According to Litmus Email Analytics, nearly half the people who read your email message will read it in less than 8 seconds. This means you need to tell them what you want in the first paragraph in order to get a response.
This applies to both promotional email campaigns sent to customers and prospects, and to the email messages which you write to individuals.
Tips for Getting More Response from Your Emails
- Write like a news summary or Google search description, where your first paragraph describes the reason for your message and tells the recipient what you want them to do.
- Use subsequent paragraphs and images to further explain your main ideas.
- Don’t write story problems which look like an SAT test. Instead, use bullet points or numbering to clearly identify your different subjects and desired actions.
- Use bold or underlined fonts in subheads and to draw attention to the most important points.
- If your message is longer than a few paragraphs, restate your desired action in a final paragraph.
The most important point: You’ve got just a few seconds for most people to read and understand your email messages. Tell them what action you want in the first paragraph in order to improve your response.
