Being 43 and (happily) single, the one phrase I constantly hear time and time again from ‘well wishers’ is

“There’s plenty of fish in the sea”

Ugh!

I hate that phrase.

Because nowadays there are too many options, what with online dating, speed dating and everything else in between.

Although there may be an array of potential suitors out there for me, I genuinely don’t have the time on my hands to ‘wade’ through them all so they’re going to need something special if they want to stand out and get my attention.

This got me thinking about copywriting and content. Because let’s be honest there is way too much content out there, and it’s all competing for the same thing: the attention of the busy people it needs to reach.

And if you want to get noticed in the ‘sea of content’ you need to work harder on your copy.

Which is why we’ve put together 6 copywriting tips to take your emails to the next level. Let your Email marketing come to life with interesting, imaginative copy and make your words worthy of being read.

So without further ado, let’s dive in…

1: Set your goal (Cast your net)

If you don’t set a goal you may as well be swimming with the tide heading in no particular direction.

Stick to 1 key objective. Focus on the key action you want readers to take and build your email copy around that.

“Who” are you writing to?

“What” do you want your subscribers to do after opening and reading the email?

Email marketing is all about persuading readers to take action, such as viewing a landing page, scheduling a demo, or downloading a PDF.

But it can also be about building connections or boosting your brand awareness.

Whatever the reason, make sure it’s clear from the beginning as you’ll want to craft your copy and marketing strategy with this in mind.

And remember, if you have multiple goals you don’t really have a goal.

2: Choose your words carefully (Choose your bait)
There’s nothing worse than a self absorbed person am I right?

Believe it or not though many businesses actually write copy focused solely on themselves and their brand whilst ignoring the most important factor – their audience.

Write your email copy in the second person, i.e. use ‘you’ and ‘your’ in the sentences This will let your readers know that the email is about them and not you. A long time ago a wise man told me that for every “I/we/me” you use in copy, you should use three “you/yours.”

You’ll also want to focus on the benefits of what you’re offering rather than the features.

When you talk about benefits, the focus is on how your product or service can enrich the lives of your subscribers. People most often don’t care about what the product features are. They are only interested in knowing what it can do for them.

3: Write a Killer Subject Line (Set your hook and line)

First impressions count, I walked away from a first date once because the guy turned up in trainers (ok I may just be a slight shoe snob – and it was a nice restaurant). Like ‘Mr trainers’ your subject line is the first thing your recipient will see and can determine whether they will engage with or ignore said email.

You need to take the time to inspire, be relevant and get your readers to take action or they just won’t bother clicking and your email will be left sitting alone and ignored in their inbox. So write a killer subject line Jaws will be proud of.

Here’s how:

• Use action verbs in your subject line. The readers should understand what you expect them to do by simply looking at the subject line. Use phrases to create a sense of urgency such as “ act now”.
• Keep it personal, Your email should not look like a generic email generated by a robot. Using the names of real people in your “to” and “from” fields, will also earn you higher open rates.
• Keep it short, most people spend time reading their emails on their mobile devices. While long subject lines may look good on desktop browsers, they get cut off on mobiles so stick to subject lines between six and ten words.

4: Know Your Audience (Be a good catch)

Don’t be like every Tom, Dick and Harry. If you want to stand out you’re gonna have to make yourself interesting, which means you need to be relevant to your audience.

Avoid sending the same email to all the email addresses in your mailing list. No one likes an irrelevant email, keep doing it and you’ll start losing your prospects faster than you can say ‘go fish’

Instead get into the habit of segmenting your lists. You can segment your list based on different criteria such as age group, location, buying habits of prospects, interests, pain points, time on list, and several other factors.

Spend time getting to know your audience and email copywriting will get a lot easier because you’ll already know what they want plus it’s a great way to boost conversions.

Write for that particular segment of audience so that your offer, voice, tone, everything is relatable to them.

5: Keep it short and keep it sweet. (Reel it in)

Think about when you open a marketing email in your inbox. Do you read every single word in there? umm… nope. This is because people receive a LOT of emails daily. So If you’re writing a lot of copy in your email you’re doing it wrong.

Remember: People scan their emails. So reel it back in with the long wordy emails because it’s the fastest way to send your recipient heading to the back button. As well as making your copy easy to skim, follow these tips.

• Focus on getting to the point
• Keep enough white space in the text by breaking up paragraphs and using spacing properly.
• Add bulleted lists to highlight information
• Keep your sentences short and sweet for more clarity.
• Break up text into short, one- to two-sentence paragraphs.
• Use headings to separate your topics.
• Add images to make your content more visually appealing.
• Use a good balance of both text and images.
• A good rule of thumb is to keep paragraphs to a maximum of two or three sentences

6: Promote Action (Get in on the action)

My mum used to tell me too much of anything is a bad thing.

I get you, it can be so, so tempting to fill your email with multiple Call To Actions (CTAs) in the hope that your reader will click on one. But here’s the truth: you’ll end up overwhelming your subscribers and they probably won’t click on any.

The CTA is one of the most crucial pieces of email copywriting because this is the moment that a recipient decides whether or not they are going to click (convert) and continue (or start) their relationship with you.

Your copy should be simple that clearly states what you want your readers to do with the use of a strong verb. Use language that encourages your reader to take action and be clear about the actions you want them to take.

This applies both to its visibility, as well as its message.

Final Thoughts

Before you even think about putting pen to paper, understand what your goal is. The key here is understanding your audience and how you can help them.

Choose your words carefully and write conversationally. Talking to your readers like human beings means they’re more likely to be compelled to take action. You want to be as engaging as possible but don’t forget to keep it brief.

Stick to minimal CTAs with a clear action and strong visibility.

Hopefully these tips will help you on your way to stronger campaigns and ensure you stand out in the sea of content.

Competition may be stiff and there may be plenty of fish out there but that doesn’t mean you have to swim with the others.