Email is still one of the most useful ways to deliver information directly to your core audience. But the sheer volume of daily mail we all get has resulted in chronic “email fatigue.” That’s all the more reason to make sure that your email is well written, immediately delivers clear value, and stands out enough to avoid a quick trip to the trash.
Know your audience
Send only high-value email. Is your email helpful and interesting (and not just to you!)? When
deciding whether to email your list, think about “what’s in it for them?” not “what’s in it for me?” With thoughtfulness and restraint, you’ll build a reputation as an organization that sends email your subscribers want to read and share.
Always ask permission. Know the best practices for building an email list and send only to those who have asked to hear from you. Provide a clear, one-click unsubscribe link. And keep in mind that you can do more than annoy people by being careless: if you make a practice of spamming, you could ?nd yourself blacklisted by internet service providers.
Sweat the small stuff
Invest in your subject line. A snappy subject line should be a priority, not an afterthought. Like a blog headline, the subject line determines whether or not your email gets read. Some tips:
- Grab attention. Think about what’s most likely to pique your audience’s interest. Put the important words at the beginning. Use a subject line that is informative, provocative, or playful to make subscribers want to read more. Three to seven words is best.
- Test and experiment. If you can, we recommend experimenting with A/B tests to ?gure out what subject lines work best for your readers: grab a segment of your list, and send half one subject line and the other half a different one. When you have a winner, send it to the rest of your list.
- It’s all in the name. Once your headline is dialed, think about who the email comes from. You have control over who shows up in the “From:” line. Most of the time, it’s best to use a consistent sender address and a name that’s recognizable to your readers (either a person or your group’s name). Just make sure someone is checking the reply account for any responses.
Looks matter
Is your email well-designed? A good email design is second to quality content, but not to be overlooked. And common mistakes can make your email dif? cult to read at best, and scrambled beyond legibility at worst. Here are some email design tips:
- Inviting, relevant images can enhance your email—but not always. Most email programs have images disabled by default, so make sure your email looks good even if the images don’t show up. Headlines and subtitles should be text, not images.
- Design for mobile. More and more of us are reading emails on the go. Keep it simple, don’t put links too close together (for clumsy ?ngers), and consider using a one-column format.
- Send HTML and plain text emails. Most email senders will let you use multipart MIME, so the email that gets sent is tailored to the user’s preference.
- Test! Different email clients play by different rules. Set up accounts in major clients like Outlook, Gmail, and Hotmail and send a test email to each to make sure your email shows up right. Also sneak a peek on a smartphone.
Two more thoughts on email
Are you emailing too much? Or too little? Set clear expectations about frequency when people sign up and honor them. If you have fresh, valuable content you might be able to get away with a daily email, but weekly or monthly is usually best. Conversely, don’t let more than three months go by without an email, or you’ll face a spate of invalid emails and spam complaints.
Deliver what you promise. Tell new subscribers what they should expect when they subscribe, and deliver exactly that. It’s OK to send an unexpected email once in a while, but the bulk of your communications should live up to the expectations you’ve set.
More email resources
Storytelling and the art of email writing
4 email list building essentials
Check before you send: Email checklist
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