How to Write a Marketing Email: 10 Tips for Writing Compelling Email Copy

Email marketinghas come a long way in just the past few years. But with all the fancy new functionality brands are utilizing, you know what’s kind of funny? A well-written, plain-text email can perform just as well (if not better) than a highly designed email with tons of bells and whistles.

In fact, no matter how fancy your marketing emails look, if they’re devoid of well-written content, your subscribers will stop opening -- and start deleting -- your messages.

那么，您如何写一封出色的营销电子邮件？这一切都归结为一些文案写作最佳实践，您应该将其应用于消息主体本身的主题行和消息主体本身。

Next time you draft a message for领导培育运动or just a one-time email send, ask yourself whether your copy meets all of these guidelines first.

10 Email Copywriting Tips for Writing Better Marketing Emails

我们将从文案提示better subject lines, followed by copywriting tips for the bodies of your emails.

How to Write a Subject Line

撰写有效电子邮件副本的一部分是钉在主题行。主题行就像您的电子邮件的守门人：如果他们不够感兴趣，没有人可以阅读您的出色电子邮件副本，以便首先打开您的电子邮件。

这种兴趣几乎完全在电子邮件的主题线上获得（发件人名称也扮演角色）。我们撰写了几篇博客文章，有关制作电子邮件主题行，包括一条伟大主题线的解剖结构andone showing 18 examples of awesome subject lines from brands。这是对写一些出色副本需要知道的蒸馏。

1）使用可操作的语言。

With email subject lines, using actionable language doesn't necessarily mean using verbs, although it certainly helps. OpenTable, for example, sent me an email that said "Take Mom to Brunch" in the subject line. This is one way to use actionable language effectively in email subject lines: by incorporating a verb (like "take," "download," "reserve," "ask," "buy," etc.), the reader knows exactly what they can do in the email.

But there are ways to use actionable language without relying on verbs, which gives you more room to play around with wording. What it comes down to is using language that makes it clear to the recipient what they candowith the information in the email, should they choose to open it. In other words, keep the value for the user top-of-mind.

For example, I once got an email from TicketMaster with the subject line "Don't Miss Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band." They didn't order me to purchase tickets by saying "Purchase Tickets Tomorrow for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band," though such a subject line may have performed just as well. The original subject line worked well because it was clear what I coulddowith the information in that email -- ensure I'm prepared for the 10:00 AM sale time so I could snag my tickets. (Which I did, thanks to that email!)

2）尽可能个性化。

高度细分的电子邮件往往具有更高的性能水平（例如开放率和点击率），而不是个性化的电子邮件。According to a study by Direct Marketing Association，，，，分段和有针对性的电子邮件为被调查的营销人员产生了所有收入的58％，收入的36％是由发送给特定目标选择的电子邮件驱动的。

This isn't exactly surprising. After all, the more segmented your email list, the better able you are to personalize the subject line and provide relevant content to that email recipient.

So ask yourself: Is there a way to make your email subject line more personal? And I'm not talking about the dynamic field where you insert someone's [FIRSTNAME] -- email recipients stopped being impressed by that fancy functionality some time ago.

而是考虑这种情况：您是一个拥有庞大客户端数据库的房地产经纪人...

• Some of them are looking to rent, while others prefer to buy.
• Their ideal location ranges across several cities and zip codes.
• They all have different price points with which they're comfortable.
• Some are looking for a studio, while others want a mansion.
• 您甚至知道，其中一群人只会接受过去5年中已翻新的房屋。

You certainly wouldn't do a blanket email send across all of these different segments of your list, would you?

And your email subject line wouldn't be the same, either. You might have one subject line that says, "Renovated 1BR Apartment for Rent in Cambridge: Schedule a Viewing," and another that says, "RSVP: Open House Sunday for Colonial House in Sudbury." Each subject line speaks to the radically different needs of two radically different list segments.

3) Prioritize clarity, and only then think about "catchiness."

Write a subject line that is clear first, and catchy second. In marketing copy,清晰度应该始终是您的首要任务。如果您草拟了明确的主题行，则可以alsomake it catchy, funny, cute, whimsical, whatever, then go for it. But never sacrifice clarity for the entertainment value.

Urbandaddy是一家公司的示例，该公司擅长编写始终清晰bob全站app的主题行，并且sometimesalso catchy, funny, or entertaining. Take a look at the subject lines of some of the emails I've received from them:

ud |海洋中间的一家酒店

ud |Nunchucks. Made from Beer Cans. Finally.

UD |让每个人在一起:现在不讨厌的

ud |A Grill the Size of a Foosball Table

ud |It's Ice Cream. It's Beer. It's Beer Ice Cream.

ud |Here's a Private Bahamian Island. Do Your Thing.

这些主题中的一些要么使接收者轻笑，要么很奇怪，以激发您的兴趣。但它是alwaysextremely clear what you will get when you open the email.

。。。Which brings us to our next point.

4) Align your subject line copy and email copy.

You might already know how crucial it isfor your call-to-action copy and your landing page offer to align。好吧，在制作电子邮件主题行和电子邮件时，这也没有什么不同。

您的电子邮件主题行承诺，电子邮件应该传递。为什么？这不仅是因为它是负责任的 - 还因为当读者没有得到他们在主题行中实际承诺的东西时，点击率会下降。（从长远来看，您的电子邮件开放率也将如此。）

早在2011年，我们表演了a test of our own。我们向两个不同组的人发送了同一封带有两条不同主题行的电子邮件：

1. "54 New Data Slides for Your Marketing Decks":26% click-through rate
2. “从营销数据框中获取关键营销趋势”：10.4% click-through rate

第一条主题行很简单且精确得多，第二个主题行的点击率优于15.4％，这更含糊，更准确。

这里的关键要点？高电子邮件打开率无需任何点击即可。

How to Write an Email

现在，您已经制定了一条出色的电子邮件主题行，您对电子邮件的正文充分关注。那么，您如何制作将使他们点击的副本？这是您需要知道的重要组成部分！

5）建立相关性。

就像电子邮件主题行应努力通过个性化建立相关性一样，电子邮件的消息中的副本也应该如此。

同样，它不仅需要您的电子邮件副本的动态名称标签，以说服读者，其中的内容与他们相关。因此，请使用电子邮件的开始来解释您如何相互了解。

Below is an example of an email sent by Warby Parker to a colleague of mine. (By the way, the subject line was very clever: "Uh-oh, your prescription is expiring.")

Take a look at that first paragraph, called out in red. Right off the bat, the marketers at Warby Parker tell the readerwhy他们正在发送电子邮件（他们的处方即将到期），此电子邮件旨在帮助他们在到期日之前找到一副新眼镜。

想象一下，如果该电子邮件没有第一段，而是从当前第二段开始：“获得新处方可能会很麻烦。幸运的是，很容易在我们的纽伯里街商店与验光师约会或通过我们在Zocdoc的朋友。”

。。。Why are you emailing me about a prescription? Why would I want your advice? How do you know I live near Newbury Street? By reminding the recipient that they gave Warby Parker their prescription information in the past, there's a greater likelihood that that person will click through and redeem the offer inthisemail.

6）写第二人称。

Writing in the second person means using the pronouns “you,” “your,” and “yours." For example, "Before you leave in the morning, remember to bring your jacket." It means you orient the copy towards the reader, not yourself.

Take a look at the copy in this email from Zappos, for example:

现在，计算该电子邮件说“您”而不是“我们”或“ I”的次数。好的，我们不会让您数：“您”和“您的”单词出现12次，而“我们”，“我们的”和“我们”仅出现了5次。

这是第二人称语言的一个很好的平衡，可以将专注于客户而不是品牌的关注。这是一种微妙的策略，可以帮助您保持价值为导向，但是我将要涵盖的下一步对于将重点击中至关重要。

7）谈论好处，而不是功能。

You know the value of your email. But does your recipient? No, not yet. And it's your job to explain it.

问题是，许多电子邮件仅解释他们提供的功能，而不是好处。在我收到的两份单独的电子商务电子邮件中查看副本。哪一个正在吹捧该功能，哪个在吹捧好处？

如果您猜到了电子邮件B，那您是对的。电子邮件A直接在您的脸上享受30％的折扣，但没有解释其背后的价值。30％的Godaddy产品可以为我的目标做什么？这是否可以让我调整小型企业的基础设施成本支出，从而腾出新员工的钱？该好处比未公开的成本享受30％的折扣要明显得多。

Compare that with Email B from Banana Republic. The goal of this email is to sell shorts, but the copy isn't just shoving shorts down the recipient's throat. I mean, they're shorts ... big deal, right? They've identified what makes these shorts worthwhile: their versatility. They allow a man to lounge around the house and then go out in the city while putting minimal effort into changing his outfit. How convenient! How easy! How多才多艺的呢

该副本翻译了购买这些短裤的好处，但是Godaddy的电子邮件中的副本（或缺乏副本）并不能解释赎回通用30％折扣的好处。

8）简短。

电子邮件撰稿人犯的最严重的错误之一是试图将整个故事推入电子邮件。考虑一下您在收件箱中打开营销电子邮件时。您是否读过其中的每个单词？可能不会。您更有可能扫描要点，以便您可以收集总体信息，并决定是否要采取任何措施。

因此，如果您要发送带有数百个副本单词的电子邮件，那么收件人很难决定是否要点击 - 仅仅是因为他们无法快速筛选电子邮件中的所有信息。

Instead, find a way to summarize what the reader will get in a compelling way, and let them click through to a page on your website for more information.

看一下邮政伙的人们如何起草一封简短的电子邮件，鼓励读者点击以获取限时报价：

Postmates doesn't wait to get to the point. After a brief, friendly hello, they get right down to the purpose of the email: telling customers about their new "free lattes on-demand" promotion. After introducing the concept, they offer a few of the essential details, then get right to the call-to-action.

保留您的消息是编写简短电子邮件副本的关键。您要通过电子邮件提出的意义是什么？如果您知道您的电子邮件应该开车的动作 - 收件人订单免费拿需拿需武士，收件人会记得购买他们的Bruce Springsteen门票，收件人会有动力去锻炼 - 那么您将有更轻松的时间来起草简洁的电子邮件副本仍然专注于那个最终目标。

If writing succinct email copy isn't enough of a motivator for you to narrow down your goals, remember that having just one primary call-to-action in your email marketing results in better clickthrough rates than emails with竞争呼吁行动。

9）可爱。

Just because emails are meant to inform doesn't mean they can't also delight. In some cases, email can be a great avenue for letting your brand's personality shine, helping you build a meaningful relationship with the folks on your email lists. After all, providing a lovable experience for people begins and ends with how you communicate with them.

查看下面从死亡时的人们到库存照片的示例。电子邮件的目的是为他们前一天发送的一封电子邮件道歉，该电子邮件推广了一种售罄的产品，售罄，没有在国际上发货，并且通常给许多客户带来了糟糕的经验。

Notice the part of the email that's called out in red. Using concise, personable language, they explain what happened, apologize for the mistake, say what they learned from it and how they'll prevent it from happening in the future, and give the recipient several options for following up.

该电子邮件的这一部分的格式针对可能浏览电子邮件的大量收件人进行了优化。大胆的文字和一句话段落使得易于遵循。最后，他们不怕使用诸如“给我们wavveeee”之类的短语添加一些个性人性化他们的品牌。结果？接收者可能会更开放地宽恕他们出于诚实的错误。

在你的文字-动作10)使用可操作的语言。

是的：电子邮件也有电话。好吧，好人会。首先，您的电子邮件通话应非常容易识别。请记住：人们扫描电子邮件。如果您希望收件人可以接收一件事，那就是您的召唤。

如果您要发送HTML电子邮件，则可以决定包含一个按钮，例如以下AmazonLocal电子邮件所做的。

有两种素质使此通话行动按钮有效：

1. 出色的设计：首先，请注意蓝色设计中大的明亮的橙色按钮如何脱颖而出；当然，呼吁行动并不难找到。
2. 伟大的复制:按钮上的副本同样重要。您的召唤按钮应包括简洁，清晰和面向动作的语言。这个AmazonLocal按钮用几句话告诉您您可以使用动词做什么 - 您可以view这交易在电子邮件中展示。

But it's also crucial to spend some time optimizing your plain-text emails for clear calls-to-action. No matter how fancy your HTML email are, not all email clients will render your images, and not all email recipients will choose to display your images. In fact,we studied whether HTML emails or plain-text emails performed bestand found that,while peoplesay他们更喜欢基于HTML的电子邮件和基于图像的电子邮件，实际上，简单的电子邮件表现最佳 - 普通文本电子邮件的表现最好。

Take a look at how one of our emails利用链接的锚文字to draw recipients' attention toward the calls-to-action:

The message doesn't many graphics or colors added compared to most HTML emails. As such, the hyperlinked calls-to-action garner even more attention. When readers scan through the text and focus in on things like bolded words, images, and hyperlinked text, reiterating the same offer over and over hammers home for them exactly what you want them to do -- redeem your offer by clicking your call-to-action.

What else do you think makes for effective email marketing copy? Share with us in the comments.

Editor's Note: This post was originally published in May 2012 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.