Menu Close
Mission Control / Strategy

How to Create the Perfect Email for Your Subscriber List

Your subscribers get hammered with new emails every day, so it’s vital your email stands out from the crowd of others vying for their attention. Spoiler alert: Most people don’t even open your email. And when they do, you have keep them engaged.

A person with a wristwatch types on a laptop displaying an email inbox. The desk is cluttered with notebooks, a pen, and a cup of coffee, which the person is holding with their other hand. The items on the desk suggest a workspace.

We know it’s easier said than done. We’ve put together this list of the most important parts of a well-crafted email — the aspects of email development that we often see overlooked.

Using these step-by-step tips, you’ll be able to send effective emails to your subscribers, retain them longer and increase revenue.

1. Select Engaging Imagery

A lot of marketers will go online and find the least expensive imagery they can. The problem? Your email ends up being stuffed with cheesy, “I’m-a-stock-image!” photos. Here’s what we recommend: Invest a little bit in your imagery to make a greater impact with your emails.

If you’re wanting to try a somewhat different tactic, you can test out gifs. They’re fun, they’re entertaining, and they immediately draw your reader’s attention. But be careful, there’s a fine line between entertaining and irritating. So, err on the side of caution and don’t overdo it with GIFs.


2. Send Relevant Articles (and the Right Amount)

We’ve all received an email with irrelevant promotions or content. Some of us have unsubscribed as a result. To avoid this, you have to know your audience.

For example, let’s say you provide a service to different kinds of healthcare professionals. Without fail, your emails will be better received if you ask your readers their specialties and segment accordingly. Someone in cardiology likely won’t care about the latest in urology.

One way to know your audience is to simply ask them using preference centers. This tactic automates content delivery based on the self-selected preferences of customers, ensuring they receive what they want and nothing else.

And here’s the thing: When you only send relevant content, you’ll likely end up sending different amounts of content each time. You won’t always have the same amount of content related to the interests of a specific segment — and that’s OK.

If you sent four articles last month, but you only have three relevant articles this month, don’t tack on a fourth article that is irrelevant. That wastes your recipients’ time with content they don’t need, and it distracts them from the content that will support your business goals.

Interested in email segmentation and preference centers, but don’t know where to start? Get in touch!


3. Go Beyond Content Promotion

Sending out a weekly email with your latest content will drive qualified traffic back to your website, reinforce your brand and promote brand loyalty. While all of this is important, this tactic is happening at the top of your funnel.

Don’t be afraid to ask readers to take more valuable actions. If you’re a hospital and it’s flu season, promote flu shots. If you’re in education, promote upcoming events. If you provide a B2B service, answer an FAQ or ask the recipient to get a quote.

You have actions that matter to you; establish what those actions are and make them possible right from your email.


4. Keep It Simple

If you’re having trouble figuring out why your email seems off, it’s probably because there’s too much going on. One of the most important email marketing tactics isn’t what you do, it’s what you don’t do.

Don’t use a million different colors, don’t promote five different product lines and don’t write an ode to your latest blog post.

Remember: An email has one goal, and that is to get the recipient out of their inbox and onto your site. Do enough to make that happen and no more.


5. Have a Clear CTA

When you build your email, you should have an established goal. There might be one piece of content that you think is most valuable for your email recipients to read. It could be that you want them to ask for a quote or sign up for an event.

Regardless of the goal, you should make it prominent in some way. Maybe you make the most important piece of content the largest and place it at the top. You might have the only button on your page coincide with your “request a quote” callout. Whatever it is, make it easy to identify.


If you know you need to improve your email, but you’re not sure how, just send us a note or give us a call. We’re always here to help.

Get the latest C/A insights direct to your inbox. Sign up here for our newsletter.