Tips for Good E-Mail Creative

There have been hundreds of articles written on the subject of good email creative, however just in case you didn’t actually read any of those articles, I’ve decided to share a few of the basic ones with you.

1. Keep it simple! People generally do not read full sentences so why force them to do so within your emails.  Create your copy based on the premise that half of your readers will spend less than 5 seconds reading your email and the other will want to spend a bit more time reading in order to really understand your message. This means using clear and concise bullet points, having clear call to actions and only including information that is truly useful to your reader.
2. Use an eye catching layout! Both color choices and layout design need to focus on guiding the customers eyes to your “call to action”. You don’t need to be blatant about it (like using arrows), just put a bit of thought into your use of colors and images. You can use contrasting colors but make sure that they aren’t so bright that your text is lost. Don’t use colors and images where none are needed as this will detract from your main message. Also, keep in mind how your color scheme will look within the uers’s email interface. Most email programs already have an abundance of color (not to mention the other 3 or 4 ads flashing on the screen).
3. Reinforce your “call to action.” Don’t just tell them that they can save X%, show them how! Use buttons, larger fonts and colors to highlight what it is you really want your customer to do and make sure you put that call to action at the top. Forcing them to read a full page email before you tell them what they need to do to “save” will not result in many conversions.

These are just a few of the basic principles I’ve learned over the years. If you have any others you feel are essential, I would love to hear them!