Writing emails can be a huge task for even the more seasoned email marketer. Creating great copy and messages that not only get opened but acted on is crucial for email marketing success.
And while there are a million and one words that seem to ‘trigger’ spam filters, what I wanted to focus on today was more of the format within the emails, rather than listing the 1001 words that MIGHT trigger a spam filter.
Over the past decade I’ve been writing emails for clients as well as my websites and have found obviously that we want to write as if we are talking to an individual, so that right there is the first piece of advice. Like I mentioned in previous blog pot, try to avoid big words and ‘corporate’ talk…But here are a few words you can use to get higher click throughs and some that might scare your readers away…
Words To Include:
Demo – This is great if you are promoting a specific tool or service that your readers can test drive. The word ‘demo’ is an action word that creates curiosity. I love putting this in my copy because there is no risk to the reader. It’s not asking them to ‘pay’ for anything, it’s asking them to try something out…And people LOVE to give things a test drive.
Opportunity – This word has to be used ethically. Without sounding like a pitch man, the word opportunity actually helps your reader see potential in what you are writing about. This pulls at their curiosity and is a very effective word to get action with your emails.
Connect – This should be used in your indoctrination emails (aka the first emails you send to your subscribers) We are always ‘pushing’ emails to people, this word helps PULL people back to us. Connecting with your readers is critical and using the word ‘connect’ helps bridge the communication gap between reader and sender.
Thanks – A simple but very effective words to use. And well, it’s the right thing to do. Remember to always thank your readers for their subscription, their business and their attention. In fact, I would argue that you can’t say ‘Thanks’ enough.
Words To Exclude:
Free – Not only is this one of the most spam filter happy words in history, you can find more creative ways to say ‘free’. Use words like ‘no cost’ or ‘doesn’t cost a dime’…Use some creativity because ‘free’ is just used so much your readers may become blind to it. And oh yeah, like I mentioned, spam filters LOVE to zap emails with ‘free’ pasted in the message. Not always, but it’s becoming harder for this word to be effectively used in your copy.
Confirm – Remember when we recommended that you use ‘Demo’ as a word to use in your emails, this is the opposite of that. Confirm might be a bold action word, but in an email it can look pushy. Remember, we want to PULL people to us not push them away.
Cash – This is another spam filter trigger but also, it just sounds…Kinda scammy! Anything that screams scam usually has something to do with ‘cash’ in the email copy. Avoid this word and while there is nothing wrong with letting your subscribers know that you might be offering them some kind of cash incentive, there are other ways to go about it. Remember, PULL people to you and continue the communication. Perhaps creating curiosity and getting them to connect with you first would be a better plan than throwing ‘cash’ at them right away…
These are just a few of the words we try to include and exclude in the emails we send and believe me, there are thousands of words that seem to trigger spam filters these days.
The best advice is to always talk as if you are talking to ONE person. And when you do that, you seem more human and that’s always the safest way to try to reach your readers.