Earlier this month, we shared tips on how to maintain an organized inbox, which ultimately helps to increase your productivity.
As you can imagine, having a cluttered inbox is a universal problem, as we’re constantly bombarded with the latest deals from our favorite retailers, newsletters from companies we love, and everything in between.
Can we share a hard truth?
Your email audience is in the same boat.
And your emails?
They can get lost in the clutter.
We know that you’re already providing great value to your email list, but we want to help you take it a step further by ensuring your emails stand out from the crowd. Our goal?
When your email list sees your name pop up in their inbox, they get genuinely excited.
Here are three ways to help your emails stand out from the rest!
Get Creative in Your Email Subject Line
The first thing people will read when they receive your email is likely going to be the email subject line, but this is something you can hold off on writing until after you draft your email.
In fact, we encourage you to wait!
Sometimes, this is the hardest part of copy to write, so waiting until after you’ve written out your email can ensure you’ve tapped into your creative writing skills.
Wait, what? The email subject line needs to be creative?
It depends, but generally, yes!
Of course, you’ll want to consider the purpose of your email.
For many professional emails, the subject line is a place where you want to direct. For instance, if a client hasn’t responded to any of your support emails, they haven’t updated the sleep log, and you’re wanting to check in on them, sending “Yo, yo, yo, where’d you go?” in the subject line might not be the best, unless your brand voice is playful (and your clients expect that).
Instead, a simple, “Checking In on (Child’s Name),” or “(Sleep Business Name) Support Email” is a bit more professional and direct.
On the other hand, if you’re sending a general email to your entire list to update them on a new offer you’re launching, you absolutely can get creative and fun with your email subject line copy.
“Sleep on vacation? Sign me up!” has a different ring than, “Open this email for our discount code.”
Of course, both email subject lines get a point across, and at the end of the day, there is no “right” or “wrong” way to title your email. Instead, you want to focus on the purpose of the email and how you want to communicate to your audience.
Action Item: Take a moment to browse your inbox and look at the subject lines. Which ones stand out to you? Are they funny, a play on words, or clever? Then you might want to spend some time doing the same for your emails. If you’re drawn more to the direct, straightforward subject lines, chances are, your ideal clients will be, too.
Let Your Voice Shine Through Your Body Copy
While the subject line can help encourage your audience to click the email open, the body copy of your email is what will determine whether they keep reading.
There are a variety of different content buckets your emails can fall into: promotional, educational, personal.
And regardless of what type of email you’re sending, there is one important thing we want you to remember:
Your voice needs to shine through when you’re writing.
What differentiates your email from any of the other emails your audience might read? YOU.
When your audience is deciding whether they want to pay you to support them in a pretty sensitive area of their life, they’re basing that decision on whether they trust you.
And how can you build that trust? By unashamedly sharing who you are, and what you believe.
No, we’re not saying you need to get personal in every email. But you do need to get personal. Instead of thinking of your email list as a group of strangers, think of them as your family and friends.
When you’re sharing an educational email about early morning wakes, write as if you’re explaining it to your best friend who is struggling with an early riser. If you’re sharing about a new promotion you’re running, write as if you’re talking directly to your group of friends!
Where some email writers fall short is they forget that humans are on the other side of the email. They use words they’d never use in real life, communicate in a way that’s not authentic to who they are, or put together an email simply for the sake of sending an email.
The whole point of an email is to serve your email list…an email list full of moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandparents – all of whom are tired and want to do the best job they can. So talk to them.
Action Item: If you haven’t yet figured out who your ideal client is, take some time to think through that now. Writing emails is a lot easier when you have an idea of who you’re talking to.
Add Some Pizzazz to The P.S. Line
Depending on your brand, you may not feel like you’re able to get creative or snazzy in the email subject line or in the body copy. Maybe you like to keep things professional and straightforward.
Or maybe you’re just starting out and haven’t decided what your brand voice will be yet.
That’s okay!
You can always use the P.S. line in an email to add a bit of personality to your emails.
Here are a few examples of P.S. lines to get your creativity flowing:
TL;DR: If your child hasn’t gotten the memo that daylight savings is here, read this blog post for a few ideas!
If you’re thinking, “Wait…my child can actually sleep through the night?” it may be time for us to chat. Shoot me an email!
Don’t sleep on this amazing deal! For the next 24 hours, you can save big on our sleep courses. Sounds like a dream, right?!
Action Item: On your next email, try using a P.S. line. If you’re not sure how to structure your emails or what to even include, The Sleep Sorority has a great lesson all about this!
On a daily basis, busy, exhausted parents are receiving dozens of emails. We know that your emails are jam-packed with value, but what good are they if they just sit in an inbox unopened (or worse, if they’re deleted right away)?
While there will always be people who don’t have time to read your emails, who no longer need your expertise, or are in a season where they aren’t interested in opening any email, we want your email game to be strong!
And one way to do that?
Make sure your brand’s values and your personality shines through each email.
If you’ve gotten this far and you’re thinking, “I’m way too busy supporting my clients to write an email. Much less an email that has an ounce of creativity,” we’ve got a bit of good news – we can write your emails for you!
Whether you’re wanting a full content package or just email copy, we can customize a package for you. Reach out to us here if that’s something you’re interested in.
Happy email-ing!