Wixercise: Write Marketing Emails Everyone Will Read
It’s no easy feat to know how to write a newsletter that stands out from the dozens crowding any given inbox. A good marketing email represents your brand, shares important information and, most importantly, intrigues a reader to open it.
Here are some exercises to help you write creative and effective email newsletters for any business. I’ve provided some example businesses, but feel free to use your own.
01. Create compelling subject lines
One of the most important parts of an email is the subject line. This is your one shot to convince a reader to open your message. Keep it under 60 characters, since most people check mail on their phones. When coming up with subject lines, consider the primary goal of the email. What’s the core message of the content? The subject line should reflect this. Next, think about your specific audience and tweak accordingly. Is location important? Can you be funny? What other information might you want to include in the subject?
For this first Wixercise, brainstorm as many subject lines as you can for the examples below.
Example 1: New Kicks in Town is a shoe store in Minneapolis known for their large inventory of fashionable kids’ shoes. They are having their annual back-to-school sale from July 15-August 31. All kids’ shoes are 50% off and adult shoes are 30% off. The goal of this email is to increase in-person sales from last year.
Example 2: Aqua Smock is a meal-kit delivery service that sends customers pre-packaged ingredients for 3 recipes a week. They’re having a sale on weight-loss meals for the month of January—buy two weeks, get one week free. They don’t have a brick and mortar store. The goal of this email is to increase weekly weight-loss meal subscriptions and boost traffic to their site.
Example 3: Boss Lady, the popular blog and networking group for young women in the professional world, has written a new post about salary negotiation. The blog’s main message is about empowerment and professional confidence. The goal of this email is to increase traffic to the blog.
Example 4: Baby’s Bottom Smooth, a natural skincare company, sells products online and in a storefront in Portland, Oregon. They’ve set up automated emails for when a customer has abandoned items in their cart for 24 hours. The goal of this email is to encourage customers to go back to the website and purchase these items.
Example 5: Circus Tents & Events is an event rental company with everything from tables to tents. They send out an email each April offering 25% off to returning customers who want to rent equipment for a summer event. The company delivers to businesses in Long Island, Brooklyn and Queens. The goal of this email is to promote the sale.
02. Write the preheader
This next Wixercise is all about the preheader, a short line of text that should never be overlooked or underestimated! The preheader is the first line of text in the email and it’s visible after the subject line in your customer’s inbox. Use the preheader as an opportunity to expand upon the message in your subject line, or add in a few extra details to entice the recipient to open your email.
Here are a couple of examples:
Subject line: 5 Way to Boost Your Blog Traffic
Preheader: What tools aren’t you using to captivate your readers?
Subject line: Ready for a Vacation You’ll Never Forget?
Preheader: Book your dream getaway with this great deal!
Typically, a preheader should be no more than 95 characters. The length displayed varies based on the type of email service someone is using and what device they check their email on. Keeping this in mind, write preheader text for each sample business (consider expanding on the subject line you wrote in the last Wixercise.)
Example 1: New Kicks in Town
Example 2: Aqua Smock
Example 3: Boss Lady
Example 4: Baby’s Bottom Smooth
Example 5: Circus Tents & Events
03. Master your CTAs
Using the same example businesses, write at least three Calls to Action (CTAs) that can be used on clickable buttons in your emails. A CTA is a directive for your reader, like “Read More” or “Shop Now.” Think about the goal of the email and what action you want from your audience members. To write a good CTA, keep it short and encourage the reader to click. (Did you catch our article about how to write CTAs that work?)
Example 1: Now New Kicks in Town wants to promote their brand new summer collection. Write a few CTAs that will make people want to click in an instant and (hopefully!) buy.
Example 2: Aqua Smock has added 10 new recipes to their rotation. Write some CTAs enticing
people to order those meals.
Example 3: Boss Lady is hosting their biggest networking event of the year, a chance for all Boss Lady subscribers to meet each other and talk with industry leaders. Write a few CTAs to get people to register.
Example 4: Baby’s Bottom Smooth is having a sale on clay masks for the holidays. Write CTAs encouraging people to shop for masks.
Example 5: Circus Tents & Events just partnered with a wedding planner for the first time. Write some CTAs that will make people want to book a package deal.
04. Pen an email
Now it’s your turn! You know how to write a newsletter, so give these Wixercises a try and then put them all together to write your own email. Show us what you came up with by posting your work with the hashtags #Wixercises and #WixContent
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