Email Copywriting Best Practices
Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2025 4:37 am
To get the most out of your marketing spend, start honing your copywriting skills and using a solid email marketing strategy to boost conversions .
Writing a good subject line is just as important as writing a good body of text.
A bad subject line can cause your email to be sent unceremoniously to the digital trash bin. People are simply too busy and overstimulated to waste time on something that doesn't interest them.
However, you can't just write an email subject line based on a formula. You need to know what motivates your specific audience.
You can provide your leads with tremendous value through email marketing.
It's true that email marketing benefits businesses, but only when it benefits consumers. Instead of using your emails to sell to subscribers, use them to give subscribers something of value.
This could be information, inspiration, discounts, free gifts, or anything else you can think of. Once you finish writing your email, read it carefully. Will your subscribers be better off if they read it?
If not, start over.
Email provides a reliable means of communication between you and your potential customers.
Most consumers have become accustomed to reading email. It’s practically a reflex. But that doesn’t mean you can rest on your laurels.
Focus on using email to effectively communicate with your subscribers. Think of it as a conversation with a good friend. Add nuance, emotion, and detail.
Think of it as a club for the elite. Only subscribers can read what you share. This exclusivity can make your email copywriting even more effective.
Copywriting for email marketing, when done right, can be the lifeblood of your business.
Some business owners view their email list as their most valuable asset. It’s a way to enter the lives and homes of their target audience and convince them to convert.
If you’re a skilled email copywriter, you can make money from every email you send, whether it’s educating your audience or announcing a product launch. It’s all about building trust from the bank email list start and using your subscribers’ time effectively.
Pro Tip : After you write an email to your subscribers, leave it for 24 hours. Then , come back and read it. You'll come to the email with a fresh perspective, allowing you to be more critical of your work.
Plus, you'll have a better chance of spotting those sneaky grammar and spelling errors that slip into even the best copywriters' work. Even professional copywriters should always run a grammar check on their work before sending it to a client.
Your email copywriting will only engage your audience, drive conversions, and build long-term relationships if it's done right.
Here are some important guidelines to follow if you want your email marketing strategy to bear real fruit:
1. Avoid spam trigger phrases
Even the perfect email copywriting can end up in the recipient's spam folder. Why?
Most email service providers (ESPs) use sophisticated algorithms to filter out unwanted emails; certain words can trigger these filters.
These spam words can make your email appear to be unwanted or malicious content, even if it is not.
To avoid this, avoid phrases such as:
Free (especially in themes)
Limited time offer
winner
Open
Congratulations
Quality
2. Optimization for mobile devices
Great writing that doesn't respond to mobile devices can be worse than poor writing that does. This is especially pernicious because the number of smartphone users worldwide is projected to increase by 1.5 billion, reaching 6.4 billion by 2029.
To reach this audience, optimizing your email marketing copywriting for mobile is non-negotiable.
Here's what you should do:
Subject lines should be short (around 40 characters) to avoid text truncation on mobile screens.
Write short, to-the-point paragraphs that are easy to read.
Use bullet points and subheadings to break up text.
For the main text, use a font size of at least 14 pixels.
3. Avoid using capital letters
The last thing you want is for your readers to feel like you're yelling at them.
While it may be tempting, using only all caps in your newsletter subject line or body copy can be off-putting. It can also trigger spam filters and make your email look unprofessional.
Instead of capital letters, use bold or italics to emphasize important points. You can also highlight key phrases in different colors.
4. Maintain a consistent tone
Imagine you're chatting playfully and laughing with a friend, and suddenly they switch to a sharp, unfriendly tone. The sudden change can embarrass you, undermine your trust, and possibly push you away.
Likewise, maintaining a consistent tone in your communications helps build trust and increase audience engagement.
5. Check your emails
Mistakes in your emails can damage your reputation and professionalism. So, proofread your emails carefully to make sure they are polished and error-free. Taking a break before proofreading can help you look at the content with fresh eyes.
Writing a good subject line is just as important as writing a good body of text.
A bad subject line can cause your email to be sent unceremoniously to the digital trash bin. People are simply too busy and overstimulated to waste time on something that doesn't interest them.
However, you can't just write an email subject line based on a formula. You need to know what motivates your specific audience.
You can provide your leads with tremendous value through email marketing.
It's true that email marketing benefits businesses, but only when it benefits consumers. Instead of using your emails to sell to subscribers, use them to give subscribers something of value.
This could be information, inspiration, discounts, free gifts, or anything else you can think of. Once you finish writing your email, read it carefully. Will your subscribers be better off if they read it?
If not, start over.
Email provides a reliable means of communication between you and your potential customers.
Most consumers have become accustomed to reading email. It’s practically a reflex. But that doesn’t mean you can rest on your laurels.
Focus on using email to effectively communicate with your subscribers. Think of it as a conversation with a good friend. Add nuance, emotion, and detail.
Think of it as a club for the elite. Only subscribers can read what you share. This exclusivity can make your email copywriting even more effective.
Copywriting for email marketing, when done right, can be the lifeblood of your business.
Some business owners view their email list as their most valuable asset. It’s a way to enter the lives and homes of their target audience and convince them to convert.
If you’re a skilled email copywriter, you can make money from every email you send, whether it’s educating your audience or announcing a product launch. It’s all about building trust from the bank email list start and using your subscribers’ time effectively.
Pro Tip : After you write an email to your subscribers, leave it for 24 hours. Then , come back and read it. You'll come to the email with a fresh perspective, allowing you to be more critical of your work.
Plus, you'll have a better chance of spotting those sneaky grammar and spelling errors that slip into even the best copywriters' work. Even professional copywriters should always run a grammar check on their work before sending it to a client.
Your email copywriting will only engage your audience, drive conversions, and build long-term relationships if it's done right.
Here are some important guidelines to follow if you want your email marketing strategy to bear real fruit:
1. Avoid spam trigger phrases
Even the perfect email copywriting can end up in the recipient's spam folder. Why?
Most email service providers (ESPs) use sophisticated algorithms to filter out unwanted emails; certain words can trigger these filters.
These spam words can make your email appear to be unwanted or malicious content, even if it is not.
To avoid this, avoid phrases such as:
Free (especially in themes)
Limited time offer
winner
Open
Congratulations
Quality
2. Optimization for mobile devices
Great writing that doesn't respond to mobile devices can be worse than poor writing that does. This is especially pernicious because the number of smartphone users worldwide is projected to increase by 1.5 billion, reaching 6.4 billion by 2029.
To reach this audience, optimizing your email marketing copywriting for mobile is non-negotiable.
Here's what you should do:
Subject lines should be short (around 40 characters) to avoid text truncation on mobile screens.
Write short, to-the-point paragraphs that are easy to read.
Use bullet points and subheadings to break up text.
For the main text, use a font size of at least 14 pixels.
3. Avoid using capital letters
The last thing you want is for your readers to feel like you're yelling at them.
While it may be tempting, using only all caps in your newsletter subject line or body copy can be off-putting. It can also trigger spam filters and make your email look unprofessional.
Instead of capital letters, use bold or italics to emphasize important points. You can also highlight key phrases in different colors.
4. Maintain a consistent tone
Imagine you're chatting playfully and laughing with a friend, and suddenly they switch to a sharp, unfriendly tone. The sudden change can embarrass you, undermine your trust, and possibly push you away.
Likewise, maintaining a consistent tone in your communications helps build trust and increase audience engagement.
5. Check your emails
Mistakes in your emails can damage your reputation and professionalism. So, proofread your emails carefully to make sure they are polished and error-free. Taking a break before proofreading can help you look at the content with fresh eyes.