Example Style Guide
This is the Writing for Email Marketing page of a Style Guide, provided as an example to illustrate style guide development.
Writing for Email Marketing
Writing for Email Marketing
As devices shrink and the inbox evolves, our oldest tip is still the most important: Only send when you have something to say. the types of content we publish, so you can reference it as needed or browse in order.
Basics
Our email marketing helps empower and inform Example Company clients and users. Here are the most common types of content we might send by email:
- Product and feature announcements
- Tips for getting the most out of existing products and features
- Regular monthly newsletters
- Automated series (Getting Started with Example Company)
- Event invitations
- System alerts about changes to functionality or scheduled maintenance
- Internal newsletters
Guidelines
Emails generally follow the style points outlined in the Voice & Tone and Grammar & Mechanics sections. Here are some additional considerations.
Consider all elements
Every email newsletter is made up of the following elements. Make sure they’re all in place before clicking send:
From name
This is usually the company or team’s name. It identifies the sender in the recipient’s inbox.
Subject line
Keep your subject line descriptive. There’s no perfect length, but some email clients display only the first words. Tell—don’t sell—what’s inside. Subject lines should be in sentence case. (Note that this is different from a headline, which you may want to include in the campaign itself.)
Preheader text
The top line of your campaign appears beside each subject line in the inbox. Provide the info readers need when they’re deciding if they should open.
Body copy
Keep your content concise. Write with a clear purpose, and connect each paragraph to your main idea. Add images when they’re helpful.
Call to action
Make the next step clear. Whether you’re asking people to buy something, read something, share something, or respond to something, offer a clear direction to close your message so readers know what to do next.
Footer
All campaigns follow US CAN-SPAM rules. Include an unsubscribe link, mailing address, and permission reminder in the footer of each newsletter.
Consider your perspective
When sending an email from Example Company, use the 3rd person “we.” When sending an email as an individual, use the 1st person.
Use a hierarchy
Most readers will be scanning your emails or viewing them on a small screen. Put the most important information first.
Include a call to action
Make the reader’s next step obvious, and close each campaign with a call to action. Link to a blog post, event registration, purchase page, or signup page. You can add a button or include a text link in the closing paragraph.
Avoid unnecessary links
More than 50 percent of emails are read on a mobile device. Limit links to the most important resources to focus your call to action and prevent errant taps on smaller screens.
Use alt text
Some email clients disable images by default. Include an alt tag to describe the information in the image for people who aren’t able to see it.
Segment your audience
It’s exciting to send to millions of users at once, but it’s doubtful that every subscriber is interested in every topic. Segment your list to find a particular audience that’s likely to react.
Once you’ve selected an audience, adjust the language to fit their needs.
Test your campaigns
Send yourself a preview email, and test your email in Litmus to see your email in different email clients. Read your campaign out loud to yourself, then send a test to a coworker for a second look.
This guide has been adapted from content originally created by Mailchimp. The content is being reused with Mailchimp’s permission under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Public License.