A strong layout is just as pivotal as moving words when it comes to emphasising your message. Writing content that convinces minds, conquers hearts and activates people is what our copywriters jump out of their beds for in the morning.
You’ve got mail!
Unfortunately, there’s no golden set of rules for a good email. It requires insight into your target audience to come up with valuable content, just as it demands flexibility to compose a newsletter that’s spot-on despite the (technical) limitations of an email format. Luckily, there are a few cornerstones that we, as a copywriting agency, use as a basis for writing newsletters that really make a difference. To be eagerly read and to activate, a good newsletter should:
- Engage readers with a catchy or teasing subject line
- Communicate with the target audience in the right tone of voice
- Keep it relevant
- Be to the point and well-structured
- Include strong calls to action for a higher click rate
Subject line: sink or swim
The tantalising subject line will make or break your newsletter. A teasing intro, a strong statement or the answer to the million-dollar question your subscribers have been waiting for: you have 50 characters to convince the reader to keep on reading. Your polished subject line should be right on the money whilst keeping a few technical pitfalls in mind, such as the many buzzwords that mail-apps dislike. Steering clear of these increases the chances of not ending up in the spam folder automatically and gives you all the more reason to get creative and keep it fresh and original.
Communicate with your audience in the right tone of voice
Addressing the reader of a professional email with a ‘Hey, you there!’ isn’t a great idea. Conversely, ‘yours sincerely’ at the end of a colourfully designed newsletter doesn’t come across as particularly vivacious. Using the right tone of voice consistently throughout all communication is priceless for your company. It’s also important that ‘we’ and ‘us’ aren’t centre stage, as a successful newsletter addresses the reader personally as much as possible. A personalised greeting is the cherry on the cake!
Keep the reader content with your content
Your newsletter is pointless if the information isn’t relevant, no matter how brilliantly written. An email titled ‘The best gardens of 2020’ won’t – pun intended – bear much fruit if your target audience is made up of judges and lawyers. It is therefore pivotal to tailor interesting and educational content to your reader. Do you want to gain better insight into the needs and interests of your target audience? If you don’t ask, you’ll never know. Why not try a short survey?
Structured writing in moderation
A passionate but endless epistle, no matter how convincing, will inevitably end up being deleted. Too long, and the reader will be bored before they even start reading, which is reason enough to keep your content short and to-the-point. Emails tend to be read diagonally, so it’s a good idea to present them in a well-structured manner, with clear titles and bold highlights. Include a preheader text, as well, as that lets readers know what information to expect.
But how long should a newsletter ideally be? Unfortunately, there’s no clear-cut answer to that, either. The most important thing is that you are able to get your message across. In general, the ideal length is around 200 words, divided into no more than three to five sections. Add a good title, an intriguing intro and an appropriate conclusion and it all becomes crystal-clear: judicious editing is key! Do you have more information that you’d like to share with your readers? Consider adding a link to a page on your website, which brings us to our next point.
And … action!
Of course, you don’t want to compose a fantastic newsletter to then be waiting in vain, hoping the readers will keep an eye on your company’s activities from now on. A successful newsletter should activate, and lead to increased visits to your website, or more interest in your products. That’s why both outstanding copy and a good call to action are crucial. How do you do that, you ask? Well, nothing works better than a flashy, central button with an enticing caption.
The extra mile
To cut a long story short, creating compelling and inspiring emails can be quite a challenge, so it’s a good idea to leave the copywriting to our professionals. Here at Blue Lines, we love to dot our i’s and cross our t’s. What’s more, we go the extra mile, crafting newsletters that are bubbly, not bland, so they hit home and yield results.
Do you have contact lists in different languages? No problem, our talented translators can get onto it right away. They deliver creative translations that feel natural, while ensuring your message doesn’t get – ehem – lost in translation.
Ready to send newsletters that really hit the mark? E-mail or call us to discuss it further.