Common Mistakes in Sales Letter Texts
Advertising messages are sent to clients more often than any other. But they do not always bring the desired effect - users either do not open them well, or do not read them and do not perform target actions. Let's analyze point by point what exactly makes such emails unsuccessful.
When the subject does not match the content
When deciding whether to open an email or not, users often rely on its title. So manipulating their feelings and using blatant clickbait is a bad idea. If you wrote that the reader will find a gift inside the email, don’t forget to include a promo code. And if you promised to tell how to improve the quality of photos, give practical advice, and don’t lead people to your website to buy a course. More useful tips on creating a strong title can be found in our article .
If you deceive your subscribers even once, they will stop opening your messages or even unsubscribe.
2. Lots of complex words and cliches
If you are an expert in your field, that's great, but you definitely shouldn't be clever in your text. Stick to the rule - if it is possible not to add special terms, you shouldn't do it. Among your target audience, there may be people who know a little about your product or service and will be very grateful if you explain everything to them politely and clearly. If you can't do without a term, be sure to decipher its meaning or explain it using a real-life example.
You can use professional slang and terms only if your target audience is the same professionals as you. So, if you are thinking about how to correctly write the text for an email newsletter to programmers, you can safely say “bootcamp”, “push” or “bug”. You will be understood and everything will be fine.
You should also avoid cliches, as they make the pakistan business email list letter boring and heavy. Any set expression can be replaced with an excellent and simple one. Instead of “sold out like hotcakes,” you can say “ran out.” And “women” will be a good alternative to “the fair sex.” It seems that long sentence structures and official language will give your words weight. In fact, it’s the other way around — the simpler you speak, the more you attract readers.
For example, you don't want to read the Swedbank review to the end because of the dry and boring wording. As a result, few people find out that at the end the authors talk about a useful tool for calculating the interest rate.
Example of a newsletter from Swedbank
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And you don't want to tear yourself away from the letter from Tinkoff Journal. It is written in a clear, conversational style, with humor and cool everyday examples.
Newsletter from Tinkoff Magazine
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3. The text does not solve the subscriber's problem
Companies often talk about themselves and forget about the readers. But you need to remember that you need to write for people. So instead of telling people that your product is the coolest thing in the world, explain how exactly it will improve a person's life.
For example, if you sell electronic pet feeders, don't write about how unique this product is on the market. Tell customers that they can now easily go on an overnight picnic and not worry about their pets. After all, they can feed them remotely by pressing a button on their smartphone.
4. Too much text
You can place a whole longread in a newsletter, and if it covers the topic well and is written interestingly, it will be read. Large sales emails are tiring. According to Aweber research , emails containing no more than 300 words are read best. It takes about two minutes to read them.
Therefore, be concise and cut out the fluff. Sometimes a clearly described commercial offer and a strong call to action are enough. This is exactly what the online school Bang Bang Education did in its selection of courses on relevant professions. The blocks of material have everything you need - a short description of the value of the classes for students, information about their conduct, date and prices. Nothing extra.
Sales mailing list from Bang Bang Education
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The skill of writing clearly, concisely and understandably will be very useful for creating short messages. You can use different channels to communicate with customers, for example, sending important information to users' smartphones. Here is a good example of an SMS text to attract customers:
Example of SMS mailing
An SMS message can have no more than 70 characters, so you need to say the most important thing in literally one or two sentences. At the same time, you need to be able to not only indicate all the important details (prices, discount sizes, store addresses, promotion conditions), but also motivate the purchase. This seems like a difficult task, but if you practice being concise, you will definitely succeed.
You can also send short notifications or reminders in messengers and mobile applications. It is convenient. Firstly, you do not need to waste time on layout and design of emails. And secondly, the open rate of notifications on these platforms can reach 90%. Here is what an example of text for a WhatsApp mailing might look like:
Example of WhatsApp mailing
Here, everything is built on the same principle - maximum facts, minimum fluff. In order not to irritate recipients, do not spam or bombard them with messages under any circumstances. After all, messengers are a private zone where people communicate with friends. It is also worth refraining from unnecessary emoticons, annoying giveaways and pictures. And send ads and notifications only to those who have agreed to receive them. This way, you will not violate the rules of WhatsApp.
Another social network where it is also worth following the principle “Brevity is the sister of talent” is Instagram. Here you can also share news with users and inform them about important events of the company or brand and just say hello. Text for mailing in Instagram, examples:
Example of a newsletter on Instagram
What is the difference between weak and strong text?
Any reader can intuitively distinguish a good article from a bad one. But if you conduct an analysis, you can identify several important criteria. So, quality material:
Structured and logical.
Written simply and clearly.
Unique.
Literate.
Substantial, without fluff.
Evokes a response.
Holds attention.
Performs its task (educates, entertains, engages, helps with a problem, encourages purchase).
Now we’ll tell you how to write a newsletter text that your readers will definitely like.
Step 1. Determine what we are writing about and for whom
The era of mass emails is over, now it is important to build trusting relationships with clients. Therefore, it is important to understand that among them there are people who are at different stages of the customer journey. Someone has just subscribed, and someone has already placed an order with you and is thinking about the next one. Before you start creating an email, you need to determine what audience it will be designed for and what goal you want to achieve.
Select the type of mailing: marketing or content
Each letter performs a specific task. Depending on the goals, they can be marketing or content-based.
The goal of marketing or sales emails is to make the user choose your product or service, rather than going to competitors. They can talk about promotions, sales, discounts, include product selections and personal recommendations.
Marketing email example from Sephora
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Content messages are necessary to gain the audience's trust and strengthen their loyalty. Here you can publish various useful things, such as reviews, selections, checklists, interesting articles, stories about the team. Any non-commercial content.
Excerpt from the content newsletter from MYTH
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Don't mix marketing and content emails
Each of them is aimed at a specific segment of the target audience and solves its own problem. If you need to attract readers' attention to your product or motivate them to buy, feel free to write a marketing text. And if you need to work on user loyalty, please them with interesting, entertaining or useful content. Don't mix everything in one email.
