Message fatigue will prevent your audience from engaging with your emails — even when you have something important or new to share. Check out these tips and discover how to improve your inbox impact.
1. Create engaging subject lines.
Make the subject short, easy to understand, and impactful. A call to action and a sense of urgency build momentum and persuade the recipient to open the message.
Effective practices for subject lines
- Limit them to 50 total characters.
- Ensure that they capture the communication’s intent.
- Avoid punctuation unless it’s absolutely necessary.
- Skip sales-oriented words like free, obligation, special offer, and cost. Avoid using ALL CAPS and exclamation points!!!
Not great: Here’s everything you need to know to make choosing your next car fast and easy
Great: Let’s make choosing your next car fast and easy
The first example pushes the situation onto the consumer, suggests they’re on their own with the information, and takes a long time to share the email’s purpose. The second pulls the consumer in, shows they are not alone, and describes the email’s purpose precisely.
2. Put effort into the preview text.
Preview text expands on the subject line and gives you one more chance to persuade your audience to open your email. It’s no less important than the subject line.
Effective practices for preview text
- Include it in all emails.
- Make sure it reinforces the point of the email and continues the story you’ve started in the subject line.
- Keep it to less than 85 total characters.
- Use proper punctuation for complete sentences.
Not great: John Doe Automotive has 10,000 cars in our inventory for you to pick from! What are you waiting for?
Great: We’ll work with you to find the best car for your needs and your budget.
The first example doesn’t support or continue the story that the not great subject line above has started. But the second fits right into place with the great subject line above. It keeps the story going and shows that a superb customer experience awaits.
3. The messaging must matter.
The body of the email offers as many opportunities to turn the reader away as it does to drive engagement. That’s why it’s important for your messaging to show that you’ve taken your audience’s needs and expectations to heart.
Effective practices for messaging
- It must deliver on the subject line’s premise and promise.
- Use plain language (no technical or industry jargon).
- Make the intent and value proposition(s) clear right away.
- Use a voice and tone that are appropriate for the context and audience.
- Only use imagery that relates directly to the message.
- Keep it short to minimize scrolling.
- Make it scannable by using subheads, bulleted lists, text formatting, imagery, and white space.
- Build strong sentences and communicate in active voice.
- Provide the reader the best way to make contact if they have questions or want support.
4. Use CTAs and links with care.
The more you focus on the intent of your communication, the more likely you are to engage. Too many calls to action (CTAs) and links sap your message’s strength..
Effective practices for CTAs
Use one CTA button to support the email’s one intent. Multiple buttons clutter the email and confuse the reader.
- Place it early in the email to grab attention. If you show value right away, you don’t need to bury the CTA button.
- Keep it short: two to four action-oriented words.
- Link the audience to destinations/resources accurately.
- Send the audience through the best experience path.
Effective practices for links
Links point to additional, important information or resources. Use them sparingly.
- Create links from descriptive, short phrases.
- Link the member to the right destination/resource.
- Send the member through the best experience path.
5. Put these pro tips to work.
- Know your audience. If you don’t understand, the audience definitely won’t understand.
- If you have to ask whether the message is too boring, too crazy, too complicated, too whatever, the answer is yes.
- Use the simplest language possible. Cerebral, cryptic, and obscure content won’t impress or engage.
- Be ruthless about spelling, punctuation, grammar, and context. Simple mistakes harm your credibility.
- Be consistent in the terminology you use. Calling one thing by two different names is confusing.
- Make sure your email’s envelope (sender’s name and email address) tells the recipient exactly who is communicating with them.
If you have questions or would like more information, please contact me.
