I came by copywriting by way of creative writing. And even worse—via poetry. In my interview for the copywriter position, I explained to my future boss that having a Master’s degree in poetry made me uniquely qualified to be a digital marketing copywriter because, after all, weren’t both genres focused on the economical use of language, on pure communication, on bridging the void between self and other—wasn’t every ad, in fact, a tiny, urgent, persuasive poem? He must have bought it because I got the job. For those of you who don’t know this already, copywriting actually has little in common with poetry. But the one thing they, and all forms of successful writing share, is a keen awareness of audience.
And unlike the poetry audience, which is mostly imaginary, we actually know a lot about who reads our digital marketing missives. When we send out an email to our CRM database list, for example, our trusty, hard-working (and much smarter) analytics team can tell us who was actually listening. (Poets just assume no one is). We know how many people opened, clicked through, unsubscribed—and from this data, we can develop and evolve our subject lines and email content, giving our customers more of what they want. So, from the fuzzy world of poetry, unicorns and fairy dust, here’s what I’ve learned about crafting effective marketing emails and subject lines:
1. Offers, Opinions, Timeliness
Offers: The first one is a no-brainer. If you send an email out to people and want them to open it, and then want them to click through to the next site, you have to give them a little something in return. This can be coupons and samples, but it can also just be interesting, useful content, like tips, advice, or new product offerings.
Opinions: Everyone’s a critic. So let people tell you what they think of your product or your company. If you are offering a quality product or service, they will usually say really nice stuff, anyway. So it’s a win-win.
Timeliness: Separate your email or offer from the crowd by grounding it in the consumer’s actual life, their lifestyle and interests, or the time of year. Make it timely and relevant. Not a one-size-fits-all, anytime, anywhere offer.
2. Let your CRM database list self-select
When sending an email to thousands of people, the subject line should be specific enough that the consumers know if this offer is relevant to them. Tell them what’s really inside, and let them decide if they want it. For example, if you get an email with the subject line, Sale on Sports-Bras, and you are part of the 50% of the adult population that doesn’t wear a bra, you won’t need to open this. If we say, Sale on Sports Apparel, we may get a higher open-rate, but our click-through rate will plummet—plus there’ll be a lot of annoyed men whose time we just wasted. By letting customers tell us which emails they want to read, we can more accurately segment our lists, and send people relevant offers and content.
3. Subject Lines in 6 words or less
Industry best practices say the most effective subject lines can be communicated in around 6 words. That’s the shortest poem ever. Not even a Haiku.
Let’s practice:
- Keep Earning Rewards and Free Products
- Tell Us What You Really Think
- Enter For Your Chance To Win
- Baby Bump Charlie Sheen Wife Swap
Even though it’s not a ton of space, you really can say a lot.
4. Tell them what you want to hear
Remember, whether we call them our target, consumers, database or some other marketing jargon term, the people we send emails to are actually just people. Like you and me. If you don’t want to get an email with the subject line, FREE FREE FREE FREE FREE FREE, then don’t send one. Analytics can tell us how effective we are at reaching people. But we should also keep in mind our own preferences. As my creative director once told me, write as if you were talking to your little sister. Or best friend. Or mom. Someone you genuinely want to communicate with. That way you build trust with your consumers and don’t waste their time.
