super tips email copy writingWe encounter words every day. Some make us smile while others seemingly make it impossible not to curse.  They’re capable of making us cry, laugh, shout or scream, and some can even prompt us to make life-changing decisions.  In email marketing, the best words make us buy. And they’re by far the hardest to find if you’re tasked with writing the copy.

With that in mind, here’s ten quick-fire tips for writing email copy that will engage and convert:

1. Writing as you would for the web

Writing for the web is somewhat different to penning a novel. And, while there’s a place for long paragraphs and hefty word counts, in email land, you need to reign things in a bit.

Keep everything short and snappy. Like this.

It works.

2. DON’T SHOUT

For some unknown reason, we still have people on this planet who appear hell-bent on shouting whenever they enter the digital realm.

Using capital letters to get your point across is rude, irritating and might set off the odd spam trap. Please don’t do it.

3. Write copy for your audience

If you’ve done your homework, you’ll have a pretty good idea of your audience’s demographics.

Your email copy should speak to those people only by using phrases, words and a level of humour that won’t alienate, embarrass or downright annoy them.

4. Use tried-and-tested words

Here are some of the most persuasive words one can use in the English language:

  • Because
  • Free
  • You
  • New
  • Instantly

Use them judiciously.

5. Use psychology

You may not be a psychologist, but that doesn’t mean you can’t play to the predictable ways our brains react.

When writing copy for your next email campaign, include urgency (no one wants to miss a deadline if it benefits them), fear of missing out (no one likes FOMO) and some good, old-fashioned ego stroking (come on – we all love a pat on the back).

6. Always be relevant

You’re a smartphone accessory retailer; no one cares about how fast your recently trimmed garden hedge is growing back, what with all the rain and everything.

You can be irrelevant in email marketing, but only if it can ultimately lead back to the call-to-action (CTA) you want people to engage with. And we’re struggling to think of a link in that above example.

7. Get personal

Personalisation is something we ramble on about a lot on this blog, because it’s the best way to raise engagement with your audience.

The copy you write for your emails should therefore act as though it’s talking to one person, rather than a crowd. And that’s why the ‘you’ word is so important (see tip 4).

8. Try split testing

The great thing about modern email marketing software is that you don’t have to rely on one version of a campaign.

Write a couple of different versions and send them to segmented audiences. That way, you can review the results and identify which was the most engaging.

9. Don’t forget the CTA

If you’re on a roll with your email copy and you think you’ve nailed the intro and body text, it’s easy to complete forget the most important element – the CTA.

While writing, constantly think about what you want the reader to do. Reference the CTA regularly in your copy, and you’ll keep it in their mind, too.

10. Don’t proof it yourself

Sure, you’ll want to give the copy a read through and tweak where necessary, but whatever you do, don’t send out your campaign until someone else has cast their eyes over it.

Proofing your own work is one the hardest things to do and nearly always fails to spot obvious errors.

Wrapping up

The best news? You don’t need to be a literary genius to use the tips above. Providing you have access to a keyboard, an email marketing client and a small dose of inspiration, they’ll help you create a marketing campaign that delivers fantastic results.