. Close it up with a great call-to-action, and you’re one step closer to making a sell.
If you don’t want to sell anything in your newsletter, that’s ok! Provide value by giving your customer a tip or trick they can use to make their life better. Share recipes, blog posts, free downloads and anything else they may need. It’s actually a good idea not to push a sale all the time!
Write a seductive subject line.
The best email newsletter in the world won’t do a thing if it never gets read. That’s a fact! To ensure your emails are opened AND read, you need to create a subject line that hooks your reader. Use a little curiosity in your hook. When that email shows up in someone’s inbox, you want them to feel an urge to click it open and read it.
Another thing to keep in mind is the first line of your email. This one line is almost as important as the subject line. It also shows up in the inbox and can help you create a sense of curiosity and add more value to your subject line. Write it well!
Test it and pay attention to your analytics.
Now that you’ve created one kick-ass email, it’s time to test it! You won’t know how well your email marketing efforts are doing if you don’t check. Most email platforms have an analytics page that will tell you exactly how many people opened, clicked, and unsubscribed from your emails. If you notice that numbers are low in a specific area, make some changes.
If you use email marketing for your business, I want to hear about it!
Let me know your big wins, failures, and anything in-between. What’s your favorite email platform? Which style email do you prefer, picture or text?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.