Creating email content can be a challenge, especially if you’re new to writing for the web.  Attention spans are short and relevancy is key.  Keep in mind that your recipients’ time is valuable.  You want to present them with the most relevant and fresh information possible and make it easy for them to find additional content.  The following tips are great ways to optimize and improve the readability of your email campaigns.  Don’t forget to benchmark so you can measure success!  

1. Break up your Content

Three great ways to break up content and make it easier to scan are:

• Sub headers with short paragraphs
• Bullet points
• Numbered lists

You have your readers’ attention for a limited amount of time.  You want to get your message across quickly and succinctly.  Content needs to be easily scanned and different pieces of information should be concise so that readers are able to easily find the information most relevant to them. 

2. Include a Call to Action (CTA) Above the Fold

When we refer to above the “fold” of your email what we mean is the section of your email that is viewable without scrolling down.  Make sure not to take up valuable space with something like a very large header.  You want your most important information at the top of your email because it’s what readers will see first and pay the most attention to.

The CTA is what recipients are supposed to do once they have opened your email.  Whether that is to click through and make a purchase, register for a class, take a survey, etc. Every email should have a clear CTA at least above the fold, if not repeated again at the bottom of the message; it lets recipients know why you’re mailing them. 

In this example email, the dashed yellow line represents the fold line.  You can see that there is a clear call to action – the orange button – above the fold that will take you to a registration page for the webinar and it is included again at the bottom of the email.  This makes it very clear what readers are supposed to do: click through to register. Here’s a great article for more details and ideas on creating a stronger CTA.

3. Link Out to Additional Information

Especially if you have a lot of information that’s too much to include in a single email, use a teaser and then link out to the full article/additional information.  This is a great way to drive traffic to your website as well as keeping emails short and sweet.  If the information was included in a previous email, link out to its web version.  If you want readers to click through to your blog, include the first paragraph and link to the full post.  For a new product announcement, include a blurb and link out to additional information and customer testimonials or a coupon code. 

Be sure to use clear verbiage in your hyperlink.  Rather than “Click Here” try “Read the Full Article” or “Visit Product Page”.  Hyperlinks should be a clue as to what it is that recipients are clicking through to.

4. Image to Content Ratio & Link to Content Ratio

There isn’t a set rule on the number of words per image or hyperlink for emails.  It will depend on your business model as well as what works best for you.  A/B split testing is a great way to test whether emails with more or fewer images and links perform better.  Generally the rule for website content is, for every 350 words you may include five hyperlinks and two to three images.  However for someone like an  e-commerce store this may not work, you may find that emails with more images displaying products with just a sentence or two that link out to the product page perform much better.  The point is to get your message across in way that is success for you.  So try some split testing, take a look at the performance of your emails, talk to your account manager, and see what works.

Then… Continue the Conversation

Don’t forget that email can be just as social as your Facebook and Twitter environments.  You want your emails to be a conversation, so ask readers to continue talking to you. 

Example: What did you use your coupon code to purchase?  We want to know! @MyCompany

Don’t forget to Tweet yourself.  Using a platform like HootSuite you can schedule Tweets to deploy much the same as you can schedule emails to deploy in Lyris.  Tweet the title of your newsletter hyperlinked out to the web version, with a message like “If you’re not already signed up for our newsletter, join us!”  With the “join us” hyperlinked to your newsletter’s sign-up page.

Example: Have you test driven the new Lyris HQ? Be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you don’t miss a thing!

This way you’re encouraging followers to sign up for your newsletter (helping to grow your list) as well as promoting it via your other social media accounts. 

Register for this month’s webinars:

2011 Email Marketing Trends and Truths, Thursday, August 25, 2011, 11:00 AM Pacific / 2:00 PM Eastern
The Future of Email: 2011 Trend Watch, Tuesday, August 30, 2011 10:00 AM Pacific / 1:00 PM Eastern

About the Author

Elyanna Snyder is an Account Manager at Lyris.