A Simple Guide to Effective Email Writing

We all receive hundreds of emails every month. From discount holiday offers to newsletters, there’s a lot in our inbox. Yet only a few of the emails are intriguing enough to catch our attention. And further, we end up acting on even fewer of them. 

So, what makes these emails different? Not just the writing, but the strategy too plays its role in making you open the email and click that “Call to Action” button. You should also employ such strategies to write compelling emails for your business. Let’s learn some tips and tricks that will change your email writing game.

The Ultimate Game-Plan for Effective Email Writing

Writing emails that motivate recipients to act is a tricky job. The unending stream of marketing emails sitting in everybody’s inbox is like those sales calls that nobody wants to entertain. Therefore you must strategize your content and presentation before you hit the “Send” button.

Decide on the Objective

Email writing is purpose-driven. As emails are usually considered formal communication, they should be written with a clear objective in mind. For example, you may want to gain subscribers or sell a product. What you want to achieve by sending an email decides its whole structure. 

Let’s say you own an college paper writing service and want to encourage college students to make essay order online on your website. The subject line, body, and conclusion should revolve around this objective. Any information that deviates or confuses the reader from the main goal, like essay writing tips or offers to order research papers as well, should be omitted in the message. 

Write an Interesting Subject Line

The subject line impacts the opening rate of your email, especially if you are writing to someone for the first time. While the space is meant for mentioning the “subject,” you can use some creativity to generate interest and intrigue the reader about the body of your email. 

Let’s use an essay writing service as an example again. Let’s say you want students to pay for essay writing on the EssayHub website. Which subject line do you think gets the most clicks?

April Discount on Essays on EssayHub

Or

10% Off Every Essay You Buy on EssayHub This Month!

Obviously, the second one! 

The first one does the job, but the second line creates a sense of urgency leading to more clicks. 

While creativity in the subject line is great, steer clear from using false information or clickbait, as it is sheer deception and would reduce your credibility. 

Use the “Inverted Pyramid”

As emails need to be clear and concise, there’s little room for extra details. To ensure that you include all the necessary information, use the “inverted pyramid” format. It is a focused format, where the most important information comes first, followed by other details and a call to action. 

The method works through three layers – grabbing attention through the headline, maintaining the interest with key details in the body, and closing the deal with an effective CTA. If you, do it right, by the end of the email, readers will be more than willing to take action. 

Write to a Person

The best way to reach out to your readers is by using a conversational tone in your email. Many writers overuse technical jargon and fancy vocab to make the email sound professional. But readers relate best when the subject is simplified and conveyed in everyday language. 

To make the right impact, use active voice and address the reader with personal pronouns. Instead of “The discount offer starts today,” you can write, “Starting today, we offer you a discount on …” This helps the reader connect with your company as the tone is similar to a one-on-one conversation and doesn’t sound like you are addressing a group of readers at once. 

Use a Compelling CTA

Every email requires a simple, clear, and effective call-to-action to close the deal. As discussed earlier, the CTA should reflect the main objective of your email. Keep your CTAs short and to the point. It should direct the readers to take a single action. 

Some effective CTAs are:

“Last chance to use the discount. Click here to get it now!”

“Subscription available for limited members only. Fill out the form to subscribe.”

Ideally, the CTA should contain a hyperlink leading to your website or landing page. You can also create buttons or use images to direct attention to your CTA.

Make It Good-Looking

Formatting is just as important as writing is for an attractive cold email. A visually appealing email has more impact, but this doesn’t mean you should stuff your emails with images and animations. Instead, utilize the given space to make your email look organized. 

The key is to make your email easy to scan by breaking down the entire text into several blocks. You can also use subheadings and text formatting like bold and italics. A well-spaced email includes lots of white spaces and small paragraphs with one to three sentences. 

Bonus Tip: Include a PS

A PS or postscript contains important information written after the email. Most people never miss reading a postscript after an email. You can utilize this to provide “exclusive offers,” alternate CTAs, or interesting details that might convince the reader to take the “call to action.”

Conclusion

Writing emails isn’t rocket science. It is understanding the psychology of your audience and utilizing it to create compelling pieces. The above tips will help you seamlessly write effective emails that reach your goals.

---