{"id":5489,"date":"2019-11-22T07:00:25","date_gmt":"2019-11-22T05:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/?p=5489"},"modified":"2024-09-16T11:55:55","modified_gmt":"2024-09-16T09:55:55","slug":"how-to-write-engaging-email-content","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/content-marketing-blog\/how-to-write-engaging-email-content\/","title":{"rendered":"How to write engaging email content"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"l-section wpb_row height_medium\"><div class=\"l-section-h i-cf\"><div class=\"g-cols vc_row via_grid cols_3-1 laptops-cols_inherit tablets-cols_inherit mobiles-cols_1 valign_top type_default stacking_default\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"w-image align_center\"><div class=\"w-image-h\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"493\" src=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/DSM_Infographic_ContentMarketing4-e1574335220375.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"DSM Digital school of Marketing - How To Create Interesting Digital Content Banner\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/DSM_Infographic_ContentMarketing4-e1574335220375.jpg 700w, https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/DSM_Infographic_ContentMarketing4-e1574335220375-600x423.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_text_column\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><p>If you are looking to make content sound more human, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/blog\/how-to-launch-a-new-brand\/\">brand<\/a><\/strong> voice is a good place to start. Consider the following basic rules of creating engaging email content:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Be clear and use plain English.<\/li>\n<li>Steer clear of digital marketing jargon.<\/li>\n<li>Be helpful. Demonstrate to your audience the manner in which you can help them as well as add value to their lives.<\/li>\n<li>Keep the focus on them and be memorable.<\/li>\n<li>Be concise.<\/li>\n<li>Get your point across in a limited amount of words.<\/li>\n<li>Be consistent.<\/li>\n<li>Use one voice and one tone across all channels.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Creating engaging email content<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Here are a couple of principles to ensure that your email content gets the attention it deserves:<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Know your audience<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>A lot of writers put pen to paper before they have a good idea about who it is that they\u2019re trying to reach. Before drafting content for your emails, ask yourself the following questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Who is my primary target <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/blog\/segmenting-your-audience-important-digital-marketing\/\">audience<\/a><\/strong>?<\/li>\n<li>Who is my secondary audience that can influence as well as inform the primary audience?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-video align_none ratio_16x9 has_iframe\"><div class=\"w-video-h\"><iframe title=\"Vimeo video player\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/319658905?autoplay=0&loop=0&autopause=0&color=00adef&portrait=0&byline=1&title=1&controls=1&muted=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen\" allowfullscreen loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe><\/div><div class=\"w-video-icon\" style=\"font-size:1.5rem;background:rgba(0,0,0,0.5);color:#fff\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_medium\"><\/div><div class=\"wpb_text_column\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><h3><strong>Follow the \u201cinverted pyramid\u201d model <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>In writing, this technique of beginning with your conclusion is called the \u2018Inverted Pyramid Style\u2019. Sometimes referred to as Front-Loading, this means that you should put your most important information first when writing for emails. By front-loading your content, it is more likely that you will keep your readers reading the email.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Write short and simple sentences<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The short attention span of the reader today demands sentences of 35 words or less. Focus on making use of nouns as well as verbs. Utilise adverbs as well as adjectives sparingly. Don\u2019t make use of words such as \u201cequanimity\u201d or \u201cobfuscate\u201d when words such as \u201ccalm\u201d or \u201cconfuse\u201d will do.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Stick to the active voice<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Make use of active as opposed to than passive verbs. Specify the subject of the sentence. For example, as opposed to writing \u201cA coffee was ordered,\u201d write \u201cThe man ordered a coffee.\u201d As opposed to saying \u201cProducts can be ordered on our website,\u201d say \u201cYou can order products on our website.\u201d The active voice assists with creating succinct, reader-friendly sentences. It\u2019s also more direct. If you speak directly to the audience (\u201cYou can do it\u201d) this is more engaging as opposed to saying \u201cIt can be done\u201d.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Cut the jargon<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The Internet is universal and is not just for technical experts. This means that you need to make sure that information is understandable for the educated nonspecialist. Spell out acronyms when they are first mentioned. Avoid insider language and explain complex or niche terms. Give hyperlinks to other articles where readers can get more background information on a specific topic.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Make text scannable<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>As well as to putting the most critical information up top, ensure that the text is easy to skim. Most email readers will scan the email to find the relevant piece of information which they\u2019re looking for. If they don\u2019t find without any effort, they\u2019ll move on.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Break up your text<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Instead of having text-heavy paragraphs, make use of bulleted or numerical lists. As opposed to one long page of text, organise content into labelled tabs.<\/p>\n<p>Always make sure that you include \u201cwhite space.\u201d This term refers to the empty space which \u00a0surrounds paragraphs, images as well as other elements on your email. Although it may appear as if this is just wasted space, it\u2019s really a web designer\u2019s best friend. Comfortable amounts of white space surrounding text makes it more legible as well as more enjoyable to read. It\u2019s also critical to divide content into sections with descriptive sub-headings.<\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/contact-us\/\">Get in touch with the Digital School of Marketing<\/a><\/h2>\n<p>Want to learn more about the art of writing emails in addition to writing content for the web? If so, then our digital copywriting and content course is definitely something that you need to consider doing. For more information on this course or any of our other <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/courses\/digital-marketing-course\/\">Digital Marketing courses<\/a><\/strong>, please follow this<strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/courses\/digital-copywriting-and-content-marketing-course\/\">link<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/courses\/digital-copywriting-and-content-marketing-course\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-756 size-shop_single\" src=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/DSM_Footer01-600x96.jpg\" alt=\"DSM Digital school of marketing - Copywriting and content marketing course registration\" width=\"600\" height=\"96\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"w-btn-wrapper align_justify\"><a class=\"w-btn us-btn-style_2\" href=\"#enquiry\"><span class=\"w-btn-label\">Enquire Today<\/span><\/a><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_medium\"><\/div><h3 class=\"w-text us_custom_6caa4608 has_text_color\"><span class=\"w-text-h\"><span class=\"w-text-value\">Blog Categories<\/span><\/span><\/h3><div class=\"wpb_text_column us_custom_5cd26a65\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><ul>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-1\"><a href=\"\/blog\/content-marketing\/\">Content Marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-2\"><a href=\"\/blog\/digital-marketing\/\">Digital Marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-2\"><a href=\"\/blog\/cyber-security-blog\/\">Cyber Security<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-2\"><a href=\"\/blog\/graphic-design-blog\/\">Graphic Design<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-3\"><a href=\"\/blog\/public-relations\/\">Public Relations<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-4\"><a href=\"\/blog\/seo\/\">SEO<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-5\"><a href=\"\/blog\/social-media-marketing\/\">Social Media Marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-5\"><a href=\"\/blog\/web-design-blog\/\">Web Design<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_medium\"><\/div><h3 class=\"w-text us_custom_6caa4608 has_text_color\"><span class=\"w-text-h\"><span class=\"w-text-value\">You might also like<\/span><\/span><\/h3><div class=\"w-html\"><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/social-media-marketing-blog\/zero-moment-of-truth-benefit-social-media-marketing\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Use the Zero Moment of Truth to Benefit your Social Media Marketing<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/digital-marketing-blog\/your-complete-guide-to-ppc-marketing-basic\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Your Complete Guide to PPC Marketing Basics. Find out more.<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/blog\/you-can-convey-a-lot-of-meaning-with-just-one-graphic\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">You Can Convey a Lot Of Meaning With Just One Graphic<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/digital-marketing-blog\/would-you-make-a-great-marketing-manager\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Would you make a great marketing manager?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/in-the-press\/win-with-bona-magazine-and-the-digital-school-of-marketing\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Win with Bona Magazine and the Digital School of Marketing<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/in-the-press\/win-a-digital-marketing-course-valued-at-r12-000\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Win a Digital Marketing Course Valued at  R12 000<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"w-separator size_medium\"><\/div><h3 class=\"w-text us_custom_6caa4608 has_text_color\"><span class=\"w-text-h\"><span class=\"w-text-value\">Top Selling COurses<\/span><\/span><\/h3><div class=\"wpb_text_column us_custom_5cd26a65\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><ul>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-1\"><a href=\"\/courses\/digital-marketing-course\/\">Intermediate Digital Marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-2\"><a href=\"\/courses\/advanced-digital-marketing-course\/\">Advanced Digital Marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-3\"><a href=\"\/courses\/social-media-marketing-course\/\">Intermediate Social media marketing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-4\"><a href=\"\/courses\/digital-brand-management-course\/\">Brand Management<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-5\"><a href=\"\/courses\/graphic-design-course\/\">Basic Graphic Design<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-6\"><a href=\"\/courses\/advanced-graphic-design-course\/\">Advanced Graphic design<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-7\"><a href=\"\/courses\/national-certificate-of-advertising\/\">National Certificate of Advertising<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"cat-item cat-item-8\"><a href=\"\/courses\/national-diploma-of-copywriting-course\/\">National Diploma of Copyrighting<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><section class=\"l-section wpb_row height_medium\"><div class=\"l-section-h i-cf\"><div class=\"g-cols vc_row via_grid cols_1 laptops-cols_inherit tablets-cols_inherit mobiles-cols_1 valign_top type_default stacking_default\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"w-video align_none ratio_16x9 has_iframe\"><div class=\"w-video-h\"><iframe title=\"Youtube video player\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YnTN2D4aicA?autoplay=0&controls=1&origin=https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za&loop=0&mute=0\" allowfullscreen=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe><\/div><div class=\"w-video-icon\" style=\"font-size:1.5rem;background:rgba(0,0,0,0.5);color:#fff\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5490,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[265],"tags":[556],"class_list":["post-5489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-content-marketing-blog","tag-email-content"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5489\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}