nd yours… is filled with e-mail from people who are trying to trick us into reading their messages. I get mad. That means that even if I wanted what they were selling, I wouldn’t buy from them. Don’t you feel that way?

A huge controversy rages on about the length of e-mail messages. Some experts say long copy sells best. Others believe it bores people to death

E-mail is a wonderful way to reach a large number of people for little cost. But it won’t do you any good if it goes straight into the delete file.

The first thing you have to do is get past all the filters…that means avoiding trigger words, and you’ve no doubt already read plenty about that. My goal is to help you pass the “glance test” and to create a friendly feeling in the minds of your readers.

First the from line: Be honest about who is writing. If the recipients might know your name, use it. If they might know your business name instead, use that. Hiding behind some goofy email address labels you as sneaky and untrustworthy.

Then the subject line: Make it interesting, but true, and make it relevant to your message. Consider your own reactions. When the subject line is clearly an attention getter to make you look at the message…and has nothing to do with the message… doesn’t it make you cranky? It does me!

Take a little information out of your message and turn it into a hook to draw your reader in. If you’re having a sale on widgets, announce it. The people who want a widget will read your message and be glad they got it. The people who don’t want widgets will go away… but they were going anyway.

If you have interesting news about a political or social development, don’t say “news.” Say something interesting like “HR 345 passed! Learn who voted for it.” You have about 40 spaces, so use them!

Every day my mail… and yours… is filled with e-mail from people who are trying to trick us into reading their messages. I get mad. That means that even if I wanted what they were selling, I wouldn’t buy from them. Don’t you feel that way?

A huge controversy rages on about the length of e-mail messages. Some experts say long copy sells best. Others believe it bores people to death

feeling in the minds of your readers.

First the from line: Be honest about who is writing. If the recipients might know your name, use it. If they might know your business name instead, use that. Hiding behind some goofy email address labels you as sneaky and untrustworthy.

Then the subject line: Make it interesting, but true, and make it relevant to your message. Consider your own reactions. When the subject line is clearly an attention getter to make you look at the message…and has nothing to do with the message… doesn’t it make you cranky? It does me!

Take a little information out of your message and turn it into a hook to draw your reader in. If you’re having a sale on widgets, announce it. The people who want a widget will read your message and be glad they got it. The people who don’t want widgets will go away… but they were going anyway.

If you have interesting news about a political or social development, don’t say “news.” Say something interesting like “HR 345 passed! Learn who voted for it.” You have about 40 spaces, so use them!

Every day my mail… and yours… is filled with e-mail from people who are trying to trick us into reading their messages. I get mad. That means that even if I wanted what they were selling, I wouldn’t buy from them. Don’t you feel that way?

A huge controversy rages on about the length of e-mail messages. Some experts say long copy sells best. Others believe it bores people to death

r message. Consider your own reactions. When the subject line is clearly an attention getter to make you look at the message…and has nothing to do with the message… doesn’t it make you cranky? It does me!

Take a little information out of your message and turn it into a hook to draw your reader in. If you’re having a sale on widgets, announce it. The people who want a widget will read your message and be glad they got it. The people who don’t want widgets will go away… but they were going anyway.

If you have interesting news about a political or social development, don’t say “news.” Say something interesting like “HR 345 passed! Learn who voted for it.” You have about 40 spaces, so use them!

Every day my mail… and yours… is filled with e-mail from people who are trying to trick us into reading their messages. I get mad. That means that even if I wanted what they were selling, I wouldn’t buy from them. Don’t you feel that way?

A huge controversy rages on about the length of e-mail messages. Some experts say long copy sells best. Others believe it bores people to death

want a widget will read your message and be glad they got it. The people who don’t want widgets will go away… but they were going anyway.

If you have interesting news about a political or social development, don’t say “news.” Say something interesting like “HR 345 passed! Learn who voted for it.” You have about 40 spaces, so use them!

Every day my mail… and yours… is filled with e-mail from people who are trying to trick us into reading their messages. I get mad. That means that even if I wanted what they were selling, I wouldn’t buy from them. Don’t you feel that way?

A huge controversy rages on about the length of e-mail messages. Some experts say long copy sells best. Others believe it bores people to death

nd yours… is filled with e-mail from people who are trying to trick us into reading their messages. I get mad. That means that even if I wanted what they were selling, I wouldn’t buy from them. Don’t you feel that way?

A huge controversy rages on about the length of e-mail messages. Some experts say long copy sells best. Others believe it bores people to death and so they skip most of it to get to the bottom line. My take on it is that you need to say enough to be clear about the benefits you offer, but then get to the point and tell them what it is! And, I believe that if you’re selling a product you should be up front about the price. Some people assume that if you aren’t telling, then it costs too much.

Pass the second "glance test."

What about the look of the copy? How many times have you started to read an e-mail message and stopped because it was too much work? A long block of copy might work in a book or a magazine article, but on the screen it’s difficult to keep your eyes on the right line when there are too many lines.

Copywriters call it a “grey wall” and it is a wall. It’s a wall between you and your intended readers, because many people simply won’t bother to try.

The answer is short paragraphs with blank lines between them. Break it up, make it easy to scan, and use bullets and sub-heads to draw your readers to the most important points. This practice is just as important in personal correspondence as it is in copy designed to sell. If you want your message read and understood, break it up into bite size pieces.

Finally, there’s advertising. We all know that affiliate links can add to our revenue, but sometimes too much is too much. Some e-mail messages, especially ezines, are so filled with affiliate ads and links that you can hardly find the intended message. D