Why UX Copywriting Is Key for Email Marketing

UX copywriting is a must for optimal subscriber engagement. In this post, we offer questions to get you thinking from your subscriber’s point of view. We offer ideas for how to apply UX copywriting to different parts of the email. And, finally, we offer a few examples.

As with any of your content, knowing what your customers want and need is essential. This knowledge will shape the content for each part of your email. Start with the following considerations:

Consider the subscriber:

Who’s reading your email?
What background knowledge do they have with your business?
What are their goals?
What are their pain points?

Consider the context:

Where are they physically?
What device are they using?
Are they in a rush?

Consider the flow:

What can they do next?

Consider your business goals:

Ideally, what would you like them to do?

Consider the brand:

How do you want the experience to feel?

(Adapted from Talisa Chang’s article at Medium.com.)

These questions set you up to create relevant content. That is, content that’s relevant for your subscribers and for your business. They also offer opportunities for segmentation and personalization. For example, you can segment your emails by level of familiarity with your business. Or you could segment based on geographic location. Then, create unique email content for each segment.

Each part of the email has a specific job to do. As a result, the answers to your questions above will play out differently in each part of the email.

Subject Line

Your subject line has a lot of work to do. In roughly 40 characters, it must summarize your email. At the same time, it must entice your subscriber to open the email.

How do you entice subscribers? By offering what they want. If subscribers want to know about deals, send them emails about your deals. Put the best deal in the subject line. If they want to know about trends in your industry, send emails about the trends. Again, be sure to communicate that in the subject line.

Preheader

The preheader offers an effective way to follow up on your subject line content. You can use it to feature another deal or highlight another service you offer.

Learn more about writing great subject lines and preheaders here.

Body Copy

Keep it brief, clear, on point, and highlight the most important information. Structure your body copy with headlines and subheads to make it easier to scan. Make calls-to-action clear and visible, so subscribers know what they can do next. Ideally, what they can (and want) to do next will align with what you want them to do.

In general, all copy in your email must be succinct, relevant, and well structured.

Now, let’s take a look at a few examples:

Subject Line: Up To 25% Off Nike, Under Armour & More!

Preheader: Shop These Amazing Deals In-Store & Online!

This email from Dick’s Sporting Goods has body copy that delivers on the subject line. It highlights the most important information with a large font size and the color red. Plus, it has a succinct call-to-action: “shop now.”

Subject Line: Oreos, Cheez-its, chips, dips & more game-time snacks

Preheader: Get ready for the big games. Pick up in store as soon as today.

Walmart keeps its copy succinct yet playful. The email highlights the calls-to-action in blue. The blue highlighting allows the writer to add playfulness to the copy. This playfulness fits with the casual tone of an email geared toward game day.

Subject Line: Introducing Member Inspired Gear + 20% Off Coupons

Preheader: Save on Trail Ready Gear at REI and REI Garage

This REI email offers a good example of structuring copy based on priority. The main call-to-action is in a bright green box. It’s clear and brief. A second call-to-action appears in white and in a smaller font: “Not a member? Join today.”

Subject Line: Patio: up to 30% off. Ends Saturday.

Preheader: Get decked out for less.

Target offers a succinct headline that summarizes the email. Its preheader offers inspiration with a playful pun. The body copy that describes the deal is straightforward and to the point. It highlights important information with bold type. Plus, it inserts a little fun with its call-to-action.

One of the great parts about email is that it’s easy to track. Since it’s easy to track, you can find out what’s working well with your email campaigns. You can use this information to answer the questions above. You’ll also want to use it to optimize your emails for better engagement.

Need a little help crafting UX copy for email? Get it touch with Filament. It’s what we do!

Tagged: email marketing, UX, ux copywriting