The 7 biggest email writing mistakes by PR professionals
Email copywriting is the art of crafting persuasive and public relations emails that get your readers to take action. Whether you want them to sign up for your newsletter, attend your client’s event, or join your seminar, you need to write emails that stand out.
Here are the 7 biggest email copywriting mistakes you need to avoid and how to fix them.
Mistake #1: Writing a boring or misleading subject line
Study shows that almost 80% of your emails are ignored. To avoid this, you need to write a subject line that grabs your reader’s attention and makes them curious about what’s inside. A good subject line should:
- Be clear and relevant to your email content
- Use specific and benefit-oriented words
- Create a sense of urgency or curiosity
- Avoid spammy or deceptive words
Mistake #2: Not personalizing your email
Personalization is not just about adding your recipient’s name to your email. It’s about showing that you know who they are, what they need, and how you can help them. To personalize your email, you need to:
- Segment your email list based on relevant criteria, such as interests, behavior, location, etc.
- Use dynamic content and merge tags to customize your email based on each segment
- Write in a conversational and friendly tone
- Address your reader’s pain points and goals
- Include relevant stories, examples, or testimonials
Mistake #3: Writing too much or too little
One of the biggest challenges of email copywriting by PR professionals is finding the right balance between too little and too much.
You don’t want to bore your readers with too much text, but you also don’t want to leave them confused or unsatisfied with too little. To avoid this, you need to:
- Have a clear and specific purpose for your email
- Use headings, bullet points, and white space to break up your text and make it easy to scan
- Highlight the main benefits and value propositions of your offer
- Include a clear and compelling call to action
Check out these two examples:
Poor example
“We have a new product that you might be interested in. It’s called XYZ and it does ABC. It’s very useful and affordable. You can buy it here.”
Improved version
“Introducing XYZ: The Ultimate Solution for Your Problem.
XYZ is a new product that helps you do ABC faster, easier, and cheaper than ever before.
Here are some of the benefits you’ll get from using XYZ: – Benefit #1 – Benefit #2 – Benefit #3
Want to see XYZ in action? Click here to order a free sample,”.
Mistake #4: Not using a clear and strong call to action
Your call to action (CTA) is the most important part of your email. After reading your email, it’s the action you want your readers to take. It could be to buy a product, sign up for an event, download your brochure, or reply to your email.
However many PR professionals and email copywriters use weak, vague, or multiple CTAs that confuse or discourage their readers from taking action. To avoid this, you need to:
- Use only one CTA per email
- Make your CTA clear and specific
- Use action-oriented and urgent words
- Make your CTA stand out with colors, buttons, or links
- Test and optimize your CTA for best results
For example, instead of writing “If you’re interested, let me know”, you could write “Ready to get started? Click here to book your free consultation now”.
Mistake #5: Not testing and optimizing your email
Email copywriting by PR professionals is not a one-time thing. It’s an ongoing process of testing, measuring, and improving your email performance. You can’t rely on your intuition or assumptions to know what works and what doesn’t. You need to use data and feedback to optimize your email copy for maximum results. To test and optimize your email, you need to:
- Use email marketing tools and analytics to track your email metrics, such as open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, etc.
- Run A/B tests to compare different versions of your email copy, such as subject lines, headlines, CTAs, etc.
- Analyze your results and identify what works best for your audience and your goals
- Implement the winning variations and repeat the process
Mistake #6: Not following email best practices and etiquette
Email copywriting by PR professionals is not only about what you say, but also how you say it. You need to follow some email best practices and etiquette to ensure that your email is professional, respectful, and compliant. These include:
- Using a clear and recognizable sender name and email address
- Adding an unsubscribe link and a privacy policy to your email footer
- Avoiding spammy or misleading practices, such as using all caps, excessive punctuation, or false promises
- Respecting your readers’ preferences, such as frequency, timing, and format of your emails
- Responding to your readers’ questions, comments, or feedback in a timely manner.
Mistake #7: Not adding value and personality to your email
Email copywriting by PR professionals is not only about promo. You need to add value and personality to your email to make it more engaging, memorable, and trustworthy. You need to show your readers that you care about them and that you’re not just another faceless company.
To add value and personality to your email, you need to:
- Provide useful and relevant information, tips, or resources to your readers
- Use humor, stories, or emotions to connect with your readers
- Use your brand voice and tone to reflect your identity and values
- Show your human side and be authentic and transparent
- Encourage your readers to reply or interact with you
Last word
“You must learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t possibly live long enough to make them all yourself.” – Samuel Levenson
“Making mistakes simply means you are learning faster.” – Weston H. Agor
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