In addition to XploreNet’s E3 Code of Conduct, which stands for Email Ethics & Etiquette and covers the five critical elements to effective email marketing campaigns—1) opt-in only, 2) frequency sensitivity, 3) unsubscribe ability, 4) tone and 5) relevance—we offer the following ten writing tips for authoring effective email marketing messages:
Avoid the use of large fonts
It is often tempting to use larger fonts for emphasis. However, some spam filters will interpret large font as spam. Therefore, to keep the filters from thinking your email is spam, limit your largest font size to 16 or 18 pt font for headlines and 10 or 12 pt font for general messaging. Create emphasis with your word selection or the use of bold and italics. Avoid the use of serif fonts
Serif fonts, such as Times Roman or Garamond, tend to be more difficult for a recipient to read, while san serif fonts, such as Arial, or Helvetica are typically easier. As a test of this theory, next time you are surfing the web, take note of how many websites out there use serif fonts. I think you will note that it’s not many. It’s not just a coincidence. Avoid using all caps
Text that is written in all caps can be difficult to read. Often, we think that typing something in caps will provide greater emphasis or pop off the screen more. Instead of using all caps, create the same emphasis with your word selection or use of bold and italics. Keep the use of bold or italics to a minimum
Although above we mention using bold and italics in lieu of large font or all caps, use them sparingly. They are useful for emphasizing a point or getting text to pop off the screen within a larger body of text, but be careful how much you use each one. Avoid using cliché words or spam target words
As a general rule, if you’re thinking about using a promotional word, ask yourself, “If I received this email, would this word turn me off?” This should keep you safe but if not, some examples of words to avoid are: Free, Special Offer, Order Now, Click Here – words that you have likely seen in many of the spam emails that get through your own spam filter. Avoid fluff words, industry jargon or industry acronyms
Avoid fluffy descriptive words that may just take up space. If the word isn’t necessary, don’t use it. Also, depending on your targeted recipient, be careful when using industry jargon or acronyms. Don’t use an acronym if your average recipient isn’t going to know what it means. If that’s the case, make sure you spell out the acronym the first time you use it. Avoid complex words and language
Who the targeted recipients are should dictate the complexity with which you write. When in doubt, given that almost 50% of the adult population in the U.S. has a “Below-Basic” or “Basic” reading level, you should probably avoid complex words or syntax. A good rule of thumb is to write like a newspaper—newspapers generally write stories at a 6th to 8th grade reading level. Keep subject lines short but intriguing
Remember, your subject line is like a headline that you would see on a billboard while driving down the road. You may only get a second of your recipient’s attention. In that second, you need to pique their interest. Ultimately you want their brain to read the subject line at an almost subconscious level and subsequently be intrigued enough to open it and read more. Keep paragraphs short
Shorter paragraphs are less threatening to a recipient and may likely prompt higher read-rates. Additionally, shorter paragraphs are more likely to appear within preview panes of email applications such as Microsoft Outlook. Shorter paragraphs are also easier for recipients to read or scan. If your subject line (see above) is intriguing enough and they open your email, they will then scan the body of the email and if they like what they see, they’ll read more closely. Thus, make it easy for them to do this. Leverage links and blogs
As a means to keeping content brief, emails intriguing and paragraphs short (and avoiding lengthy text that scrolls on forever) utilize links to your website or a blog. For instance, include a couple sentence summary or a teaser paragraph about a topic within an email with a link to read more. Then have the link go to your website or a blog where the entire passage can be found.
It is often tempting to use larger fonts for emphasis. However, some spam filters will interpret large font as spam. Therefore, to keep the filters from thinking your email is spam, limit your largest font size to 16 or 18 pt font for headlines and 10 or 12 pt font for general messaging. Create emphasis with your word selection or the use of bold and italics. Avoid the use of serif fonts
Serif fonts, such as Times Roman or Garamond, tend to be more difficult for a recipient to read, while san serif fonts, such as Arial, or Helvetica are typically easier. As a test of this theory, next time you are surfing the web, take note of how many websites out there use serif fonts. I think you will note that it’s not many. It’s not just a coincidence. Avoid using all caps
Text that is written in all caps can be difficult to read. Often, we think that typing something in caps will provide greater emphasis or pop off the screen more. Instead of using all caps, create the same emphasis with your word selection or use of bold and italics. Keep the use of bold or italics to a minimum
Although above we mention using bold and italics in lieu of large font or all caps, use them sparingly. They are useful for emphasizing a point or getting text to pop off the screen within a larger body of text, but be careful how much you use each one. Avoid using cliché words or spam target words
As a general rule, if you’re thinking about using a promotional word, ask yourself, “If I received this email, would this word turn me off?” This should keep you safe but if not, some examples of words to avoid are: Free, Special Offer, Order Now, Click Here – words that you have likely seen in many of the spam emails that get through your own spam filter. Avoid fluff words, industry jargon or industry acronyms
Avoid fluffy descriptive words that may just take up space. If the word isn’t necessary, don’t use it. Also, depending on your targeted recipient, be careful when using industry jargon or acronyms. Don’t use an acronym if your average recipient isn’t going to know what it means. If that’s the case, make sure you spell out the acronym the first time you use it. Avoid complex words and language
Who the targeted recipients are should dictate the complexity with which you write. When in doubt, given that almost 50% of the adult population in the U.S. has a “Below-Basic” or “Basic” reading level, you should probably avoid complex words or syntax. A good rule of thumb is to write like a newspaper—newspapers generally write stories at a 6th to 8th grade reading level. Keep subject lines short but intriguing
Remember, your subject line is like a headline that you would see on a billboard while driving down the road. You may only get a second of your recipient’s attention. In that second, you need to pique their interest. Ultimately you want their brain to read the subject line at an almost subconscious level and subsequently be intrigued enough to open it and read more. Keep paragraphs short
Shorter paragraphs are less threatening to a recipient and may likely prompt higher read-rates. Additionally, shorter paragraphs are more likely to appear within preview panes of email applications such as Microsoft Outlook. Shorter paragraphs are also easier for recipients to read or scan. If your subject line (see above) is intriguing enough and they open your email, they will then scan the body of the email and if they like what they see, they’ll read more closely. Thus, make it easy for them to do this. Leverage links and blogs
As a means to keeping content brief, emails intriguing and paragraphs short (and avoiding lengthy text that scrolls on forever) utilize links to your website or a blog. For instance, include a couple sentence summary or a teaser paragraph about a topic within an email with a link to read more. Then have the link go to your website or a blog where the entire passage can be found.
