How to structure your promotional emails?
Do you want to know how to craft the perfect promotional email? In my previous blog post, I talked about what you should avoid when writing promotional email. But here I’ll give you tips on what you should be doing and explaining how you can structure your email.
From field
Use your full name here and not just the name of your company. Adding your name to the from field tells the reader there is somebody behind the email, which makes more personal.
If you like you can include both your name and business name, such as: Kostas Papageorgiou, Kanguro
Subject line
I talked about lousy subject line in my previous post. Ideally keep them short and put the keywords in the beginning of subject as they’re read vertically. Remember though, your subject line should outline a benefit to the reader to get them interested.
Headline
If you’ve ever used a mobile such as an iPad or iPhone to check your email, you’ve probably noticed the small preview area on the mail app. Here is where the headline comes into play, as this could make or break email marketing.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be a headline, it could be your offer or a call to action instead. What ever you decide to put in there, make sure to appeals to the reader’s interest to make them open the email. For more on headlines, click here.
Salutation
Always try to find out the name of your recipients and when you do, spell their names correctly.
Depending on the country, you could use “Dear Kostas” or “Dear Mr. Papageorgiou”.
If for some reason you can’t find out their names, avoid the “Dear Friend” salutation. And come up with some creative alternatives like: “Dear Start-up Advocates”
The 1st paragraph
Get straight to the point here and no over extended fact-filled introduction. Present your strongest benefit to the reader immediately. Your first paragraph can very well be one sentence long.
2nd and following paragraphs
In the following paragraphs, elaborate on what you wrote in the first paragraph. Explain the benefits in more detail and justify why your readers should do what you’re asking them to.
Try to keep it brief, but in case it’s longer, use various calls to action and include hyperlinks to make it easier for the reader to follow through.
Signing off
At the end of your email, you can sign off with:
Best regards,
Kostas Papageorgiou
Copywriter
Do not sign off with:
Best regards,
The second sign off makes the email impersonal because the reader doesn’t the name of the person sending it. Think of it as having a conversation with someone at a networking event but they won’t tell you their name. How would that make you feel?
Emailing tends to be a more informal way of communicating. Remember to keep it personal, friendly and concise. You can be as informal as you like, but still check for spelling and grammar mistakes to avoid looking careless.
