The effect of email copywriting is often underestimated. Good copy can make the difference between a good email and a bad one. So how do you write good email copy yourself?
Email copywriting is the writing of converting text for an email campaign. The primary goal of these texts is often to persuade the reader to take a certain action you have in mind. When writing these texts, attention is paid to the reader’s wants and needs in order to tap into certain emotions using the text. When done effectively, it results in a text that is persuasive and encourages action.
Copywriting is a powerful skill. By mastering it, you can influence the thoughts and actions of others, whether that is by convincing them to buy a product, subscribe to your list or adopt a new perspective.
Good copywriting can captivate your audience, build trust and encourage engagement. The better you are at copywriting, the more effectively you can connect with your audience and inspire them to action.
An email copywriter is a person who specializes in writing persuasive copy for email campaigns. An e-mail copywriter is up to date with the latest trends and can very well put himself or herself in the shoes of what the reader is thinking and feeling. That way, he or she can convince the reader to do something. An e-mail copywriter knows very well who the target group is and which feelings need to be addressed to get the desired result.
Email copywriting is about creating persuasive emails. But persuasive emails are not just about driving sales.
It’s about getting the reader to take ANY action you desire, whether that’s:
I’ll share some tips for achieving exactly that, using simple, plain text emails.
It is important to know who your target audience is. When you write, try to talk to one group of people, not everyone. Always think about your reader. Here are three questions to ask yourself before you begin.
For example, if you are writing for people who like technology, you will explain things differently than if you were talking to people who do not like technology. Therefore, it is helpful to know who you are writing for. If these people already know everything about technology then you can easily use jargon. If these people don’t know anything about it, then it’s better to explain it in plain language.
What is the purpose of your text, what action do you want the reader to perform? Every sentence should have a purpose. Maybe you want people to buy something, sign up for an email list or share your message. So if you sell eco-friendly kitchen stuff, you might want to convince readers to replace their old stuff with your eco-friendly ones.
This is your chance to tell people why your stuff is special. You want to give them a very good reason to do what you ask. So as far as eco-friendly kitchen stuff goes, you could say that buying it helps the planet and makes their lives healthier.
Once you have mapped this out, it is important to know what the pain points, objections and problems of your target audience are. So that you can respond to them with your copy.
Pain points refer to problems your audience is experiencing. As a copywriter, your job is to understand these problems in depth. When you write about solutions to these problems (such as how your product or service can help), you are addressing your audience’s needs directly.
For example, if your audience consists of parents struggling to find healthy food for their children, your copy should emphasize how healthy your products are and possibly how unhealthy normal products are.
Objections are the reasons why your audience may not want to take the action you suggest.
Good copy anticipates these objections and addresses them directly.
For example, if you are selling a high-value product, your audience may hesitate because of the cost. You can address this by showing that the product is a worthwhile long-term investment or by offering flexible payment options.
Struggles are larger, more complex problems your audience faces.
Understanding these problems allows you to show empathy in your text and build a deeper connection with your audience.
If your target audience consists of small business owners, they may struggle with time management. You can use this insight to illustrate how your product or service saves them time and lets them focus on growing their business.
Effective email copywriting important to lead readers to your call-to-action (CTA). The funnel begins with an engaging subject line that encourages recipients to open the email. Then a “hook” draws them to the main body of the e-mail. A body sparks interest and leads them to the final part, the CTA, which leads to the desired action. Each step, from the subject line to the CTA, is crucial to maintaining engagement and generating conversions.
The email begins with the subject line, which is crucial to generate interest and prompt the recipient to open the email. It should be compelling enough to arouse curiosity. For example:
“Save 4 hours of work a day – Free webinar!”
The goal is to make your recipient curious and convince them to open your email.
This is your chance to immediately grab the reader’s attention.
An engaging hook could be:
“Ever wish you had more time left to do fun things?”
This connects directly to a common pain point of your target audience and encourages them to keep reading.
This is where you present your main message. For example:
“Join our free webinar and learn practical time management strategies that successful entrepreneurs use to get more done in less time. Imagine what you could accomplish with a few extra hours a day!”
This adds value and creates anticipation, motivating your audience to take the next step.
This is your final bid to get your readers to take action. A CTA for this scenario could be:
“Claim your spot now and start making the most of your time!”
This prompts immediate action, which ideally leads to a higher participation rate in the webinars.
A specific CTA describing a benefit is a good way to go. A lot better than usual: “buy now”
The “P.S.” in an email is often considered an afterthought, but when used correctly, it can be a powerful tool in copywriting.
It can be used to provide some additional information, add a personal touch, encourage action or create a sense of urgency. Here are some examples:
Urgency: Places for the master class are limited and nearly full. Secure your spot now!
Personal touch: I use it myself and my skin has never felt better. I can’t wait for you to try it!
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To keep your e-mail readable, it is important to consider a number of factors: Length, writing style and format.
An e-mail should be easier to read. Therefore, try to do the following parts well:
It’s always good to keep your email easily scannable and break up your text into logical individual sections. Using the tips above, make sure your email is easily scannable and even if you are in a hurry you can easily see what the email is about.
The length of your emails can have a big impact on the final result. Make sure your emails are not too long, but not too short either. Try to keep your emails roughly between 300 to 500 words.
If you don’t have much to say, don’t make it longer on purpose. It may be shorter and longer, but try to keep it to the point. Can it be shorter? Make it shorter. People love stories, but it’s important to get your point across clearly and quickly.
Make sure your email stands out. You do this by making your writing style stand out. Try to show a piece of yourself or respond to a particular emotion when writing an e-mail. This shows that you are a real person and not like all the other emails they receive.
Using feelings and emotions can help get your message across in a human and possibly recognizable way.
Now you know everything you need to know about writing an e-mail, but what all can you write about? Often people just make up something they want to write about or the first thing that comes to mind.
Try looking at it from a different angle: Focus on what your reader wants to know and what they are curious about. What are their burning questions? After all, as someone with an expertise, you have the answers they are looking for.
To answer these questions, you can start looking around on platforms such as: Reddit,, Quora, social media or Discord. Here you can look up groups and forums that deal with your expertise and see what questions are being asked about it. By answering these questions, questions that your target audience is actually asking, you will create text that resonates with your target audience.
Above is the result of a quick search on Quora.com. In no time, I found four questions that I can answer and rewrite into an interesting email for my email list.