10 Tips for Sending Better Marketing Emails

Creating a marketing email might sound like a piece of cake, but a lot goes into it. Between catchy subject lines, eye-catching graphics, and a short and snappy message, you’re likely to get overwhelmed along the way.

That’s why we’ve put together our top 10 tips. Breeze through these, and you’ll be on your way to writing emails that get better opens and clicks.

1. Put lots of thought into your subject line.

Whether writing a subject line is the first or last thing on your to-do list, you will want to put a lot of thought into it. This is your chance to make an excellent first impression, which means the difference between an open and an ignored email.

Use words that inspire your recipient to open up and take action. Here are a few options to noodle on

• Your/You


• New


• Special


• Sale


• Offer


• Introducing


• Update


• Important


• % off


• Exclusive


• Deals


• Hurry.

Try to keep it short and sweet. Think less than nine words and under 60 characters. And one more thing to remember: Don’t use too many punctuation marks. Using lots of special characters (like !, %, #, and &) can trigger spam folders. Don’t forget you can A/B test subject lines too!

2. Use but don’t overuse emojis.

Some brands find that adding emojis to their subject lines means higher open rates, so they’re certainly worth a try! After all, they’re how lots of us communicate these days. Just don’t overdo it. We suggest using no more than one.

3. Don’t forget preview text.

Your email’s preview text appears right after your subject line when your recipient sees your email in their inbox. It’s easy to skip, but it’s a valuable space that helps them learn more and put your subject line into context. Use this space to your advantage, and thank us later!

4. Make it personal.

Personalized promotional emails have 29% higher unique open rates and 41% more unique click-through rates. Lesson learned: Your email is more likely to resonate with your recipient if you use their name (either in your subject line or in the body of the email). We just happen to like things more when they seem personal! So take advantage of those First Name tags.

5. Get to the point.

People just don’t read long emails. Make sure everything you say in the body of your email has a clear purpose; if it doesn’t, cut it out. Your text should also be easy to skim, so break any long paragraphs into 2–3 sentence chunks.

6. Settle on your CTA.

After reading your email, the CTA or action you want your recipient to take should be clear. Do you want them to visit your website, call you, or book an appointment?

Whatever it is, keep it simple and place it in a super visible spot in your email (usually at the bottom so your recipient can see it after they’ve read all you have to say). And make it look like a clickable button (what people are familiar with works best here).

7. Use templates, but don’t forget to customize.

Most email platforms come with built-in templates that you should take advantage of. Just make sure your email doesn’t come across as too template-y. Throw in a few unique graphics! Canva is a lifesaver for stuff like that.

8. Make sure you’re mobile friendly.

47% of people check their email on mobile devices, so don’t forget to see how your email looks before you send it. Some platforms (ours included) guarantee responsive emails that look great on every device, so be sure to look for that feature if you’re shopping for platforms.

9. Send your emails at a good time.

The best time to send emails varies, primarily based on your industry. Generally, you want to hit send when people are most likely to check their emails. The best time for this is usually mid-morning (10 am), when people are checking their email before bed (8 pm), or when people are checking out of work mode in the afternoon (2 pm).

10. Send your emails on a good day.

Most people agree that the best days to send emails are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Don’t forget to track your analytics to see when exactly your emails get the best traction.

Canyon Crest Creative’s all-in-one email marketing platform is included in every subscription. With real-time analytics, personalized segmentation, and drip automation, this is the tool you need to send more thoughtful emails—email social@canyoncrestcreative.com to learn more about our Growth Tools.