We all get a lot of emails. As customers, that means we have to sift through dozens of messages every single day. As email marketers, that means we have to do something to stand out amongst the dozens of messages our customers are receiving. That’s when improving your email marketing copy will quickly produce good results.

When it comes to getting customers to open emails, people love to experiment with automation tools and play with design. But arguably the most important factor of whether or not an email converts is its copy.

In this post, we cover tips for writing email marketing copy that converts. Let’s dive in.

#1: Make the Subject Line Compelling

It’s been said time and again that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. But when it comes to email, people have no problem making a snap decision. They either click open, delete, or report spam.

The last thing you want is your emails being marked as spam, especially when you’re trying to increase conversions.

The best way to avoid this is by coming up with a gripping subject line. Subject lines are so important that 47% of marketers test different ones to maximize their emails’ performance.

Here are 3 things to remember when creating subject lines:

  1. Use actionable language to create a sense of urgency or trigger curiosity.
  2. Short and clear is best: email subject lines get cut off if they are very long, particularly on mobile devices.
  3. Include the recipient’s name, as emails that include the recipient’s name in the subject line have higher click-through rates.

#2: Use Powerful Language

When subscribers open your email, you only have seconds to capture their attention. That means you need to make a great first impression with your language. Don’t use technical jargon or words that are difficult to understand. Your email marketing copy should sound like you’re talking to a friend. However, the content should also be powerful and relevant to keep readers interested.

Make reading your email an awesome experience by using the right words. Emails are generally short, so every single word counts. Appeal to your readers’ emotions, stir their imagination, and get them to act by using analogies and sensory words.

#3: Write in the Second Person

Every email recipient is a real person: address them individually. When composing the email, imagine you’re writing it to one specific person—a friend. Avoid using words like “he” or “she” and use “you,” “your,” and “yours” instead. When you write in the second person, the reader gets the feeling that you’re having a one-on-one conversation.

Also, make the recipient the focus of your email. Don’t give too much information about your company or yourself. Anyone who has subscribed to receive your emails is more interested in how the products or services you offer can benefit them.

If you have to talk about your brand, don’t mention it more than you mention the recipient. Keeping a strong focus on the customer helps your messaging resonate.

#4: Know Your Target Audience

One of the biggest mistakes people make when writing email marketing copy is trying to appeal to everyone. Just like with darts, you have to aim if you want to hit the bullseye. If you throw darts without aiming, you may not even hit the board.

Know your target market well, no matter the business you’re in. Who is buying your products? How can you help them? Carry out market research to know more about the people on your email list. That way, you can customize your copy to meet their needs. If you’ve got a large list with different types of customers, consider segmenting your list and sending different emails with targeted copy for each segment.

Remember, this is the age of information overload. Your email recipients see a lot of information every day: emails, commercials, videos, blog posts, and much more. If you don’t write for your target audience, you will easily get ignored.

#5: Provide Value

Most people delete sales-y, irrelevant, and obnoxious emails in the blink of an eye. That’s why it’s so important to ensure your marketing copy is better than the average email. The best place to provide value, get readers to connect with your content, and inspire them is in the email body.

Providing value to your readers is the only way you can get them to act. If you are sending an initial email, do not try to convert the reader into a customer. Offer them something interesting to get the conversation going. If your email offers value, people will read it.

Here are some ways you can provide value to your email recipients:

  • Give them educational content such as eCourses and eBooks
  • Share case studies, success stories, or customer testimonials
  • Provide free resources, e.g. a company-branded calendar or a free guide

#6: Make the Call to Action (CTA) Compelling

Email marketing copy has one major goal: to convert its recipients. Motivate your readers to act by providing a compelling call to action in the email’s body. Aim to include action words that motivate readers to click the CTA. Research has shown that people tend to actively respond after they’ve read more verbs.

Use short and simple action words in your call to action, like start, buy, order, sign up, and get. To further increase conversions, use words that show the reader the benefits you’re offering them.

Here are the “do”s for email calls to action:

  • Use one prominent CTA in the email to increase conversions
  • The CTA should be “above the fold” in the email body
  • Contrast the color of the CTA with that of the email copy

The more visible it is, the more readers will click.

#7: Proofread

While proofreading may seem obvious, it is often overlooked. Typos and inaccuracies in your email marketing copy can hurt your credibility.

When proofreading an email, read it carefully and slowly to determine whether it communicates your message. Make sure the subject line, the pre-header, and the email copy correspond. If the email body does not provide the content you promised in the subject line, readers will not open your next email.

#8: Use Editing Technology to Improve the Clarity of Your Email Marketing Copy

We all get a lot of emails. As customers, that means we have to sift through dozens of messages every single day. As email marketers, that means we have to do something to stand out amongst the dozens of messages our customers are receiving.
We all get a lot of emails. As customers, that means we have to sift through dozens of messages every single day. As email marketers, that means we have to do something to stand out amongst the dozens of messages our customers are receiving.

Editing technology can help ensure your email copy is engaging, polished, and professional. A tool like ProWritingAid has numerous features that can improve your copy with the touch of a button.

ProWritingAid has over 20 reports specially designed to make your writing more clear. These reports will help you fix everything from missed commas to clunky sentences. The Style Report, for instance, will identify places where you’ve used overly complicated wording that you can simplify to make it easier and more engaging for your readers.

Email marketing copy

ProWritingAid lets you customize your document type so you can receive custom suggestions depending on what you’re writing. Changing your style to “Business” enables checks for jargon so you can ensure you’re using customer-focused language.

ProWritingAid also gives you feedback on different customer-focused goals. Want to make sure you’re using enough “you”-focused language? ProWritingAid can check you’re hitting the proper percentages to help your emails convert. The Goals feature also checks for measures like positivity, questions, and phrasing that will trigger spam alerts.

Check your email marketing copy

In addition to all of those features, ProWritingAid checks for style, grammar, and spelling so you won’t send out a message to thousands of people with a misspelled word.

Start Writing Better Email Marketing Copy

Effective email copy is the key to achieving your customer conversion goals. By using the tips outlined in this post, you can engage with your customers and get your message across.