How to Write Better Emails: 4 Ways You’re Getting in Your Own Way
Your click-through rate is abysmal. It makes you wonder if people even read the email.
You take a step back and try to see where it went sideways.
You proofread the copy. You have a great image, and you talked about all of your product's impressive features. So why did the email get so little action?
Honestly? Your reader might have tuned out when you started talking about product features. Sorry.
Features sound great to you. But they don't mean much to the reader.
Rather than talking about features, talk about how your reader's life will get better. Benefits make your product resonate with your reader. Don't just write about what your product does. Show them how it's going to transform them.
Instead of writing, "Made of 100% Italian silk," write, "Radiate confidence every time you walk into a room."
Make your customer the centre of your content. Use "you" instead of "I," "me," "we," and "us." Let your reader know what's in it for them, and your CTR will improve.
Talking about yourself and not your reader is just one way you're tripping yourself up. You might not even know what you're doing wrong until someone points it out to you. (Hello! I'm Jericho.)
So, what are the ways you're getting in your own way when you write?
This won't be easy. But be honest with yourself. That's the only way you'll get better.
Let's get to it! We'll start with something that I know I've been guilty of in the past.
You're Trying to Be Too Clever
Clever's not a bad thing. Clever can be funny and charming. It can break down sales barriers. But being too clever can confuse your reader.
Clever can interrupt the way your reader processes your content. Clever metaphors or pop culture references can make your email harder to understand.
You want to make your content as easy to process as possible. That doesn't mean make it bland. Strike a balance between clear and clever.
Instead of writing: Winter is Coming: Look and Feel Your Best This Year
Write: 5 Exercises to Make You Feel Your Best this Winter
It's better to be specific and clear than it is to be clever.
How do you know if you're too clever? Show it to someone. If they don't know what the email is about within 10 seconds, you need to go back to the drawing board.
Writing is a balancing act. You don't have to choose between sounding clever and being clear. You can be clear and clever. You just have to work a little harder.
But that hard work will be worth it. As long as you address this other way, you're tripping yourself up.
You Want to Prove You're Smart
Of course, you want to sound smart. You want the reader to trust you. You want them to have confidence that you're taking them somewhere they want to go.
You accomplish those things by being smart, not just sounding smart.
Trying to sound like you have a post-secondary education gets in the way of smart writing.
The big words and long sentences we developed in university don't work well in the outside world. And they're detrimental (how's that for a big word?) to your email copywriting.
Smart writing communicates an idea in the fewest words possible. It uses words familiar to the reader. And smart writing is easy to read.
Write short sentences. Use simple words. And use periods instead of commas.
Your reader will understand you better. It also makes your writing punchy and more fun to read.
Leave the elaborate words and complex sentence structure in the Ulysses essay you struggled to finish in university.
You're Letting Your Insecurities Get the Best of You
We've all been there. The cursor blinks, waiting for you to make it run. But that doesn't make you a bad writer. Believing you're not good enough makes you a bad writer.
The lack of confidence seeps into your writing. You do things like write long sentences. You try to be too clever. Or worse, you write in a passive voice.
What does a passive voice look like? Here's an example:
The hare was passed by the tortoise.
The subject (the tortoise) receives the action (passing) instead of performing the action.
Instead, write: The tortoise passed the hare.
It's like telling someone, "The sandwich was eaten by me."
That's what an alien would say. You (a human) would say, "I ate the sandwich."
Write direct statements. Avoid using the verb "to be" and its iterations: am, is, was, are, were, been, being. Write stronger action verbs that make your content come alive.
Not only does your content come alive, but it sounds assured and confident.
When you write with confidence, people will trust you. And when they trust you, they'll go where you tell them to go.
Unless you don't. This brings us to another way you're tripping yourself up.
You're Not Telling Your Reader What to Do Next
Everything that you write needs to have a goal. You waste your time and your reader's time if you fail to set one up.
Write your email with the goal in mind. Do you want them to download a PDF? Do you want them to read a blog post? Do you want them to buy a backpack?
Whatever it is, figure it out. And don't forget to ask your reader to take action. You're not gonna get anywhere if you don't ask.
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You have to direct your reader to a goal. If you're confident, easy to understand, and specific, your reader will follow your advice and take action.
These are just a few things you can look out for to make your email writing better. There's nuance to writing that you pick up through writing. And editing. And getting feedback from others.
It's a process. Be patient. Trust in yourself, but ask the tough questions.
You can't hit a home run with every email that you write. But you can trust that you have a process and you've made it the best way you can.
Need some help with your email marketing? Give me a shout.
