10-Point Checklist for Writing Amazing Email (A Complete Guide)
You can do wonders with email marketing. But if you are new to the scene then it is important to get the hold of basics. Knowing about an email marketing checklist is essential in this regard.
Email marketing lets you use emails to build relationships with your customers.
Emails have a wider reach than any other marketing channel. They let you send relevant information and turn your prospects into potential customers.
In this post, we are going to discuss a checklist that will guide you step by step to send amazing emails. Furthermore, we will show you the things you shouldn’t do with your email marketing campaign.
Well, let’s get into it, shall we?
What to Do Before Sending the Perfect Email
Email marketing has been in use long before the World Wide Web. It is evident that it is a very crucial online marketing channel as it is the first. So, if a marketer can do email marketing the right way then it is sure to bring success. There are many benefits of email marketing.
Some of them are-
- Ease of use: Creating campaigns is easy
- Definiteness: Send emails to people who are genuinely interested in your products
- Cost-Effective: High-quality software at a low price
- Control: Full control over every aspect.
The reason we are discussing the benefits of email marketing so that you have a clear idea of why you need to follow a checklist. Here is the list you should consider before sending your email.
- Select your “from” name and “reply to” address
- Informative subject line
- Include a proper introduction
- Write your main paragraph or content
- Add a cool Call To Action(CTA) button
- Include footer
- Double-check your attachments
- Test mobile-responsiveness
- Check through a spam checker
- Test your email before sending
Let’s discuss these points at length.
1. Select Your “from” Name and “reply to” Address
When you start writing an email, this is the first thing you need to do. Do this very carefully because it will help you create a “Professional First Impression”. When a recipient first checks his/her mail, he/she checks who sent the mail.
This information motivates the recipient to open the email. That is why it is important that you include the most relevant information as you can.
- ‘Your Name from Company Name’
- ‘Your Name, Company Name’
These two formats you can follow while sending your email as it will provide so much information about you. That is why it is first in the email marketing checklist.
2.Informative Subject Line
The success of your email campaign largely depends on email open rate. In that case, the email subject line is the first and maybe your last impression on your clients. It overshadows even the main body of the email. That is why an informative email subject line will increase engagements and open rates.
Your subject line will act like the headline of a blog. The more interesting the subject line the more readers it will attract.
you can customize your subject line with your recipient’s name by inserting dynamic tags.
But you need to make sure your list is accurate. Otherwise, you can send the wrong email to the recipient. Before sending the email your subject line should-
- Never mislead your readers with the subject line
- Contain less than 40 characters
- Have a sense of urgency.
- Try to put some life and fun in it
3.Include A Proper Introduction
It never hurt anyone to include a small greeting. But you can launch directly on the subject. However, it takes only a few seconds to type ‘Hello‘ only if you are a slow typer. It will make a world of difference to your user.
Using a Greeting you can connect with your recipient on a more personal level.
Also, it is a great way to catch the attention of your users.
4. Write Your Main Paragraph/Content
It is another important point in the email marketing checklist. If you can bring your reader to this part then congratulations! You are more than halfway there. Every line of your body should be meaningful. Your reader should understand the whole topic after reading your first line. So, take extra care for the first line.
If you add images or graphics then make sure it conveys the message you are trying to send. Avoid sending irrelevant images. It is a good practice to add ALT text to each image. It will act as a failsafe if the image doesn’t load for any technical reasons.
5. Add A Cool CTA Button
After reading the whole email, the reader will come to a decision. A strong CTA button will help them make that decision. A CTA button tells people how to accomplish their goals and also increases the conversion rate.
CTAs are actionable ways of making decisions or setting priorities
If you want your reader to –
- Read a relevant piece of content
- Ask for your consultation
- Participate in a giveaway
- Subscribe to your email list.
All these tasks can be done through a Call To Action button. It is better than a plain-text link.
6.Include Footer
According to the Can-Spam Act 2003, you must include certain information in the footer of every email you send. That means-
- Your address, make sure it stays up to date
- Clear instructions on how to unsubscribe, the link must be visible
- Social sharing icons so that they can easily share with their friends.
An important point to remember about the “unsubscribe link”. If you don’t include it then it may cost you. So, make sure to check it twice before sending the email.
7. Double Check Your Attachments
It is one of the common mistakes while sending emails that people make. There are many cases where the sender has forgotten to send the attachments. Eventually, he/she had to send the mail again. Once or twice can be forgiven but repeated mistakes will look like a lack of interest or the sender just don’t care.
That is why this point is added to the email marketing checklist. It is better to add a relevant attachment at the end of your email so if the reader wants to know more or you want your reader to know certain information.
However, if you add the attachment at the start of your email then the reader might read, download and print the attachment and give their entire attention to it.
He/She will completely forget about the email. That’s exactly why it is better to attach documents at the end of the email.
8.Test If It Is Mobile-Friendly Or Not
If you are sending an email, you can assume that the user will only read it from their Laptops or PCs. Most of the people read from their mobiles or tablets. In that case, you need to make sure all your emails are mobile responsive.
To make your email mobile responsive you need to-
- Make sure images are sized correctly and rendering accurately
- All links should be large and easily tappable
- Links should spread out for the ease of the readers
- Set the body text 14-point font.
9. Check Through Spam Checker
There are lots of reasons that your email can go to the spam folder. So it is important to check your email through a spam checker so that you know whether you have added too many spam-sounding words in your email.
It’s better to be safe.
10. Test Your Email Before Sending
The last point of the email marketing checklist is to test your email before sending it. Almost all email service providers offer the opportunity to send a test email to yourself. In the test email, you should do the following.
- Proofread the whole content of the email
- Examine the subject line
- Check whether the “from” and “reply” address is correct
- Ensure if you have added CTA and attachments
- Don’t forget to add the unsubscribe link
- Double-check the email is responsive or not
- Check the preview of the email
These are the important points you should give your attention to while sending an email. On the contrary, what about the things you shouldn’t do in the process? Take a look below.
Avoid These Practices While Sending An Email
Here is another email marketing checklist you shouldn’t do while sending an email. Take this as a cautionary and things to avoid always.
- Reduce The Use Of Templates
- Don’t Rush Your Emails
- Too Much Emoticon, Punctuations Is Bad
- Never Use An Unprofessional Email Address
- Avoid Misspelling
Now, keep reading for a better understanding.
Reduce The Use Of Templates
When you send an email template the user easily recognizes it. Then the user thinks that the sender doesn’t care enough to formulate their own thoughts. If the email is urgent then you should go for the original copy.
Though it might not serve you in the short-term, it will be really helpful for you in the long run. We suggest you look for templates that will help you to deliver a smooth email experience to users.
Don’t Rush Your Emails
Slow and steady wins the race
It is a universal truth. When you are sending the email, then you must have patience. You need to check everything twice and match it with the above checklist. You will send an email only when it matches the whole checklist. If you rush into sending the email, then the email will be sloppy and unprofessional.
Never send an email that takes only seconds to write.
Too Much Emoticon, Punctuations Is Bad
“YOU WILL DON’T LIKE TO OPEN! AN EMAIL IF IT LOOKS LIKE THIS”, it looks bad, right? It’s like someone is screaming at you. So, avoid using too many emoticons, punctuations because it straight up looks bad.
Never Use An Unprofessional Email Address
Don’t use the email address that you created while you were in school or college. You don’t want your email address to like this- [email protected].
Always use a professional email address. It is better to use the company’s official email address. That way the user will think that the email came from someone who is professional.
It will help you build an email list because the user will belive and trust more.
Avoid Misspelling
In the age of autocorrect, spell-checker it is a sin to misspell a word. If you do you are sure to look like an amateur. Also, you risk losing your subscribers.
So, make sure all the words are correct and also grammatically correct.
If you follow these points then your email is sure to look the part. However, the question can arise what is the point of taking so many precautions for a simple email? What is the need?
Why Email Marketing Is Important For Your Business?
We have discussed both types of email marketing checklist. If you are running a business, then as a business owner you can communicate with your audience directly using email marketing. Also, it has some other benefits.
Creating Awareness
You can easily create brand awareness using email marketing. You can use your forms and landing pages to invite users to be your subscribers. Also, you can create campaigns to present your brand and your products.
Explaining Why Your Product Is Best
You can easily convey the message to your customers about the importance of your product in their lives. Thereafter, you can tell them what more you will offer from the other competitions. Here also you can create an impressive email marketing campaign to convince them.
Convincing Them To Purchase
After you have explained the importance and features of your product, you can pursue your customers to purchase your products. Convince them it is the right moment to buy.
Tracking Them After Post Purchase
Your job as an email marketer doesn’t end after the customer has purchased your product. You need to keep in touch to make sure the product matches their expectations. And they are satisfied with it.
This will create a jump on your sales while making your product reaching more customers. So, you need to know the technique to write attractive emails so that it increases your email open and engagement rates.
Final Words On Email Marketing Checklist
If you are looking to get ahead on your business we suggest you follow this email marketing checklist we share with you. Because it has been the core of digital marketing before there were any different channels. Hence you need to use a trustworthy email automation service like weMail to strengthen your email campaign.
It has all the features you need to send the perfect email to increase your email open rates and also increase your subscriber’s list.
So, that’s all you get now for the email marketing checklist. If you have any questions, tell us in the comments section. Cheers!