Technical excellence gets your email delivered. Compelling copy gets it read. And it gets it acted on. This week we cover the copywriting principles that make email copy effective.
This Week’s Lesson
The cardinal rule of email copy: write for one person, not a crowd. Even when you're sending to 10,000 people, each one reads it alone. 'Hey everyone, we're excited to announce...' is how you write for a bulletin board. 'You might have noticed...' is how you write for a person.
The inverted pyramid: put the most important information first, then expand. Email readers scan before they read. If your key point is buried in paragraph four, most readers will never reach it.
Sentence length and structure: vary your sentence length. Short sentences land hard. Longer sentences allow for nuance, context, and a more conversational rhythm that draws the reader forward before they realize they've read four paragraphs. Mix them.
Scannable structure: use sub-headings, bold text, and short paragraphs (2-4 sentences maximum) to make your email scannable. Most readers will scan before committing to reading fully — make scanning rewarding.
The 'so what' test: after every paragraph, ask 'so what does this mean for the reader?' If you can't answer that in one sentence, cut the paragraph or rewrite it with a clear reader benefit.
Tone and voice: your email tone should match your brand voice, the audience's expectations, and the context of the relationship. A first email to a prospect should be different in tone from a renewal reminder to a 5-year customer.