Email Copywriting: Full Guide & Best Practices

What is email copywriting?

Email copywriting is the process of crafting email content that leads to conversions. It is a delicate balance between art and science.

On the one hand, you need to be creative in order to stand out in someone’s inbox.

But at the same time, you also need to be strategic, making sure that all elements of your email work together to drive conversions. 

Comment créer une stratégie de copywriting?

We've written an article on how to create a compelling copywriting strategy to boost your sales! Feel free to check it out!

Learn how to create your copywriting strategy!

Email copywriting requires a deep understanding of how your target interacts with your messaging, as well as an awareness of the latest best practices. 

This process goes hand in hand with email and B2B sales prospecting, so, when you’re looking for new leads, you want to focus on your copy and not be distracted by other factors in your sales email.

That’s where LaGrowthMachine comes in! Our tool allows you to build a strong multichannel sequence for your sales automation process.

LaGrowthMachine allows you to create all types of email sequences in advance and schedule them at each different stage of your prospecting campaign.

For instance, in this campaign, you can schedule a first professional email contact followed by three follow-ups.

If the person responds to any of these messages, the campaign will stop and you will be able to respond manually until you close your deal.

With automated campaigns like this, you can focus on your writing and leave the follow-ups to us.

Our team even accompanies you in the writing of your prospecting emails by giving you advice on copywriting and/or your overall campaign:

The anatomy of a great email copy

Email copywriting is an important skill to master if you want your emails to stand out and drive conversions. By understanding the basics of email copywriting, you can craft messages that are both creative and effective.

Just like any good piece of writing, an email should have a clear purpose, and each element should work together to support that purpose. Here’s a quick overview of the key components of a great email:

Subject line

Email copywriting starts with the subject line. This is the first thing that people will see when your email lands in their inbox, so it needs to be attention-grabbing and relevant.

A good subject line will make recipients want to open your email, while a bad one will get your email immediately deleted without being read.

Here are some tips for writing effective subject lines:

• Keep it short and to the point
• Use keywords that are likely to trigger an emotional response
• Use actionable language
• Avoid using spammy or spam-trigger words or phrases

For example:

OR

OR

You want to make sure your subject line grabs attention while striking a balance between teasing and clarity when it comes to the content of the email itself!

Email body copy

Once you’ve got the recipient to open your email, it’s time to engage them with a compelling email body copy. Just like with any other piece of copywriting, the goal here is to tell a story that resonates with your audience and inspires them to take action.

When it comes to email body copy, less is more. Keep your messages short and to the point, using clear, concise language. And make sure every element of your email supports your overall goal.

For example, here’s my first email for a campaign that I recently ran to increase traffic to our comparative page:

Now I’m no copywriting genius by any means, but the intent here was to keep it straightforward.

I simply started by drawing the reader’s attention to their current situation and acknowledged it. But notice how I mentioned their initial pain point:

Why do they want to recruit more salespeople that use Lemlist? My (educated) guess is that it’s because they want to generate more leads. Not super complicated…

So I get two birds with one email-shaped stone; I present my initial goal (to get them to visit our comparison page) while introducing LaGrowthMachine as the ultimate remedy for their pain point. Neat, right?

Finally, I include a CTA asking them to reach out if they have any questions, which beautifully takes me to the last part of any good sales email copy:

Calls-to-action

Your email’s call-to-action (CTA) is what tells recipients what you want them to do next. It should be specific, actionable, and easy to spot.

Your CTA should be the focal point of your email, so make sure it’s placed in a prominent location, such as near the top of the email or after the email body. And use language that inspires action.

For instance: “Learn more about it“, “Download here now…“, or “Buy now…“

But it doesn’t have to be so aggressive, it can be as simple as a “Do not hesitate to reach out if…” or “Let us know if you have any questions about…“. Like what I used in the example above.

Remember, your CTA needs to be relevant to the overall objective of your email campaign.

Since you probably work in sales, marketing, or at the very least recruiting, something like “Book a call…” or “Schedule a demo…” followed by your Calendly link can work just fine for you.

These are the main components of an email copy, but why do you need to take care of the copywriting of each component in the first place?

What are the advantages of doing email copywriting properly?

Email copywriting is one of the most important aspects of email marketing, and it’s something that should be taken seriously. The right email can make a huge difference in your open rates, click-through rates, and overall conversion rates. 

Here are a few advantages of email copywriting:

• Build stronger connections: Effective email copywriting can help you connect with your audience on a deeper level, by addressing their pain points, building trust, and providing value.
• Increase email deliverability: Well-written and engaging emails can improve your email deliverability rates as Email Service Providers (ESPs) will be more likely to trust you with a better sender reputation.
• Enhance your brand’s image: By establishing your brand’s voice and tone through great email copywriting, you can drive your messaging to be more consistent and memorable, eventually improving your brand’s image.
• Boost conversions: Ultimately, the goal of email prospecting is to drive conversions. And email copywriting plays a big role in that. By crafting messages that are relevant and persuasive, you can increase the chances that recipients will take the desired action, whether it’s subscribing to your newsletter, downloading a white paper, or making a purchase.

So take the time to craft your copy in order to maximize the results of your email campaigns. Doing so will not only help you build stronger connections with your audience, but also drive conversions and boost your brand’s image.

6 Tips to write a killer email copy

We went over the definition of email copywriting, understood why it’s extremely important for your business, and now it’s time to see how you can write one yourself.

Adapt your email copywriting to your objectives:

Since you’re here trying to learn about email copywriting, you’re either doing it to communicate with and nurture your existing leads, or you’re using email to generate new leads.

Let’s cover how to write emails for both cases.

Email copywriting for Inbound Marketing:

The first step is to start with a CTA that drives the email’s goal.

For inbound marketing, you’ll want to focus on getting people to subscribe to your email list or download a specific lead magnet. So, your CTA should reflect that.

Make sure it’s s clear and concise, and that it’s placed prominently in your email so that people can’t miss it.

Your email’s subject line should be interesting and attention-grabbing. But, it should also be relevant to the email’s content.

You don’t want to trick people into opening your email with a clickbait subject line only to find that the email has nothing to do with what they were expecting.

Email copywriting for Outbound Sales:

The first step is still to start with a CTA. But, for outbound selling, your CTA will be focused on getting people to buy your product or service.

Again, make sure it’s clear and concise and place it prominently in your email. Include a sense of urgency to encourage people to take action now. And, make it easy for them to buy by including a link to your product page or checkout page.

Your email’s subject line should be interesting, but it doesn’t need to be as attention-grabbing as it would be for inbound marketing. That’s because you’re already targeting people who are interested in what you have to offer.

Still, it should be relevant to the email’s content.

When it comes to the email copy, you’ll want to focus on showing people how your product or service can solve their specific problems.

Use case studies, testimonials, and social proof to show them that you’re a credible source. And, make sure to highlight the features and benefits of your product or service.

Still not sure how to get started with email copywriting? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

Get to know your audience

You cannot set your goals without knowing who you’re targeting. It’s like shooting an arrow without a target. So, the first step to great email copywriting is getting to know your audience.

Who are you targeting? What do they care about? How can your product or service help them?

Asking -and answering – these questions will help you create email copy that resonates with your target audience.

The more you know about your audience, the better you can craft email copy that resonates with them and their needs.

One more very important question you need to ask yourself is: “Which channels do they use the most?“.

Though this article is about emailing, you must consider all the other channels your target audience uses to communicate. Multichannel outreach will get you up to 3.5x more leads!

This is why LaGrowthMachine is the right tool for salespeople and growth marketers alike. Our integrated platform provides a single solution to reach customers on numerous channels (LinkedIn, Email, and Twitter) with personalized messages at scale.

Choose a topic and stick with it

Your email’s topic should be something that’s relevant to your audience and aligns with your email’s goal.

Think of what your reader might be interested in or what pain points they might have that your product or service can help with.

Once you’ve chosen a topic, stick with it and focus on that one thing throughout the email.

Make sure to clearly explain why they should be interested in your topic and what value it provides them.

In any case, you’ll have to be very brief as we’ve been reiterating all over this post!

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how many trillion emails are sent every single second. You get the point… the best chance you got is to get straight to the point.

Personalize your emails

Usually, this is at the top of the list when it comes to email copywriting, but with good reason.

Let’s be real here, sending generic emails is a surefire way to get your emails well… fired to the dreaded spam folder.

Personalization is simply the only way to go these days. And it goes further than just your lead’s full name. Come on, get with the times! Use an icebreaker, mention a shared interest or anything that’s actually personal to them.

If you’ve tried LaGrowthMachine, you’ve probably enjoyed our 24 different variables that you can use to personalize your emails.

From the usual First & Last Names to Custom Attributes that you can assign to each and every one of your leads (One example of a custom attribute is the icebreaker I mentioned)

The best part about it? Most of the information is filled out automatically! Thanks to our superb lead enrichment feature, you never have to worry about researching your leads ever again!

Preview your email copy

Emailing is tricky, on the one hand, you have the countless settings you have to take into account to avoid the spam folder, and on the other, you have the ESPs who might make a hot mess out of your beautifully cared-for copy.

This is why LaGrowthMachine’s preview feature is a must-have. With it, you can make sure you get the chance to double-check that everything is as it should be:

• No typos
• No broken links or images
• And all personalization fields are properly filled out.

It’s an essential step that many overlook, but it can make all the difference in your email copy success rate.

Test, measure, and optimize

Not all email copywriting tricks are created equal. What works for one audience might not work for another.

That’s why it’s important to set up experiments (AKA A/B tests) that allow you to measure the performance of your different email copies.

You’ll need to compare how different subject lines, copywriting styles, or CTA’s perform against each other.

LaGrowthMachine makes this process easy with its highly extensive email analytics dashboard that allows you to compare your different email results in a clear and comprehensive way. This will help you understand what works, who responds best, and when is the most successful time to send out emails.

All of this information can then be used to create even better email copy that will help you get the most out of your email campaigns.

And there you have it! You now know the essential tips and tricks when it comes to email copywriting.

Get to writing your best email copy!

Email copywriting is a skill that all businesses should invest in. It can help you increase website traffic, boost customer engagement, and improve your bottom line.

When it comes to email copywriting, there are a few key things to keep in mind. Define your goals, know your audience, select a relevant topic, and write headlines that attract the reader’s attention and convince them to open the email.

Finally, don’t forget to test, measure, and optimize your results so that you can continue to improve your email marketing campaigns

That’s it! We’ve outlined the basics of email copywriting and shared some tips to help you write better emails. We hope this post will help you create more effective email campaigns that resonate with your audience and drive results.

Do you have any other email copywriting tips to share? Let us know in the comments below!

Happy emailing!