You likely spend a lot of time drafting and sending emails. So naturally, you want people to read them, and not only that, but take some kind of action. 

If you’re struggling with email click-throughs at your association or chamber, take a look at these three copywriting MUSTS:

1. Make it about them

Whoever it is you’re drafting an email for, whether it’s your members, prospects, board of directors, etc., make the copy (and the “why”) about them. 

For example, instead of saying…

“The results of our 2020 market study are in! Check out the results here.”

Try saying…

“Interested in learning what your peers’ top challenges and goals are for the remainder of 2020? Check out our market study results to see how you/your organization compare(s).”

Both statements are essentially communicating the same message, but do you see how the first statement is more about your organization (“The results of our 2020 market study…”), whereas the second statement is more about the reader (“[Are you] Interested in learning what your peers’...”). 

The trick to this is to try to use more “you” language as opposed to the “we” language in your email copy. The reader wants to know what’s in it for them.

2. Keep it short and scannable

A majority of people scan emails — and there’s no way of getting around that. They want to determine quickly, “Am I interested in this or not?” 

So a copywriting must is to keep your emails short and scannable. Get to the point quickly. Keep your paragraphs short (two to three sentences). Utilize bulleted and numbered lists. 

Remember, you can always explain more on a landing page or in a follow-up email. The goal here is to simply grab their attention so they take the next step (even if that next step is just to learn more).  

3. Focus on one primary goal (One call-to-action)

There are exceptions to this (newsletters being one), but in general, it’s best to hone in on one call-to-action per email as opposed to several. 

When you ask people to do several things (register for this webinar, read this new blog post on the same topic, check out last month’s webinar here…), even though your intentions are good, the chances of the reader then doing anything lessen, especially the one thing you REALLY want them to do (register for the webinar, in the example above). 

It is okay to repeat your call-to-action throughout your email copy (once at the beginning and once at the end, for example), but just try to keep it the same call-to-action. 

Want more tips for effectively marketing your association or chamber, whether that’s through email, your website, social media, or even word of mouth? Check out our free guide below for a handful of best practices! 

By Callie Walker, Senior Inbound Marketing Specialist at MemberClicks