Email marketing isn’t just about sending messages to your database, it’s about getting results. Whether you are trying to drive sales, increase engagement or generate leads, a well-crafted email can make a world of difference. But what separates an email that converts from one that gets ignored? Let’s get into how you can create emails that convert.
1. Start with a goal
Before you start creating your email, ask yourself: What do I want this email to achieve?
- Drive traffic to your website?
- Get people to sign up for an event?
- Encourage purchases?
Every single element of your campaign, from design, copy, and your CTAs, should support this goal. Try to keep your campaigns focused and don’t ask your readers to do too many things at once.
2. Create a killer subject line
Your subject line is your first (and sometimes only) chance to grab your readers’ attention. It should follow the three Cs and be:
- Clear: avoid vague or misleading subject lines
- Concise: aim for 6 to 10 words and try to keep it within 61 characters.
- Compelling: use curiosity, urgency or a value-driven statement
3. Design for conversions
A conversion-friendly email isn’t just about looks, it’s about functionality.
- Keep it clean: We all want to craft beautiful designs, but be sure to avoid making your email cluttered. A cluttered design will distract readers from your CTA
- Use hierarchy: Keep your most important information at the top of your campaign. Use bold headlines, short paragraphs, and bullet points to guide the reader.
- Make it mobile-friendly: The number of people who read emails on their phones is ever-increasing, so it is crucial that your campaigns are optimised for mobile
- Use contrasting colours: Make it easy for subscribers to find and click on your buttons with clever use of colour.
4. Write copy that sells
Great email copy is:
- Conversational: Write like you’re talking to a real person (because you are)
- Benefit-driven: focus on what’s in it for the reader
- Short and scannable: Most people don’t read emails properly; they scan through them.
5. Optimise your call to action (CTA)
The ultimate goal is to drive someone to take action, and your CTA is where this happens.
- Be clear: Say exactly what will happen when they click your button (for example, “Register for our event” instead of “Click here”)
- Use urgency: “Shop our sale today” works better than “Shop our sale”
- Make it stand out: Use bold colours, place it above the fold, and use design elements to highlight it.
6. Use personalisation and segmentation
Generic spray and pray emails don’t convert, but personalised and targeted emails do.
- Use names: You don’t need to use the standard “Hey Sarah”. Try including your subscribers’ names in your subject lines or CTAs to give it a more personal feel.
- Use dynamic content: Show your subscribers content that relates to them. For example, recommend products based on previous engagement
- Segment your list: Send different emails based on behaviour, interests, or demographics
- Make use of automation: Send trigger-based emails like abandoned cart emails, birthday discounts, and follow-ups
7. Test, analyse and improve
Even the experts don’t know it all; that’s why it is important to test what works and what doesn’t, and then learn from your performance.
- Run A/B tests: Try testing different subject lines, images, CTAs and layout (just be sure to not test too many things in one email, otherwise you won’t know what worked and what didn’t.)
- Track key metrics: Open rates aren’t everything. Click-through rates, conversions, and bounce rates can provide you with more insight than opens.
- Make improvements: Use the data from your A/B tests and campaign reporting to make educated tweaks to your campaigns.
The bottom line
Email marketing success isn’t about luck, it’s about strategy. With the right goals, design, copy, and testing, you can create emails that not only get opened but drive real action.
Need help creating emails that convert? Let’s chat!
