Marketing

24 April 2023

Email Marketing 101: How to Write Great Emails to Sell Out Your Products

What two newsletters do you read the most and why?

Email marketing like every other form of marketing is an easy way to get to your customers and nurture them till they buy from you.

However, the distance between connecting to your customers and making them buy your product is separated by a thin line – content.

What does your email content look and sound like? Are you always sales-y? Are your paragraphs too long? Do you speak in technical jargon all the time?

People unsubscribe to lots of emails every day without reading or opening them. So how do you ensure your email stays on top of the minds of your customers? Just the way you have your two favorite newsletters you read all the time?

In this article, we’ll share effective tips to help you write great emails to sell out your products.

How to Write Great Emails to Sell Out Your Products

Undoubtedly, email marketing is the easiest way to sell to your customers. It is a more personalized form of marketing with higher returns than other forms of marketing.

But it can be tricky. And only marketers/creators with the right content enjoy its returns.

Here’s how to write an email to sell out your products;

1. Grab attention with the subject line

The subject line is the most essential part of your email. It often determines if people will open your emails or not. A good subject line sparks dopamine hit without coming off as offensive or clickbaity.

It should be concise, intriguing, and relevant to the content of the email. A well-crafted subject line creates a sense of urgency, curiosity, or value, compelling your reader to take action and open the email.

Here are a few tips for creating an attention-grabbing subject line.

Keep it short and sweet: You only have about 5 words (50 characters or less) space to write an email subject that’ll catch your reader’s attention. Use it wisely.
Personalize it: Personalization is important in email marketing. You can use the person’s name or location in the subject line to make it more personalized and relevant to them. For example, “John, Don’t Miss Out on Our Exclusive Offer!”
Make a promise: A good way to write a great subject is to offer a big promise. Example; How to write a 6-figure copy in one sitting. It’s an easy way to get their attention.
Be curious: Use words or phrases that pique your reader’s curiosity and make them want to know more. For example, “Unleash Your Potential with this mini-course! or Why no $1000 yet?

2. Create intrigue with the preview text

Sparking intrigue with your preview text is just as important as writing an attention-grabbing subject line.

Preview text, also known as preheader text, is the snippet of text that appears below or next to the subject line in the receiver’s email inbox. This text is usually the first line of the email, and it plays a crucial role in enticing the reader to open and read the email.

Much attention should be paid to the preview text, as it can make or break your email campaign. It can complement your subject line, provide additional context, and convince the reader to take action, thereby increasing your open rates.

Here are a few tips for creating an intriguing preview text.

Complement the subject line: The preview text should complement and expand upon the subject line. For example, if the subject line is “Limited Time Offer: Get 50% Off on ABC Product,” the preview text could be “Hurry! Sale ends in 24 hours.”
Highlight the value: Show the reader what’s in it for them and why they should open the email. For example, “Know why your course isn’t selling.”
Tease the content: Use the preview text to tease the content of the email and create curiosity. For example, “Discover the secret to achieving your goals.”
Use a conversational tone: Write in a friendly and approachable tone that resonates with your reader and makes them feel like they’re having a conversation with a friend.

3. Optimize emails for mobile

Mobile devices have become the major device people use to access their emails. In fact, 85% of users use smartphones to access email.

This means that if your emails are not optimized for mobile, you’re missing out on a significant portion of your audience.

In addition, unoptimized emails may appear difficult to read on mobile devices, leading to decreased engagement and ultimately, fewer sales.

Here are some tips to create optimized emails for mobile;

Use a responsive design: This means that your email will automatically adjust to fit the screen of the device it’s being viewed on. A responsive design can also help prevent formatting issues and ensure that your email looks consistent across different devices.
Optimize images and graphics: High-quality images are good for all the right reasons. But they can also slow your email load times. To optimize them, ensure they are appropriately sized and use web-friendly file formats to ensure faster load times.
Keep it simple and concise: When creating emails for mobile, keep the content simple and concise. Mobile screens are smaller than desktop screens, so it’s important to prioritize the most important information and keep the messaging clear and to the point.

4. Personalize your emails

Writing an email to sell a product also involves personalizing your emails. It helps you stand out from the crowd and increase your chances of converting leads into customers.

It shows that you care about your reader’s needs and interests, which can help build a connection with them.

Email personalization, however, goes beyond using your reader’s name in your emails. It involves getting to know your customer’s needs and online behaviors and using it to send targeted emails that lead to action.

For example, it could be sending a budgeting reminder during salary week for readers to use your budgeting template to plan their finances. The aim is to understand your audience and send targeted emails at specific times.

LEARN: How to Grow Your Email List From Scratch

5. Provide value and be consistent

Your email should be beneficial to the user. That is, it should contain valuable messaging that helps the reader remain on your list.

Rather than selling regularly, share more valuable content. This way, when you pitch a product for sale, your readers know you’ve shared weeks of valuable content.

As an expert, you have the knowledge, experience, and tools they value. Share it with your audience in all creative ways possible.

Here are some content ideas you can share to be more valuable to your audience;

Share top tools that help you be more productive.
Share a personal story of when you had a huge challenge at work and how it affected your work.
Interview a thought leader in your field and get their tips and strategies your audience is interested in.
Record a video answering frequently asked questions by your community.

Remember, the key is to share what your audience really wants. Not what you think they want.

6. Make it skimmable

The human attention span has significantly decreased in just 15 years. According to research, it was 12 seconds in 2000, and twenty-three years later, it’s at 8.25 seconds, lower than that of a goldfish.

This simply implies that humans have even less attention to give an email from a creator trying to sell a product.

Most people check their email from their phones while trying to get other things done. It could be in between catching a bus, taking a work, scheduling a meeting, or even researching. This means that out of the 8.25 seconds, you probably get about 3 seconds.

To make the most of this, make your email content skimmable. That is,

Write with bullet lists
Use headings and section dividers to create a structure in your email
Keep paragraphs to two or three sentences
Format in brand colors with a bold typeface.
Write brief, punchy copy for each section
Link out to longer content

7. Be direct with your messaging

In other words, remove the fluff and go straight to the point. This helps you to know what message you really want to send out and helps your reader understand what you’re saying.

For example, James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, has a newsletter called 3-2-1 Thursday with over 2 million subscribers. Each newsletter includes 3 short ideas from him, 2 quotes from others, and 1 question for you to ponder.

The consistency and structure of the email make it one of the most widely read newsletters in the world, as people know what to expect in every newsletter.

Here are some tips to help you be direct with your emails.

Use a clear and concise subject line: The subject line is the first thing the reader sees when they receive your email. Therefore, it is essential to use a subject line that clearly communicates the purpose of the email.
Get straight to the point: Start by stating the purpose of the email and what you are offering. Avoid long introductions and unnecessary information that could distract the reader from the main message.
Highlight the benefits of your product: When selling a product, it is important to highlight the benefits of the product. People are more likely to buy a product if they understand how it will benefit them. Therefore, state the benefits in a clear and concise manner.
Use simple language: Avoid using technical jargon or complicated terms that could confuse the reader. Instead, use simple language that clearly communicates your message.
Keep it short and sweet: A concise email that clearly communicates your message is more likely to get a response than a long, rambling email.

8. Have strong & clear CTAs

What action do you want your readers to take? Make it your CTA. A clear CTA would be the difference between having a successful sale and missing a sale opportunity.

CTAs increase the conversion rate of a sales email by providing a direct way for the reader to make a purchase or take some other desired action.

Ideally, an email should have one CTA. But in cases where you’ll have more CTAs, know that your click rates will be divided. That is, you risk dividing the traffic between the two CTAs.

A best practice is to include your CTA at the top of your email. It’ll be the first thing your readers see when they open the email.