How to Write Compelling Copy For Your Email Marketing Campaign

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According to the Content Marketing Institute, 87% of marketers use email marketing for content distribution. Putting the numbers in perspective, roughly nine out of every 10 marketers use email marketing to reach customers.

As a digital marketer, you face stiff competition when it comes to email marketing and content distribution. To beat the competition, you must find a way to stand out—you need to find a way for your marketing campaigns to stand out from the rest.

Email marketing is a level playing ground, but any slip up can quickly relegate you. There’s no guarantee you’ll get your target’s attention. Members of your target audience only have a few hours to check their emails per day. Naturally, they’ll only check the few that manage to catch their attention. 

49% of customers prefer to receive promotional emails from marketers every week. That indicates customers are willing to listen to you. On your end, you have to provide compelling content. You need exciting and engaging content to get your customers’ attention. And the fastest, cheapest way to have an intriguing copy is to write it yourself!

Whether for writing attractive welcome emails or promotional emails, we’ll be discussing creating compelling copy for email campaigns. These hacks will get you from the spam folder to a click on the CTA. Regardless of your email copywriting skill level, there’s something for you to learn in this post.

What is Email Copywriting, and How to Write Compelling Copy?

Learning how to do something you don’t fully understand isn’t very effective. You’ll probably end up confused or doing the wrong thing. Therefore, let’s start by understanding exactly what email copywriting is all about. 

Source: Pexels

Email copywriting is the process of creating written content that you intend to send to existing or prospective customers via email. The intent and message of the email copy vary depending on the type of campaign you’re running. Whether utilized to strengthen a startup reputation or to get an inbound call from a potential customer, it all begins with a compelling and attention grabbing copy.

Not all email messages require excellent copywriting skills. Replying to weekly meeting reminders from your boss or emailing customer support doesn’t require copywriting skills. You only need copywriting skills when trying to get people to engage with a cause or business. An excellent example of email copy is a newsletter containing business updates or content inviting the reader to join your high ticket affiliate programs.

Interestingly, there are numerous perks to learning email copywriting or improving your copywriting skillset. Learning email copywriting gives you access to an entirely new toolset. Copywriting skills teach you to better express your ideas to prospects and customers. You stand to gain more if you possess the ability to write compelling email copy.

Of course, you also have the option of hiring someone to write compelling email copy for you. But if you decide to do it yourself, then be ready to do a fantastic job of it. With that said, here are tips to craft compelling copy for your email marketing campaign.

Source: Pexels

Know Your Audience and their Needs before Writing

Before putting fingers to keys, ask yourself: “Who am I writing to?” Reflect on the aspects of the lives of the people you want to address via the copy. The nature of your audience should shape your copy. 

You may have your ideas. But, very few people will care about your opinions if it doesn’t concern or benefit them. Likewise, your audience won’t find your email compelling if it’s not addressing a part of their life.

So whether it is selling a product or introducing a customer referral program, there should always be a relatable element in your writing.

One characteristic that defines skillful copywriters is their ability to express their ideas and address their audiences’ peculiarities simultaneously. You’ll only be able to do that when you truly understand your audience. Sending emails to an audience you don’t understand doesn’t make sense.

When writing an email copy, focus on the who, what, and why: 

  • Who are you writing to? 
  • What are you trying to tell them? 
  • Why are you writing to them? 

When you get your answers to these three questions correct, you’ll be able to write copy that’ll interest the reader.

Personalize the Message in the Copy

Avoid being too formal or coming off as someone trying to sell to the audience—the majority of your target audience won’t like this approach. 

The best way to sidestep formality in your email copy is to add a personal touch to the message. Address the audience like you’re addressing acquaintances and friends. 

An excellent way to build interest is to address the reader by their name at the beginning of the message. Start your message with a variation of “Dear *insert reader’s first name*.”

Mentioning the reader’s name creates a feeling of familiarity between you and them. It makes the reader feel you know enough about them to talk about something they want to hear. 

Mentioning names is not the only way to add a personal touch to your email copy. Another good way to add a subtle touch to your email content is by writing in the second-person voice. Use pronouns such as “you” when talking to or about the reader. Avoid using pronouns such as “he,” “she,” or “they” as much as possible.

Source: Pexels

Talking directly to the reader will make them feel like you wrote the message specifically for them. For instance, use phrases like “We want you to understand…” or: “You may not know about virtual phone numbers, but….” 

Personalizing the message in your email copy is a delicate exercise. Like carrying an egg with a spoon, there’s a need for balance. You don’t want to overdo it.

Don’t use the reader’s name too many times—two to three times is enough. Avoid getting too personal and telling irrelevant stories that don’t concern the reader. Be moderate, maintain a level of formality, and don’t lose sight of the goal when writing.

Be Relatable to the Readers

Do you want to write more compelling copy for your emails? Talk about things the readers will find relatable. Show the prospects and customers that you understand how they feel. The best way to sell is to provide a solution to a problem. In this case, you can answer your audiences’ questions or address their concerns.

Hitting pain points is a great way to be relatable. You may not have the same experiences as your audience, but empathize with them, regardless. Pick your words carefully; let each word reassure the reader. 

Demonstrate your empathy for the reader to soothe their pain points. Showing compassion will endear the readers to your message and increase the possibility of extracting positive reactions from them. 

The possibility of success via email marketing is high. Over four billion people use emails. With technology like visual voicemail, it’s easy for your target audience to keep up with your emails—as long as you’re relatable.

Another way to be relatable is to tell short stories. Stories engage the senses as well as emotions and enable you to connect better with the audience. The best stories are based on personal experiences, such as individual interactions with others. But fictional stories are not bad either. Be honest in your stories and avoid leading your audiences into believing hogwash. 

Source: Pexels

Apply Psychological Principles in Your Copy

There are psychological tricks you can apply to your email copy to make them more compelling. The most famous principle most marketers use is that of reciprocity. When you do something nice for others, they usually want to return the favor. You can apply this to your email copy by offering something your audience will appreciate for free. 

Say you want to write copy for a brand that provides call center services. You can provide an incentive such as a free trial or a free meeting online to entice the audience to engage with your brand. 

Another form of incentive is teaching them how to make the best of the brand’s services for free. Sending an email with tips can be a great way to build customer trust. The next time you ask the audience to book an appointment, they’ll be more likely to do it.

If you’re sending emails to existing customers, you can offer them the premium package for a discounted price. Or better still, you can offer to extend their free trial if you can bear the cost. These are promotional offers that customers like to receive and will prompt positive reactions from them. 

Focus on actionable language in your copy. The best way to do this is to always write in an active voice. Finally, don’t forget to include a strong CTA in your piece!

Source: Unsplash

Improve Your Email Marketing Campaign With Strong Copywriting

Nothing determines the effectiveness of an email marketing campaign as much as the email copy. The contents of the email and your consistency will build trust that leads to the customer taking action. 

Project planning tools can help you maintain consistency. With the hacks above, you can make the content of your emails highly compelling. Good luck!

Jenna Bunnell
Jenna Bunnell is the Senior Manager for Content Marketing at Dialpad, an AI-incorporated cloud-hosted unified communications system that provides valuable call details for business owners and sales representatives. She is driven and passionate about communicating a brand’s design sensibility and visualizing how content can be presented in creative and comprehensive ways.

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