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R E A D O N L I N E 55 How to Create Engaging Emails 1. Nail your subject line. Like a good newspaper headline, subject lines are designed to capture readers' imagination and get them to read on. Keep them short and punchy, and put the key details to the front of the sentence. is will ensure that your audience can read your subject lines on different devices. MailChimp recommends no more than nine words or 60 characters. Subject lines should be relevant, specific and gimmick free. Use keywords and phrases that are of particular interest to your target audience. Be honest about the contents of the email and avoid click-bait techniques (overly sensational subject lines, for example). e subject line is often all it takes for a potential lead to discard your email as spam before opening. Personalizing each subject line is another useful technique to help your audience feel you're talking to them directly. 2. Use clear, engaging language. roughout your email, subject line and calls to action (CTAs), make sure to use actionable language and active voice. Motivate your audience to act, not be acted upon. Write in the second person voice (referring to the reader as 'you') and discuss benefits, not features. Perhaps most important, make sure your writing is clear. 3. Hone your CTAs. CTAs are essential to your emails. It's important to have them clear from the beginning, so make sure you have a good idea of what you want to achieve with your message before you start. When it comes to writing CTAs, action, benefits and brevity are essential. Your audience should be compelled to ' View deal,' 'Sign up' or ' Visit sale' in as few words as possible. If you write emails in HTML, you can make your CTAs stand out with a button or box. According to research by Campaign Monitor, these have far higher click-through (open) rates than non-button alternatives. e same research also uncovered a 371 percent improvement from single CTAs to multiple calls to action, so choose just one CTA per email. 4. Format in HTML. Creating a HTML email is a great way to bring graphic design into even the most workaday emails. You can incorporate graphics, GIFs and videos into your email template to bring them to life. However, proceed with caution: An email fully loaded with video and animation may look great, but you might encounter problems with loading and delivering your message. What's more, too much content can negate from the message itself. For simplicity and accessibility, it's always good to include a Plain Text (regular) version, too. Courtesy of Adobe Marketo Engage Extra Features and Video Online FloristsReview.com

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