Stop Boring the Living Shit out of Your Email Subscribers
Your Subscribers Deserve So Much Better
Photo by Jonny Gios on Unsplash
Tired of your subscribers ignoring your emails? Feel like your content is falling flat and not resonating with your audience? Don't worry, it's not just you.
Crafting captivating content can be a daunting task, especially when you're trying to keep your subscribers engaged and interested.
But fear not, dear reader! I’m here to help you create content that will have your subscribers begging for more (or at least not deleting your emails as soon as they see them).
So without further ado, let's dive into the world of crafting captivating content for your subscribers.
Know Your Audience, Like Really Know Them
Understand who the hell your subscribers are
Look, if you're going to send emails that people give a toss about, you've got to know your audience like you know the back of your iPhone.
Are they corporate ladder-climbers or yoga-loving vegans?
Do they binge-watch Netflix or are they too busy running marathons?
You've got to get into their heads, mate.
Why? Because if you're sending a "10 Ways to Boost Your Career" email to someone who's more interested in "10 Ways to Boost Your Chakras," you're basically pissing in the wind.
Use surveys, analytics, and even direct conversations to get to know your audience.
Once you've got that intel, you can refit your content like a tailor made suit.
You'll be hitting their pain points, solving their problems, and basically becoming the email messiah they never knew they needed.
Make It Amazingly Personal
No one likes feeling like they're just a number on a list
When you're crafting your emails, make 'em feel like they were written just for them.
Use their first name, sure, but go beyond that. If you know they've recently bought a product, ask them how it's going. If they've abandoned a cart, tempt them back with a cheeky discount.
Personalisation is more than just a marketing buzzword; it's the difference between your email getting read or getting tossed into the digital abyss. So, get personal, but not creepy personal, alright?
No one wants to know you've been stalking their LinkedIn.
Abandoned cart?
Boom, here's an email with a 10% discount.
Just browsed a category?
Pow, here's an email with related products.
The key is to make them feel like it was handcrafted for them, like a hipster artisanal coffee.
Keep It Short But Sweet
No one has the time to read a novel-length email
Listen up, Tolstoy. Your subscribers don't have time to read "War and Peace: The Email Edition."
They want quick, digestible info that they can action. So, for the love of brevity, keep it short.
Every sentence should serve a purpose. If it doesn't, axe that bullshit.
But hey, short doesn't mean boring. Use punchy sentences, throw in some humour, and for fuck’s sake, BREAK UP THE TEXT. Use subheadings, bullet points, and images to make it scannable. People often skim through emails, so make sure the important bits stand out.
We live in a world of 280-character tweets and TikTok videos. People's attention spans are shorter than a goldfish's memory. Don't just say, "We have a new product." Say, "Here’s the game-changer you've been waiting for."
Make every word earn its goddamn place.
Use Visually Appealing Formatting
Gone are the days of plain text emails
You know what's as exciting as watching paint dry? A plain text email. We're living in the age of Instagram and TikTok, people! Your emails should be as visually appealing as a double rainbow.
I’m talking colours, fonts, images, and maybe even a GIF or two if you're feeling spicy. But tread carefully, my friend.
Too much and your email will look like a unicorn threw up on it.
Too little and it'll be as dull as dishwater.
But remember, there's a fine line between "visually appealing" and "visual vomit."
Start with a colour scheme that matches your brand. Consistency is key.
And for the love of all that is holy use images that enhance the text, not distract from it.
While you’re at it make sure they're good-quality and not taken with a potato.
Mix It Up… A LOT
Stop sending same boring content to your subscribers
If you're sending the same old, same old every week, even your most loyal subscribers will hit that 'unsubscribe' button faster than you can say email fatigue.
Throw in a video tutorial one week, an infographic the next, and maybe even a podcast snippet if you're feeling frisky.
Variety is the spice of life, and your emails should be a smorgasbord of content. Throw in a video tutorial, sprinkle in some infographics, and top it off with a dash of podcasts. Keep your subscribers guessing. The moment they think they've got you figured out, hit 'em with something new.
But don't just throw in random content for the sake of variety. It should all serve a purpose and provide value. Each piece of content should be a delicious morsel that leaves them craving more.
So mix it up! You're not a one-trick pony, you're a goddamn content master.
Stay True to Your Brand
Don’t stray too far from your brand messages, here be dragons
Alright Picasso, while it's fun to get creative, don't forget who you are.
Your brand has a voice, a message, and values.
Stray too far from that, and you risk confusing your audience—or worse, pissing them off.
So, by all means, experiment, but keep it within the boundaries of your brand's identity. Think of it like cooking. You can add some spice, but don't turn your spaghetti bolognese into a curry.
Your brand is your identity, your soul, your je ne sais quoi.
Don't dilute it by trying to be all things to all people. If your brand is all about sustainability, don't suddenly start promoting fast fashion. If you're the go-to source for serious industry insights, a meme-filled email might not go down well.
That doesn't mean you can't experiment. Just make sure it aligns with your brand values and voice. If you're not sure, test it out on a smaller segment of your audience and gauge the reaction.
If it's a hit, roll it out to the masses.
If it's a miss, you’ll be back to the drawing board.
Offer Value Beyond the Normal
Your subscribers are not just there to be sold to
Your subscribers aren't just there to boost your open rates, they're looking for value.
And no, I'm not just talking about deep discounts and deals (although those are nice).
Offer them something they can't get anywhere else. Exclusive content, early access to products, or even just a bloody good laugh. If you're not offering value, you're just another email cluttering up their inbox.
Ain’t nobody got time for that.
But also remember your subscribers aren't cash cows to be milked dry. They're people looking for value, whether it's in the form of information, entertainment, or deals. So give it to them, and then some.
Don't just offer the bare minimum. Go above and beyond.
Make your emails so chock-full of value that they'd be complete idiots to unsubscribe.
Use a Catchy Subject Line
Create far better subjects and titles to catch their eye
The subject line is the first thing your subscribers see when they receive your email. If it's not catchy or compelling, they might not even bother opening it.
Spend some time crafting a subject line that will grab their attention and entice them to click.
It’s the bouncer to your email's exclusive club. It decides who gets in and who gets left out in the cold. So make it good.
Use action verbs, create urgency, and pique curiosity. But keep it relevant.
Clickbait might get them through the door, but it won't keep them there.
Don't Forget the Call to Action
Your audience aren’t mind readers after all
You've wooed them with your wit, dazzled them with your design, now you've got to seal the deal.
A call to action (CTA) is the crescendo, the grand finale. You gotta make it count.
Whether you want your subscribers to make a purchase, sign up for a webinar, or just learn more about your brand, you need to make sure to include a clear and concise call to action that tells them exactly what you want them to do.
Use action-oriented language, create a sense of urgency, and make it stand out with a contrasting color or bold text.
It's all for naught if you don't include that all important, and relevant call to action.
Get an Expert in to Really Kick-Ass
It’s ok to have someone hold your hand
Ok so you’ve read the tips above and still feeling like you’re going to pee yourself a bit every time you need to put your fingers on your keyboard to punch out another email?
It’s perfectly ok to be utterly shit scared of how you’ll achieve this almost nirvana-like state of great quality, highly-engaging content, and witty sales messaging while keeping it all on brand and creating calls to action that just won’t quit.
If all this sounds like too much work, then for the love of sanity, seek out some help.
Someone who eats, sleeps, and breathes email marketing. Someone who can take your jumbled thoughts and turn them into coherent, compelling emails. And hey, if you're looking for someone like that, you're already talking to him.
This is exactly where you should get in an expert (like me!) to take over the show and crank out amazing email content for your audiences that captivates and motivates them to engage with your business far more than they ever before.
