Best Email Ever

The Search for the Best Email

EverEric Squair | [email protected] | @ericsquair

mailto:[email protected]

June 11, 2009 | Eric Squair | [email protected]

The Search for the Best Email Ever

Eric Squair



What does it take to create email that works?



What does the Best E-mail Ever (BEE) look like?

?


The Search for the Best Email Ever (BEE)



What do the best emails look like?

Please take a moment and write down a few words or short phrases that describe them.




A story you want to hear...Knows the audience and respects them... Comes from a segmented list... Gets to the inbox... Good subject line... Pretty doesn’t cut it... Conversational... Call to action, Big Shiny Button... Basic storytelling... The product of experimentation and testing...



A story you want to hear.



Knows the audience and respects them.



Comes from a segmented list.



Comes from a segmented list.



Gets to the inbox.



A good subject line.

Less than 50 characters.

After that it’s an art, and you need to practice.



A good subject line.

What's wrong with this picture? (Planned Parenthood)

I agree with George W. Bush (Howard Dean)

Save the CBC (avaaz.org)

5 spots left (Documentary Organization of Canada)

Hey (Obama campaign)



Examples of bad subject lines.

Tell your Senators to vote NO on S. 2191 (Eagle Forum)

Urgent FEC Deadline (Mitch McConnell)

Maryland GOP Calls for end to new poll tax for absentee ballot voters

(Maryland GOP)



Pretty doesn't cut it.



Pretty doesn't cut it.



Conversational tone.



One call to action, Big Shiny Button.



An effective structure

Greeting

Intro sentences (2-3) - (Big Shiny Button off to the right)

Call to action

More info

Call to action (again)

More info

Sign-off and PS



Good storytelling.



Good storytelling.




The product of experimentation and testing.




A story you want to hear...Knows the audience and respects them... Comes from a segmented list... Gets to the inbox... Good subject line... Pretty doesn’t cut it... Conversational... Call to action, Big Shiny Button... Basic storytelling... The product of experimentation and testing...



How do you measure success?

Open rate

Click rate

Completion rate

List growth

All covered in the session tomorrow.....


1. Think of an issue you are working on.

2. Write a subject line, the opening paragraph and the call to action for an email on this issue.




- Subject (50 characters or less)

- 2-3 sentences (grabbing attention)

- CLEAR call to action link




3. Have someone at your table Tweet your subject line with the hash tags #BEE and #STT09

4. The ‘best’ subject lines will be asked to read out their email to the entire group.

5. There are prizes.



Tomorrow:

How do you measure success?

“Is this thing on? Email stats analysis”



Questions? Comments?

[email protected]

Download this presentation:

http://eric.squair.ca

Technology

Best Email Ever