Email copywriting: A step-by-step guide

The year is coming to an end and I don’t wish to end it with ranting about how content professionals aren’t involved in e-mail marketing initiatives even when the copy is what matters the most in an e-mail.

So here’s what you can do if you don’t have a professional writer by your side due to budget constraints or your personal assumption of not needing one!

Step 1: Know your objective

What’s the newsletter for? Do you wish to make an announcement? Do you want to drive traffic to your site? Do you want your reader to place an order?

Finding your objective will help you incorporate it in your content.

Step 2: Know your audience

As much as you may want to send bulk e-mails, it’s best to segregate your audience and write different copies for the different types of reader base. The tone of voice will affect the intent to buy a fitness tracker for a young professional and a retired 70-year old.

Step 3: Use the subject line to your advantage

Get creative with your subject line – it can make or break your campaign! A poor subject line can land your email in the trash so keep it short, attractive and most importantly, clear. Don’t create deceptive subject lines to improve your open rates because once the reader catches the sly job, they may never open your emails again. Using relevant and powerful actionable words always helps.

Step 4: Craft a clear, concise and compelling e-mail copy

Well begun is half done! It’s time to work on the body – your content has to be relevant and aligned with your subject line. It is a good idea to personalise your body copy and it doesn’t end with just adding the name tag. Have that ‘human’ element in your email, make it feel like a conversation between you and your reader (which is why writing in the second person is your best bet) so that reader feels valued.

Quick tip – don’t just tell them what you offer, tell them how what you offer creates a difference in their life.

Step 5: Crack your Call-to-action (CTA)

Your call-to-action is the most crucial part of your email. Your CTA needs more attention than you think. First and foremost, you must know that your email’s subject line, body and CTA must align with each other. Whatever you choose your CTA to be, graphic or text, it must be actionable. Craft a CTA that is hard to resist. Whether it’s an offer or a free download, it has to be attractive enough for the reader to click and make the final call.

Step 6: Don’t forget the design

Wait what? Weren’t we talking about writing? Where did design creep in? Aren’t these two different teams working separately? WRONG! If your company has a set layout, you must write content accordingly. If there is a banner in your email, the copy must be decided accordingly. Where does the CTA go? If you do not have a standard layout, make sure that you copy aligns with the structure. Is the content readable without looking too crowded? Are the bullets or subheading working fine or do they need refinement? Several times, your copy doesn’t look as good as you expected in the final stage. This is the time to check.

Step 7: A/B test your e-mail copy

Always create two versions of your email copy. Running an A/B test will help you understand your audience and analyse your content better. But don’t run it all together! Take it separately – start with the subject line versions moving to the body and finally your CTA. You’ll be amazed by your findings! Measuring your results is the best way to improve your conversion rates.

Congratulations! You have made it! You have cracked the art of writing an e-mail well!

If you struggled a bit more than you thought or left the job midway, please hire a professional writer who can help you with this task. If you had one in your team and you chose to ignore them thinking that you don't need them, now is the time to make it up to them. Thank them for their support and involve them in your campaign because let's face it, we writers make your life simpler :D