| Email newsletters are clogging your | | | | For those of us who send out periodic |
| inbox. And it's not just you. It's | | | | email newsletters, there are a couple |
| everybody. Email newsletters are a great | | | | lessons we can learn from all this. For |
| way for people to stay in touch with | | | | starters, if you're using a standardized |
| their audiences and everybody knows it. | | | | newsletter template, consider changing |
| And that means everybody has a | | | | to a less structured and more |
| newsletter and they all want you to | | | | conversational format. And by the way, |
| sign-up, giving them your email address | | | | this includes the title. Don't reference |
| along with an invitation to email you | | | | "monthly newsletter" in the subject |
| with whatever they might be offering. | | | | line. Instead, use something more timely |
| This is not entirely a bad thing. Fact | | | | and unique. Use a title you would write |
| is; we're receiving more free | | | | to a friend, something that looks more |
| information than we ever have before. | | | | personal. |
| All these merchants are trying to | | | | Anyone who uses Outlook knows that the |
| capture our attention and gain our trust | | | | preview pane allows you to glance inside |
| with valuable content. And of course, we | | | | the email before actually opening it. |
| have to option to sign up for whichever | | | | This is where the standardized format |
| newsletters we might be interested in so | | | | can really hurt you. If the contents are |
| the information we're getting is | | | | just straight text and appear more |
| essentially by request. But the sad | | | | conversational, the chances of having |
| reality is that most email newsletters | | | | the email opened goes up dramatically. |
| never get read. In fact, a recent study | | | | And a strong timely subject line adds to |
| found that only 19% of email newsletters | | | | that probability as well. |
| ever get looked at. That's bad news for | | | | Once the email is open or at least being |
| those writing them. | | | | viewed through the preview pane, make |
| If you've had any experience with email | | | | absolutely sure your opening sentence or |
| newsletters, you'll know that they tend | | | | two are dynamic and captivating. Make |
| to fall into two buckets. In the first | | | | sure those opening words are |
| bucket, you'll find the cookie-cutter | | | | well-written and that they clearly |
| newsletters with standardized formats, | | | | define the value available to the |
| nicely crafted colorful layouts, | | | | recipient if they read further. This is |
| interesting sidebars and perfectly | | | | the biggest mistake of standardized |
| positioned articles. In the second | | | | newsletters. They always have some |
| bucket, you'll find the emails that come | | | | boring standardized text at the very |
| to you regularly from a provider you | | | | top. Don't do it. Make sure your opening |
| signed up for but that look more like a | | | | sentence is unique for each newsletter |
| personal text email than a formal | | | | and encourages the recipient to continue |
| newsletter. And as it turns out, these | | | | reading. |
| two approaches deliver very different | | | | Taking this approach may reduce the |
| results. | | | | perceived formality of your newsletter |
| The probability of having a | | | | but it will definitely increase the |
| conversational text-based email read are | | | | number of people who read it. Don't get |
| far greater than having a standardized | | | | caught up with the formality issue. If |
| and html-formatted newsletter read and | | | | you're presenting valuable information, |
| it's because recipients perceive the | | | | your clients will respect you plenty. |
| former as a personal message and the | | | | The sad reality happens when you send |
| latter as spam. Of course, it doesn't | | | | out valuable information and nobody |
| take long before they realize that the | | | | knows because nobody read it. You're |
| supposedly personal message is spam as | | | | better off catering to people's natural |
| well but if the opening sentence or two | | | | curiosities and writing your periodic |
| are captivating enough, the recipient | | | | newsletters in a casual and personal |
| may already be caught in the web and | | | | way. |
| destined to read the whole thing. | | | | |