As we know, copy is the lifeblood of any good marketing. Through copy, we can connect with people on an emotional level, tap into their problems, goals and desires, and ultimately, convince them that our brand is the solution so that they invest. But what exactly is the key to effective and high-converting email copy?

Well first, you need to understand exactly who you’re writing to - consider who the target audience is, how they’d want us to speak to them and what they’re looking for from us. What's your target customer's gender? What’s their age range? What tone of voice will they connect with the most?

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Buyer personas

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A great way to tap into the mind of your reader is to create “buyer personas” - aka, made-up characters who represent your target customer.

Create a table using these and see for yourself...‍

Who? (gender, age, location, etc)

What do they want from us? (problem to be solved, goal, desire)

How do they want us to make them feel? 

What kind of tone will the audience respond to best?

When you start thinking of your target customers as the individual, complex humans that they are with emotions, goals, pain points and communication preferences, you’ll start to understand exactly how to effectively speak to and resonate with them through your copy.

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Now, let’s get to writing the actual copy…

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Here are the 7 key steps to transforming your email copy into effective, engaging and high-converting masterpieces:

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A solid headline

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The headline is the first thing subscribers see of an email, and it will determine whether the reader wants to read on or not - so you need to make it count. But what constitutes a good headline?

Aim to make it short, straight to the point and attention-grabbing and encapsulate what you’re about to dive into in the rest of the email. You can try using tools like CoSchedule and WPBeginner Headline Analyzer to test your headlines’ effectiveness.

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Outline a reason to buy

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As marketers, it’s our job to convince customers to invest in our clients’ brands - and in order to do that, we need to make them understand why they should. Aim to outline a problem/want/need/goal, and then position the brand/product as the solution. That way, you’re letting the reader know why they should care, and why they should invest.

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Easy to digest

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No one wants to read a monologue or work through riddles to understand what we’re saying to them - so aim to have one point per paragraph, break sentences up where you can and sum up what you’re trying to say in concise sentences to avoid overwhelming or confusing the reader. Remember, people are most likely skimming through emails anyway, so don’t over-explain or be overly wordy

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Benefit-oriented

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When writing copy, keep the customer in mind at all times. Identify what makes the product worthwhile and focus on pushing these benefits and USPs, rather than the features. Is a customer going to care about the origins of a skincare ingredient or who discovered it, or are they going to want to know the effects it will have on their skin? When writing email copy, ask yourself;

“Will the reader care about what I’ve just written?”

“Why should the reader care about this product?

“What wants and needs does this product help customers achieve?”

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Use powerful words

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We want to tap into people’s emotions and senses through our copy and get them to feel what we’re telling them. Try adding in some sensory, emotive, descriptive and catchy words to make your reader see and feel the picture you’re painting. If you slightly romanticise the experience they will get from the brand, it will seem all that more irresistible. Just be mindful to not overdo it!

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Use a conversational tone

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Even though we’re sending marketing emails, don’t make the reader feel like it’s a marketing email. People resonate and respond better to copy that sounds human and relatable, rather than like it’s from a faceless corporation. So, avoid the robotic marketing talk and being overly formal - write like you’re talking to someone sitting across from you!

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Make the reader feel like you’re talking to them

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You can create a connection between yourself and the reader through an intentional use of pronouns - for example, referring to the reader as “you”, “your”, or “yours” as this makes them feel like you’re only talking to them. Try referring to yourself/the brand as “I” or “we” and referring to both you and the reader together as “us” and “we”. Through this strategic use of pronouns, you’re able to establish an instant, personal connection between the reader and the brand.

Another way to make the reader feel like you’re just talking to them is using personalisation tags, such as the reader’s first name. We’re getting loads of promotional emails every day, so these help your emails stand out from the crowd.

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Now that you understand the key factors of incredible copy, it’s time for you to try. Put these tips to work and watch your click-through rate and conversions fly!

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If you run an e-commerce brand and are looking for a digital marketing partner to take your business to the next level, please book a call with one of our team here.

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Written by Fiona Western - Account Manager

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