Email Copywriting: What Happens After You Reach the Inbox

1. The subject line is the envelope

Your subject line has one job: to get the email opened. It is not there to sell the product, explain the offer, or summarize the newsletter.

The biggest mistake senders make is writing subject lines that look like marketing slogans (e.g., “Unleash Your Potential with Our New Course!”). When a reader sees a slogan in their inbox, their brain immediately categorizes it as an ad, and they delete it.

How to write better subject lines:

• Write like a friend: Use sentence case instead of title case (e.g., “A quick question about your course” instead of “A Quick Question About Your Course”).
• Leverage curiosity: The subject line should create an "information gap" that can only be closed by opening the email.
• Keep it short: Most email opens happen on mobile devices. Subject lines longer than 45 characters will get cut off on a smartphone screen.

2. One email, one goal

When a reader opens your email, they should immediately understand what you want them to do.

If your email contains a link to a new blog post, a prompt to follow you on Twitter, a discount code for a product, and a request for a review, the reader will do none of them. This phenomenon is called decision fatigue.

The Rule of One:

• Every email should have one primary idea.
• Every email should have one clear call-to-action (CTA).
• If you have three different things to say, write three different emails.

3. Format for scanning, not reading

Nobody reads emails word-for-word. They scan them. If your email opens with a massive, dense block of text, the reader will immediately close it.

You need to make your emails visually effortless to consume.

• Short paragraphs: Keep paragraphs to one or two sentences.
• Use formatting: Use bold text to highlight the most important sentence in a paragraph. If someone only reads the bold text, they should still understand the core message of the email.
• Bullet points: If you are listing more than two things, use bullet points.

4. Sell the click, not the product

In email marketing, the email itself rarely makes the sale. The goal of the email is to generate enough curiosity, desire, and urgency to get the reader to click the link. The landing page makes the sale.

Don't try to explain every single feature and benefit of your product in the email body. Give the reader just enough information to make them realize that their life will be slightly better if they click the link.

Copywriting impacts your sender reputation

Email copywriting and technical deliverability are intimately connected.

If you write great emails that people reply to, click on, and forward, inbox providers will view you as a highly trusted sender, which prevents your emails from suddenly going to spam.

Good copywriting creates good engagement, and good engagement creates bulletproof deliverability.