Key takeaways
- Keep subject lines short and clear unless a sale requires more detail.
- Email bodies can be informative and longer, include useful sections like best-sellers or reviews.
- Frequent emails aren’t inherently harmful if each message is unique, valuable and non-spammy.
- Offer subscription settings on the unsubscribe page so recipients can choose email frequency.
- Reusing or retooling past high-performing emails is acceptable and time-efficient.
- Always experiment to find what works for your specific campaign.
Introduction
Email marketing is widely touted as being among the most efficient methods of generating traffic and boosting sales. That said, there are several misconceptions orbiting the field. All marketers have their own opinions on what the best — and worst — email practices are. Some of these are widely agreed upon by marketers. The issue with this is that some of these myths are simply wrong. The following are a few email marketing myths in serious need of debunking. When it comes to any email practice, it’s suggested that marketers experiment with what works — and doesn’t work — for their specific campaign.
Subject Lines Should be Descriptive
In general, a good subject line should contain all relevant information in the least amount of words possible. Of course, sometimes a company offers the type of sale they know customers won’t be able to resist, and in these cases it’s acceptable and advised to pack the subject line with things consumers should know. However, in all other cases, the subject line should be short and sweet.
Emails Should Contain Minimal Content
While minimalism is the fundamental strategy to apply to subject lines, there’s nothing suggesting that emails should follow the same rule. It’s never advised that marketers bombard their readers with unnecessary information, however the email should always be sufficiently informative. While some readers don’t look for much in an email other than the call-to-action, others want to scroll down to find more information. Give subscribers what they want by adding a section of best-selling products, satisfied client reviews, or anything else that might be useful for readers to have access to.
Lots of Emails Lead to Subscriber Annoyance
First off, a message needs to be informative and engaging at its core regardless of email frequency if marketers are looking to retain customers. That said, marketers tend to refrain from sending their readers a high volume of emails out of fear of losing subscribers. However, provided the subject lines and emails themselves are unique, fresh, and void of any hint of spam, there’s really no such thing as sending out too many emails. Having some readers unsubscribe due to a high email volume is unavoidable, however this drawback does nothing to dampen the potential rewards of frequent outreach. If the unsubscribe button is a significant concern, marketers always have the option of giving consumers the freedom to manage their subscription settings on the unsubscribe page, customizing the amount of emails they receive to their liking.
Copy Should Always be Fresh and New
If an email performed well in the past, there’s no reason not to retool it and send it back out again. Good marketers strive for growth and innovation at any level, which is a fine trait to have. However, the brand can benefit greatly if the marketer sticks to past endeavors that actually worked for them. Clients won’t notice that they’re receiving a re-purposed past email, and marketers can benefit from reusing a past campaign that works while saving themselves valuable time.
FAQ
Keep subject lines short and sweet in most cases. Only pack more detail when a specific offer, such as a sale customers won’t resist, requires additional information.
Emails don’t need to mimic the minimalism of subject lines. While you should avoid unnecessary information, include enough content to be informative. Examples include best-selling products or client reviews for readers who want more than the call-to-action.
Not necessarily. High email volume can be acceptable if each message is unique, fresh and clearly not spam. Some unsubscribes are inevitable, but frequent, valuable outreach can still be worthwhile.
Give subscribers control: include subscription settings on the unsubscribe page so recipients can customize how often they hear from you instead of fully opting out.
Yes. If an email performed well previously, retooling and re-sending it is acceptable. Marketers can reuse past successful campaigns to save time while still pursuing growth and innovation elsewhere.
Experiment. Test different approaches to discover what works and doesn’t for your specific campaign rather than relying solely on common opinions or myths.
