1. From
To stand out in the inbox, you need to be immediately recognised. The “from” field – both the sender line and the email address – should fulfil this task. What are your choices? It could be the company, the brand or an individual from the company. What you select should correctly reflect the relationship you have with each recipient.
2. Subject line
What you’ve sent before will strongly influence whether you get opened again, but the subject line is at the top of the list for enticing an open this time. Don’t forget to test several subject lines for best results before sending to your entire list.
3. Invite forwarding
If you are seeking to build your database, prominently remind people they are welcome to forward to a friend. Think about placing it next to each article to encourage sharing.
4. Subscribe box
If you are looking to increase the size of the database, don’t neglect this crucial element in your email! It should contain the minimum required fields that allow you to provide the best content for the subscriber. It should include a brief but insightful description, and state the frequency of your mailings.
5. Offer text and HTML versions
People view emails in multiple places these days, and more often on a mobile device. Offer readers a choice of receiving emails in HTML or text, and spend time formatting the text version so that it looks good and entices clicks.
6. Text at the top
Include brief text at the top of your email, above the body of the newsletter, which provides a link to view the email newsletter online. If a subscriber has images off, but clicks to view in a web browser, they’ll see all the text AND images. Also ask list subscribers to add the ‘from’ address to their address book – which will help get your future emails delivered.
7. Contact points
Even if you don’t have a bricks-and-mortar store and only do business online, your subscribers need to know that there is a real business and people behind the information they are receiving. This builds trust in your brand and products. Don’t set up barriers to possible sales – offer as many contact options, beyond email, as possible.
8. Link to home page of your website
While you will most likely have deep links provided with mentions of specific products and services, it’s a good idea to have a general home page link prominently featured for readers who may prefer to visit a different section of your website.
9. Privacy policy
It is both legally required and best practice to tell subscribers how you use any information you collect from them. It is acceptable to have a link to your policy near your subscribe box on both your website and in your newsletter.
10. Unsubscribe
You must legally provide a free and easy way to unsubscribe. This shouldn’t have to be enshrined in law, because smart marketers know it makes sense to let subscribers remove themselves from your mailings. It can have a negative impact on the brand if someone keeps getting emails they don’t want. Avoid creating barriers such as password protection or an email that must be clicked to confirm unsubscribing – removal should be one-click. The only exception to this one-step process is to consider including in the process an optional opportunity for them to give you feedback as to why they unsubscribed.
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