10 Ridiculously Simple Tips for Effective Email Writing

Written by: Josh Carlyle Unlike some might claim, email is not dead. On average, an office employee receives 121 emails per day . It’s safe to assume that many people are overwhelmed by this amount. Not all of these emails are worth reading, however. There’s a lot of spam going around, and on top of that a full-blown epidemic of bad emails, rife with spelling errors and redundant remarks.In 2017, a total of 269 billion emails were sent every day. Given that, it’s not surprising that many of us tend to ignore new emails. Before writing an email, you should have a clear goal in mind. Once you have identified this goal, you can start writing, paying attention to your target audience and the purpose of your email.Generating leads is the lifeline for most B2B companies. Email marketing is still the predominant way to generate leads . That’s why, to get the best results for your email campaigns, you must be strategic about the emails you send. Polish them and make every word count.

This article will offer you 10 simple tips that can help you with writing effective business emails. You will learn to write emails that stand out and generate new leads.

1. Make your subject line captivating

Your subject line is responsible for the first impression. Your reader will decide whether to continue reading or not depending on the appeal of your subject line. Make sure to have a relevant, and if possible, personalized subject line that offers motivation to open the email. But be honest and don’t promise anything that you cannot offer.Try to have a balance between providing enough details and being concise. Keep in mind that many people are reading emails on their phones and smaller screens could cut off longer subject lines.

2. Pay attention to your opening

After creating a captivating subject line, there is also a risk that your first few sentences will be a turn off for your reader. Make sure that your greeting and opening sentence are effective. You should have enough information about your potential client to decide on the degree of formality.

3. Include a call to action

Including a call to action in your email is necessary if you want to get results. Your readers will not know what to do, unless you tell them. A call to action could be a suggestion to subscribe to your company’s newsletter. You should also be able to provide motivation for doing that, for example by offering a discount for those who subscribe. Consider including the call to action in your subject line.

4. Keep it short and clear

Show appreciation for your potential client by being concise and excluding any unnecessary, additional information. People appreciate that they can easily skim through your email if they don’t have enough time to read everything. Opt for short sentences and paragraphs, leaving enough white space between. Use headlines and bulleted lists to outline your points.

5. Give it time

You may associate effective communication with doing things fast. However, this doesn’t always apply to writing good, effective emails. Formulating what you have to say in a clear manner takes time. Allow yourself to use that time for writing your email. Writing bad, generic emails that get no results is a waste of your time.

6. Know your audience

To avoid writing generic emails that will forever remain unread in your recipient’s inbox, try to gather information about the people who will receive your email. Your readers are more likely to react if you show that you’re well-informed and use language that they can relate to. Tailoring your email can also include using your recipient’s first name.Related: Five Secrets to Writing Sales EmailsRelated: How to Respond to a Nasty Email or Blog

7. Use postscript

Even if your readers are just skimming through your email, the chances are that they will read your P.S. As a somewhat separate section that draws our attention, the postscript is an underutilized tool in email marketing. It’s possible to include an additional call to action or an extra incentive in the P.S. to engage your reader.

8. Remember to proofread

After having finished writing your email, you must read your text through once more and correct any potential mistakes. Spelling errors can leave an unprofessional impression on your reader, so make sure to polish your content. It can make all the difference.If you find editing your own text challenging, there are tools and services that can make the job easier for you. Take a quick look at these, for example:
  • Grammar Girl – a writing blog and podcast offering tips on how to improve writing and proofreading your texts.
  • Handmadewritings – a website offering a wide variety of writing and editing services that can help you with producing and editing your texts.
  • ProWritingAid – a writing software, including a style editor, grammar checker and writing mentor that can assist with your writing process.
  • Readable – a text analysis tool that analyzes your content and provides statistics about its readability.
  • 9. Send at the right time

    The time when you send your emails matters. Choose the most optimal time based on the information about your target audience. If you’re reaching out to other business people, it’s not the best idea to send an email on a late Friday afternoon. Try to find a time when your recipient’s inbox isn’t overflowing with emails.

    10. Use lead generation tools

    Finding the right contact details is often a major challenge in lead generation. Consider using a lead generation tool such as AeroLeads. These tools help you find the emails and phone numbers that you need for targeting the right companies and people.If you want to learn more email writing tips, you can check our earlier post about avoiding common mistakes when writing a sales email.These tips will help you make your emails stand out and generate results for your business. It’s a good practice to consider each part of your email from the perspective of your potential client. If it doesn’t catch your attention, you need to make changes.

    Josh Carlyle is a professional blogger and marketing strategist, who works for such services as Writing Guru and Write my essay today . An experienced marketer, Josh is here to share his ideas and insights, taken directly from the forefront of online business.