Email copywriting: best practices & templates for email marketing

Let’s face it; email copywriting is difficult. It requires you to understand many moving components to achieve your desired outcome, not to mention the copywriting itself. Fortunately, there are some tricks you can use to help your company succeed.

What is email copywriting?

Email copywriting is the literal words you put in your emails. These include those on your graphics, as well as your subject line and body content. The goal of copywriting email marketing is persuading readers to take action, such as viewing a landing page, scheduling a demo, or downloading a PDF. FOr email copywriting to work well you need to know your audience and tailor your words to your ideal client.

Why you should use copywriting email marketing

Email copywriting makes email marketing sharp and effective like a whetstone sharpens a knife’s blade. It is as hard to achieve high conversion with dull email writing as it is to make a salade with a dull knife. If you’re not implementing email marketing copywriting, you are leaving money on the table.

Copywritten email marketing is highly cost-effective for your business. Optinmonster puts the figure at making $44 for every $1 you spend on email on average. This ROI is much higher than most other marketing options. Even retail, which is often a difficult niche to get a click-through, had 38% of consumers reporting they’d clicked a link, according to Sailthru.

Your copywriting for email marketing is also an opportunity to present valuable content, which establishes you as an authority. This content could be anything from articles you promote to sales of your new products.

Broad email copywriting guidelines and best practices

Copywriting for email marketing can seem overwhelming. However, you know your audience and who your ideal clients are. Combine your knowledge with these six tips, and you will have a good, compelling email copy.

1. Select your words carefully

Part of good email copywriting is finding the right tone for your audience. As a rule, that tone is more conversational and casual than the average U.S. office email. With that in mind, you should maintain a degree of professionalism since the email reflects on your business.

Additionally, you’ll need to keep in mind your audience. For general purposes, the average American reads at an 8^th-grade level. That means your emails should be written below that level. Try keeping your English to what a ten-year-old can understand without being condescending.

2. Be direct and succinct

Writing a long email explaining what you’re offering is rarely the best option. Instead, focus on keeping everything direct. If a casual reader opens your email, you have about 6 seconds to hook them into clicking.

That means less email marketing copywriting for you, but each word needs to count. Ensure the words are all relevant to your end goal, whether that is getting an email reply, clicking a link, or downloading a coupon.

3. Spelling and grammar should be flawless 

According to Jack Lee, who is a content marketing strategist at Essaysontime, good grammar is more important than you think: “If you haven’t bothered to make your message perfect, your audience might think you have been equally sloppy when it comes to your product or service. Also, while exclamation marks and upper case letters can be effective when used in moderation, overusing them can have an adverse effect.”

4. Use a single CTA

One of the ways many marketing emails go wrong is using multiple calls to action (CTAs). Writers think that they can advertise multiple offers in one go, and all it does is distract readers so they do not pick an offer at all.

You should choose a single CTA for each marketing email you send. This decision will help you clarify the goal and cleanly copywrite the emails. All that email copywriting then only points to one, easy-to-understand CTA.

5. Add an email signature

The email signature is the end of your email and another opportunity to reinforce what you’re offering the reader. A professional-looking email signature like those from WiseStamp also strengthens your credibility – create yours now.

Your email signature should contain the basics, such as your name and preferred business contact information. You can also personalize with quotes, links, and pictures, so long as they fit the purpose of your email copy.

Email copywriting techniques for increased persuasion and better conversion

Up till now, we covered email copywriting in pretty broad strokes. Here is a more detailed explanation of how to go about creating a compelling email message your readers won’t be able to resist.

1. Create a clear and concise subject line. 

We have already discussed this, but what you should also keep in mind are the ingredients of a great subject line. Also, the content of your message should match your subject line. If you have promised your audience something in the subject, it has to be there once they click and open your email.

Otherwise, not only will your click-through rate dwindle, but it may also affect your open rate since you haven’t delivered what you have promised. Also, be specific. For example, “19 New Ways You Can Grow Your Online Business Today” will be a lot more effective than “New Trends for Online Businesses Owners”, which is pretty bland.

2) Make your greetings personal

The opening line we use for greeting is typically included as preview text recipients can see next to the email subject line in their inboxes. This means it can be used to add more info and relevancy that will make more people open your email. The opening line is also the first bit of content your reader will see inside your email (you can call it a second first impression).

All this makes the opening line the second most important piece of content after your subject line. Writing opening lines that hook your clients is key if you want to keep them reading long enough to convince them to take action.

A great way to hook your readers is to make your greeting personal and tailored to your audience.

Personalize each email greeting with the first name associated with the address. Depending on how you collect the emails on your list, you may be able to do this using your email marketing software. You may also be able to use segmentation features to personalize the text deeper into your message body.

Another trick you can use here is to address your audience in the second person, which means using “you”, “your”, and “yours” whenever appropriate. What this does is shift the focus from yourself to your users. They will only be interested if there is something in it for them, not just you and your brand.

3. Use simple and direct language

It’s okay if you are enthusiastic about all things your new product can do, but flooding your message with technical data will just turn the reader away. You should communicate what you have to say in simple language. Why use a fancy $2 word when there is an equally, or arguably more effective 10 cent word for it?

4. Spark their curiosity

For example, you could say something like “10 Ways to Improve Your Business”, but a better solution would be to sound more provocative, like “10 Devastating Reasons Why Most Businesses Fail”. The latter is a lot more effective, and gives you the opportunity to elicit an emotional response from the reader with powerful words like “devastating” and “fail”. A little drama and flair can go a long way here.

5. Break up your message visually with spaces, bullet points, or lists

In case your message goes on for a bit, divide it into sections that are easier for the reader to consume and scan. This can be achieved by creating a list, leaving plenty of white space, or relying on bullet points. Of course, this should also be used in moderation, and using more than 3-4 bullet points would defeat their purpose.

6. Focus on the benefits rather than features

Whether you are trying to justify the increase in price for your new product or providing a discount for it, instead of going on about all the features it has, focus on the benefits its user will experience if they decide to purchase it. Once they know how it will make their personal or professional life better, they will know its full value and will be able to understand that it’s worth the money.

7. Demonstrate enthusiasm and confidence in your product or service

This is one of the ways to show your audience that you have a truly fantastic product on your hands. If you are projecting a “meh” vibe, they will respond accordingly. If you are not sure how to sound enthusiastic, try writing your message quickly to make it sound more spontaneous.

8. Clean designs

You can use designs elements such as colors, shapes, and even images to guide the readers’ eyes to where you want them to go, or to emphasize the most important parts of your message.

Also, if possible, include colors that reflect those found on your logo or official website in order to bolster your brand’s identity. You can also use professionally designed email templates for regular, recurring content you plan to send like newsletters, sales announcements, and more.

9. Make your call-to-action as clear as possible

This applies both to its visibility, as well as its message. Your readers should be clear on what happens next and reinforce your message on why it would be beneficial for them to take you up on your offer. While not necessarily a rule, it’s always good to have just one call-to-action, instead of several competing ones.

10. Create a sense of urgency

Another method you can use to make your email message more effective would be to create a sense of urgency. For example, let your readers know that your fantastic offer is for a limited time only and that it will expire in several hours. Or tell them there are only 10 invites left, and those who buy them will get exclusive access to a premium version of your website, where they can find even more useful content.

Email copywriting template examples (for sales)

Templates are a good idea when you’re reaching out to a large volume of people. You will need to personalize these templates depending on your company and the services you offer. I can’t imagine everyone reading this is a green company consultant.

A cold lead is someone who has never interacted with your company before. Meanwhile, a hot lead has expressed interest in the product, has the means to buy it, and is currently seeking solutions. In between the two are warm leads.

1) Cold email copywriting example

2) Hot email copywriting example

Top 4 email copywriting services

Whether you’re out of time or unsure where to start, email copywriting services are always an option. These services offer easy access to copywriters who handle email marketing every day. By telling them a little, they can write you the perfect emails.

These services are also nice since there is minimal extra paperwork for you. All you must do is tell the service what you need and how often. In most cases, the customer support team takes care of all the other details.

1) Copify

Copify prides itself on quick, no-hassle content delivery. All you need to do is fill out the brief, and then the site staff chooses the perfect copywriter for your project. That means you’ll get someone who knows what to do for your business.

The company makes several unique promises. First, it says many items have a 48-hour turnaround, which is great if you’re in a hurry. It also guarantees proofreading and formatting, which allow you to use the content without worries.

Key features:

• 48 hour or less turnaround
• Verified copywriting network
• Multiple service offerings
• Professionally managed

Price:

• Prices start at $0.06/word

2) Rightly written

Rightly Written is another content option where you do not have direct content with the writer. Instead, you fill out a brief on the website, and the staff picks a writer that matches. However, you can request the same writer again.

The company offers intuitive options, including a dashboard so you can see all of your orders at once. You can track where the order is within the process, which includes editing by a dedicated team.

One of the things that make Rightly Written appealing is the automated ordering option. This lets you easily scale up your content output to quickly and constantly feed your blog, newsletter, and email automation tool.

Key features:

• Content ecosystem
• Automated monthly option
• Internally verified copywriters
• Professionally managed

Price:

• Prices start at $0.07/word

3) Fiverr

Fiverr has two options for you, marketplace and business. With either option, you choose who works on your project directly. This control is great if you find yourself on a budget or if you find a writer who gets your company brand exactly right.

The marketplace option means you’re vetting the freelancers yourself through their reviews and samples. With business, you get a curated catalog to pick from and a Fiverr success manager to help you along the way.

Either way, you have immense flexibility on this platform. You can even talk to writers before purchase to confirm you’ll get what you want.

Key features:

• Choose your own writer if desired
• Team options, including Fiverr Business
• Wide niche selection
• Completely customizable

Price:

• Prices start from $0.01/word

4) Godot media

Godot Media is an excellent option if you’re looking for other content to go with your email marketing. The platform offers many reasonably priced writing products, including articles and white papers you can use as lead magnets.

Godot Media offers personalized quotes on packages that work for your business. While you may not meet the copywriter, you are assured of professional content. Like other platforms, you do get revisions and the option to select your quality level.

Key features:

• Copywriting only
• Automated monthly options
• Professionally managed

Price:

• Prices from $0.027/word

Final thoughts:

Copywriting for email marketing requires you to keep several distinct things in mind. You need to write to your audience, keep everything direct, and lead them to a specific action. All the while, the email must be personal.

That leaves you with several options, and you can adjust those options to suit your specific business relatively quickly. Modifying templates only takes a little time, while hiring an email copywriting service takes more resources.

Regardless, you know the right email marketing content can help keep your business going, irrespective of how hard the times are. How you get that content is up to you and how it fits in the demands of your time.

With time, email copywriting will start to feel natural. Then you’ll wonder why you thought it was challenging to begin with. Remember, meet your customers where they’re at. Who knows, some may relate deeply to your story about email marketing copywriting.

Copywriting for email marketing helps propel your business forward and improve your overall outlook. It’s there to support your company’s growth, so use it.