Tips to writing effective email copy
Oct 28, 2009 Communication 2.0
By: Tracey Shanahan
Writing effective email copy isn’t as hard as you might
think. However, while some people are natural-born
writers, most of us have to practice our writing skills.
One of the biggest things to remember when writing
email copy is to write as if you’re writing an email
to a friend or family member – ONE friend or family
member.
One of the biggest mistakes that people make when
writing email copy is thinking that their email has to
sound very formal and proper in order for it to be
effective.
That’s not the case at all. In order for your email to
be effective, you have to know your target audience
and then write to them – one of them. Put yourself in
their shoes and write an email that will speak to them.
You also want to write in a similar way to the way
that you talk so that your emails are written in your
voice.
For example, if you were to see me, would you approach
me and say, “Hey, Trace, how’s it goin’? I’ve got a cool
new product that I think will really help you” or would
you say, “Hello, Tracey. How are you today? I have
a wonderful new product that is really going to help
you?” See the difference there? The second example
is much more formal than the first – it’s your job to
know your audience and figure out which approach
they will identify with.
If you’re writing to other investors, you’re probably
writing to people who are pretty similar to you and
the ways that you think and speak. They would
probably respond better to a less formal sounding
email, something more casual, but informative.
Another big mistake that people make when writing
email copy is writing the email to a group of people.
You read above where I said to write an email as if
you’re writing to ONE friend or family member.
This is what I was referring to.
Think if you were to get an email… would you rather
get an email that sounds like it was written to a big
group of people or would you rather get an email
that sounds like it was written specifically for you?
Which one will you be more inclined to read?
You’d rather get an email that was written to you,
right? And you’ll probably read that one before
you’ll read an obvious mass email, won’t you?
There’s a good chance that your prospect feels
the same way.
Another tip is to avoid being too hypey in your
email, especially if you’re not that type of person to
begin with. The email will seem artificial and much
less genuine if the email seems as though you’re
simply trying to sell something. Terms like “knock
your socks off” and “blow you away” are so overused
that people are starting to see them as just hype.
Be genuine in your email, tell your prospect what
you think in your own words. If you’ve never before
used terms like “knock your socks off” your prospects
are going to see right through you.
So to recap:
- write as if you’re writing an email to a friend or
family member
- write to one person, not a whole group of people
- don’t be too formal, write how you normally speak
- be genuine, not too hypey
I hope this helps, let me know how these tips work
for you!
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