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June 2002
HOW LONG IS THE PERFECT E-MAIL?
You could be forgiven for assuming that when it comes to e-mail
marketing, brevity is king. Certainly, e-mail users have little
patience, and the simple fact that your message is only ever one
mouse-click from oblivion demands that the copy be uncluttered,
compelling, and to the point.
It would be a mistake, however, to limit every e-mail campaign to
all but the briefest of messages. If your product or service is
technical in nature, or in any way complex, it's easy to curb the
effectiveness of your email program by forcing your message to one
screen. Much as direct mail letters of two or more pages often
outperform their one-page counterparts, an e-mail message of 500
words or more may be what it takes to adequately "sell" your
offer.
Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind:
Before the reader is forced to scroll down the page, he or she
should understand 1) why you're writing, 2) why he or
she should care and 3) what to do about it. That means the
offer, key benefit(s) and call to action should all be located
"above the fold."
Consider preceding your salutation with bulleted headline copy
that contains all the elements referenced above. For example:
In a free executive report, learn how to:
- slash monthly payroll expense
- retain your highest-performing employees
- increase productivity by up to 40 percent
Download your free report now at www.acme.com/freekit.
Break up the body copy using bullets, sub-heads, and short
paragraphs (2-3 sentences maximum). Even if it takes up more
real estate, shorter paragraphs make the copy look more inviting
and easier to read.
To paraphrase Mom: if you don't have anything compelling to
say, don't say it. However, as long as you have additional, persuasive
copy to offer, there's no harm in extending the length of your
message past the first screen.
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