Writing good emails is simple enough. Write like you talk, tell a story, shift a belief, call the reader to action. That’s how most standard broadcast emails look. And frankly, a lot of automations, too.
But there’s so much more you can do to your email to add some variety. Variety that actually helps, too — not variety that distracts and harms opens/clicks/sales.
So here are some unique email tips I picked up in my career as a copywriter gun-for-hire.
1. Add Implicit Calls-to-Action
An explicit call-to-action is when you openly tell someone, “head here to buy/read/download XYZ.” You’re being, well, explicit about what you want the reader to do after reading your email.
It follows, then, that implicit CTAs don’t tell the reader to do anything… but they offer the opportunity.
So what does this look like?
If you’re familiar with the SEO concept of internal linking, it’s basically that. You link relevant anchor text (the hyperlinked text) to wherever you want your reader to go. You don’t say “click here” at all.
Hyperlinking what the reader perceives as “random” words can spike curiosity, especially if those words are tied to a benefit they want or a fear they have.
Plus, it offers more opportunities for readers to click and potentially buy… without adding “salesiness” to the email.
For instance, say you sell a course teaching guitar. Maybe your email offers a quick tip or two to nail a certain chord.
You could link text such as “changing chords quickly” (if it shows up in your email copy) to your sales page or wherever you’re pointing the reader.
Then, you’d have your regular CTA at the bottom.
2. Write Preview Text
Writing a killer subject line is an art and a science. You have to cram something powerful into like 4-6 words if you don’t want it cut off.
But consider this: sales pages, website copy, and sometimes even articles have headlines and subheadlines. Why can’t email have the same thing?
It does — it’s called the preview text.
The preview text is that little bit of text below an email’s subject line.
Many never edit this, so it autofills with all manner of things — often the first few words of the body copy.
But you can edit it. You get an entire few lines to elaborate, which is basically miles and miles of open space in the email copywriting world. You could “twist the knife” by hitting on a pain point, flesh out a benefit, all manner of things.
3. Experiment With the Sender Name
Did you know that emails don’t have to come from you every time? You can usually edit the sender name, offering yet another way to customize your emails and inject some persuasion or brand personality.
One way to use this that I’ve seen is to give yourself nicknames for some of the sender emails.
So if I were sending an email, I’d normally be “Bradley Schnitzer”. But if I were writing an email about, say, how I destroyed a client relationship, I could mess around and change my sender name to “Bradley the Destroyer”. Maybe not the greatest example, but you get my point.
This can be even more effective if your readers are used to getting your emails at a certain time. At the very least, it’ll grab attention and, if funny, generate a few laughs. And laughs are almost always good for your brand.
4. Get Personal With the Subject Line
Email copywriting is best done personal. Sometimes, real personal.
For example, you could write a subject line like “Are you flirting with me?” That’s bound to get some opens (assuming you have a good bond with your list so it doesn’t go to spam or trash).
Tie the subject line into the body copy somehow, and you’ll get a decent chuckle, too.
Hey, it could be a cart or browse abandonment type of email. Treat it kind of like the ever-dreaded “liking your crush’s picture on Instagram by accident” thing, then push the sale.
Regardless, try these uber-personal subject lines every once in a while. Experiment with them both in broadcasts and automation.
By the way, I learned this one (and a good amount of other email stuff) from Chris Orzechowski.
5. Use Pictures (Sparingly!)
I’m a proponent of the school of plain text. People open plain text emails because they look personal. They look like they’re coming from a friend. They don’t look like a sales pitch, even if they are.
But that doesn’t mean there’s ABSOLUTELY ZERO room for pictures.
In fact, pictures used wisely can further humanize you and your brand and build that connection.
For instance, maybe you just had a child. Congratulation! Once you’re back to work after some well-earned rest, you could (depending on your relationship with your list) share a pic of your new bundle of joy with your subscribers. You could even turn it into an “XYZ’s first child sale!”
Or perhaps you just got back from a wonderful vacation in the tropics. A picture or 2, tastefully sprinkled into the email, plus a smooth transition to a sales pitch, could bring you some sales and entertain your customers.
Spice Up Those Emails!
There you have it — a few unique tips for adding some freshness and variety to your email marketing. Don’t forget: if you need help writing emails and maybe implementing some of these ideas, hit me up here.