Now that you’ve got a branded email template thanks to our first instalment of this blog series, here’s a friendly guide to help you get started with your content.

But, before we do, check out these fun facts on emails! 📨

• More than 3.13 million emails are sent every second.
• There are over 7.9 billion email accounts globally.
• 99% of users check email daily, sometimes up to 20 times.
• Consumers spend an average of 10 seconds reading brand emails.
• 58% of users check email before social media or news.

With so much saturation in our inboxes every day it is super important to grab your readers’ attention from the get-go, and with an average of only 10 seconds of reading time our following tips are there to aid you make a lasting impression!

Define your goals and audience

First things first—what’s the goal of your mailout? Think about what you want to achieve. Are you aiming for more website visits, launching a product,  looking to boost sales, or simply spreading the love for your brand via a newsletter? Also, consider who your audience is. Are they loyal customers, potential fans, or industry buddies? Knowing your mission and audience will set the tone and direction for your content.

Mix up your content

Next, let’s talk about mixing up your content. Variety is the spice of life, right? Depending on the goals of your mailout, keep your readers excited by including different types of content:

• Share the latest company news - new products, upcoming events, or team highlights.
• Throw in some cool tips, trends, or expert opinions from your industry to keep things interesting and to help your readers.
• Feature testimonials or success stories to showcase how awesome your products or services are.
• Highlight promotions, discounts, or exclusive offers to maintain the excitement and keep customers loyal.
• Provide guides, tutorials, or handy articles that add real value for your readers.

Stay organised

Staying organised is key so get yourself an editorial calendar, a roadmap to consistent and well-planned content. This doesn’t have to be something fancy, you could note it down on paper or use a tool like Trello to plan your content! Decide when each mailout will go out, plan the main topics for each issue, and set deadlines for content creation, review, and final approval. This way, you’ll stay on track and ensure your emails are timely and relevant.

Write engaging content

When writing the content, keep things light, fun, and easy to read. Write in the second person to address the reader as ‘you’ and adopt a conversational tone as if you’re talking to a friend (if this aligns with your business’s brand). Get to the good stuff quickly and keep your content brief as your readers are likely to be skimming your email. 

Break up the text with fun images, infographics, or videos to make it visually appealing. A picture speaks a thousand words and also is a welcome break when reading! Plus, a well-placed image can boost retention, so recipients will remember more if there’s an image paired with the content!

Once your reader has opened the email and read your content, it’s important to take advantage of that and send them somewhere next! So, include clear calls-to-action (CTAs) with links throughout your copy to guide readers on what to do next, whether it’s checking out a blog post or grabbing a deal.

Craft catchy subject lines

Now, let’s craft some catchy subject lines. This is the first thing your recipients will see, and your subject line is like a sneak peek of what’s inside, so make sure it aligns with your email copy. A boring subject line could lead your email to get missed, or worse - deleted. In fact, 64% of recipients decide to open or delete emails based on subject lines while 33% of users choose to open emails because of catchy subject lines (Finances Online, 2023).

Make it snappy and short, aiming for 6-9 words to quickly grab attention. Be clear and descriptive, giving a hint about the email’s goodies. Use Imperative verbs like “Discover,” “Explore,” or “Join” to tell your reader what to do! You could test your subject lines too, doing an A/B test with two different subject lines and checking how the open rates compare.

Personalise your emails

Personalising your emails can make your readers feel special. Use their names to add a personal touch and segment your audience to tailor content to different groups based on their interests. Suggest products or articles based on what they’ve liked before to keep them engaged.

Double-check before sending

Before you hit send, make sure everything’s perfect. Use a preview functionality in your builder to see what it’ll look like for recipients. Check for any typos or grammar slips, test all the links, and have a colleague or friend review your mailout for any hiccups.

Make sure to stay tuned in for our third and final instalment of this blog series where we dive into how to access, understand, and move forward with your analytics.

Let us help you with your email marketing so you can not only reach your subscribers but also resonate with them. Get in touch with us at [email protected] or give us a call on 01748 821888, we would love to chat with you! ☕