Download - Sharpen your copywriting skills
Sharpen your copywriting skills
CharityComms Enhance your email marketing workshop
23 May 2013
What we’ll cover
1. How to get people to sign up to your mailing list
2. How to get people to open your emails
3. How to get people to click through to your website
…with great copywriting
The golden questions
• Who is your audience?
• What do you want them to do when they’ve read your email? What action to you want them to take? What is the purpose of sending this email?
The ‘secret’ of email success…
Make your emails useful to your audience
1. How to get people to sign up to your mailing list
Tell people the benefits of signing up. What’s in it for
them?
2. How to get people to open your emails
Scary statistic 1…
On average, only 23.25% of charity emails are opened Source: Email Benchmarking Report 2012, Sign Up
Writing killer subject lines: top tips
1. Keep it below 50 characters
28-39 characters = highest click rate in a study of 200 million
emails. Source: Mailchimp
Writing killer subject lines: top tips
2. But don’t abbreviate
Bad: Res conf, 5Mar11: 20 tkts left. Save ££ & see Gov’t spkrs.
Good: Just 20 tickets left for our research conference
Writing killer subject lines: top tips
3. Don’t use unnecessary punctuation, or capital letters.
Bad: Housing Chief Will ‘Justify Sector Cuts’ at Conference
Writing killer subject lines: top tips
4. Keep to one message, keep it descriptive and simple
Bad: Discounted entry to our events, tips for coping with chemo, prizes
Good: Tips for coping with chemo
Writing killer subject lines: top tips
5. Start where the action is
Bad: Greentree Foundation Newsletter March Edition
Good: Bring the kids to Greentree park fun day on Saturday
Writing killer subject lines: top tips
6. Use the right words
• ‘you’, ‘your’ and ‘my’
• Your guide to saving money
• How the Foundation saved my life
• Numbers
• 10 things you didn't know about our planet
• ‘How to’ and ‘top tips’
• How to save energy in your home
• 10 top tips for marathon fundraising
Writing killer subject lines: top tips
7. Ask a question
• Are you drinking too much?
• Do you care for a loved one?
• Are you job hunting?
Writing killer subject lines: top tips
8. Put the most important words first
Bad: New report shows there are over 2 million people affected by floods in Pakistan
Good: 2 million people hit by Pakistan floods
Bad: We need people to support us by running the London marathon
Good: Run the marathon, support disabled children
Writing killer subject lines: top tips
9. Be urgent
For example:
Only 5 conference places left – book today
Petition to save badgers closes at 5pm
Writing killer subject lines: top tips
10. Be timely
For example: Show your support for gay marriage: Email your MP now
Avoid spam No magic list of phrases to avoid!
• Talks about lots of money (.193 points)
• Describes some sort of breakthrough (.232 points)
• Looks like mortgage pitch (.297 points)
• Contains urgent matter (.288 points)
• Money back guarantee (2.051 points)
• Why Pay More? (1.249 points)
Personalisation
Positive or negative?
For example: Jennifer, our 10 top tips on fundraising are waiting
The jury’s out…
The ‘from’ line
• Should say exactly who you are as the sender
• Should stay the same
3. How to get people to click through
Scary statistic 2…
On average, only 3.32% of people click through from charity emails
Source: Email Benchmarking Report 2012, Sign Up
1. Make content useful, focus on the reader’s needs
2. Have good headlines, subheads and pull quotes and stats
3. Sentences shouldn’t be more than 30 words. Paragraphs shouldn’t be more than 3-4 lines
4. Repeat your call to action
Label your images well