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Even after 30 years, email marketing remains the best way to attract and retain customers. It’s become a major part of my sales process over the last three years but just like every business, there are tips and tricks to make it work best. In this article, I break down my simple email template and the 4 rules for Writing Effective Email Marketing Content. When you can use email marketing and social media marketing together you’ll get the best return on your investment.

How email marketing began

Up until the 1990’s business to consumer, marketing was mostly done by post or the telephone, and both methods were very expensive. With the launch of email, marketers were now given a cost-effective, quick way to reach consumers (writing emails). It was seen as a blast all mass marketing solution; the days or spray and pray email marketing began.


Fast forward 30 years and email marketing is an essential tool for attracting and retaining customers.

With a potential return on investment of up to 4400%, email marketing remains the best way to attract and retain customers.

How to engage your readers

As I share in Episode 50 – email marketing is a key step in my CORE Simplistic Sales Process. It’s a way to push leads through your funnel faster and a way for you to connect on a more personal level in the meantime.

But there is no way around it; email marketing works best when you consistently engage your readers.

You can use email marketing to communicate almost anything – a campaign, sale, product, idea, or to solve a problem. 

The creative possibilities are infinite, but there are some core foundational elements that all great email content shares.

Before you even start creating the content, make sure you’ve thought through these 4 Rules for Writing Effective Email Marketing Content. It’s become my go-to template for writing all of the hundreds of emails I have circulating in my sales process.

If you need help with your CORE Foundation and brand strategy refer to Step One in my Stay in Your Lane Course Roadmap with the Personal Branding Playbook – kristinkorn.com/playbook

4 Rules for Writing Effective Email Marketing Content

So let’s get to The Simple Template For Writing Emails and the 4 Rules for Writing Effective Email Marketing Content.

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1. Set one Content Goal and include an irresistible subject line.

Remember, your audience has to filter through hundreds of emails every day. Before your subscriber ever gets to reading your email you need to make a great first impression so they OPEN your email. You do this by writing a short and snappy subject line. 

I could do a podcast episode entirely on this subject but things to use in your email subject line could be…

  • creating (FOMO) Fear of Missing out,
  • or curiosity,
  • social proof,
  • funny,
  • or personal.

You can add emojis to grab attention but be sure to keep the subject line under 50 characters otherwise, your subject line will be cut off.

Your one Email Topic

When it comes to the topic of your email – ask yourself “What are you trying to accomplish with this email?”

If you don’t have a distinct end goal, your email content is likely to roam all over the place, leaving your readers overwhelmed, unclear, or uninterested. 

When you can limit your content to one goal with one message this will help your reader digest the main point and act quickly. This leads me to the second Rule for Writing Effective Email Marketing Content.

2. Include free advice in every newsletter and include a defined CTA.

Educating your audience is the third and last buying level before someone pulls the trigger and becomes a paying customer. So in this stage, it only makes sense that you communicate your authority. You do this by educating your email subscribers on your method and beliefs.

Breaking apart your method and solution into bite-sized content is the best way to use email marketing in my opinion. 

How to use a CTA in your emails

But we don’t simply want to educate them endlessly for free – we want them to become paying customers. So use a direct (CTA) call to action request so they can “learn more” “get more information” or “buy” a product that will help them further.

Make sure your CTA is easy to find. I aim to include my CTA 3x in every email – usually in two linked in text and one button or clickable photo. I don’t want them to miss the CLICK. Because the click is where I take them to a product or blog post – where I help them through their problem even further and most likely will offer them a paid product or download.

>> Ep 26: 3 Ways To Create A More Impactful Brand Online

3. Write like a human in the second person.

You are human writing to a human – so write like you are talking to them across the table at a coffee shop. Even call them by name once or twice by using the personalization tool in your email platform. 

When you write in the second person using pronouns like “you,” “your,” and “yours,” this instantly puts focus on your reader.

Always be authentic and allow them to get to know you better. I’m not saying to only talk about yourself in the email, but these are YOUR PEOPLE. They raised their hand to get on your list – so give them more than you give your Instagram followers or blog readers.

Asking questions within your content is a great way to start a dialogue. I love getting replies after sending out my weekly emails and will always respond. It’s another way to show you are human and not some marketing robot.

Also, keep in mind that some typos are inevitable – but too many typos and grammar mistakes will make your email copy look unprofessional. The last thing you want to do is distract the reader from what you’re trying to say and the message in your email.

As I mentioned in Episode #20, save yourself the trouble and download a free spelling and grammar tool, such as Grammarly, to get your content checked and corrected automatically.

4. Format your email so it’s visually pleasing.

If your reader opens your email and sees dense paragraphs, they are outta there. So just how I mentioned in Episode 58 that your blog posts need to be broken up into smaller scannable paragraphs – so does your email content.

I love including…

  • a few emojis,
  • small paragraphs,
  • bullet points,
  • bold, italic, and underlined text,
  • and larger sized text for more important lines and links.

Anything that a reader who is quickly scanning my email will find scroll-stopping!

But in the end, keep your email short, sweet, and simple. Your reader is bombarded with content all day long. Get the point in your email’s first paragraph and remind them again in the last P.S. paragraph. This is a trick I use – because I naturally scan emails, and I know I can always find the message in the first and last paragraphs of an email.

So what about images? Should you include them?

I don’t rely on images in my email to convey my message but I do include at least ONE image, quote box, or gif in every email. It’s a powerful way to communicate and a way to bring your personal brand to your audience.

This is especially true when you can share a photo of yourself or your family. When you can add pictures of faces, especially of you and your team, people will subconsciously place more trust in your content.

Your visual should add to or complement your main message.

EP 30: BEHIND THE BRAND: PUTTING YOUR FACE FRONT AND CENTER

PIN THIS IMAGE!

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Recap

So there you have it – 4 Rules for Writing Effective Email Marketing Content.

  1. Set one Content Goal and include an irresistible subject line.
  2. Include free advice in every newsletter and include a defined CTA.
  3. Write like a human in the second person.
  4. Format your email so it’s visually pleasing.

Usable Email Data

In the end, if you can come across as fun, honest, and relatable, your subscribers will be much more likely to engage with your content and remain on your list. There is no perfect formula for writing an email that will get a 100% open rate, but there is something to trial and error and making minor tweaks.

When evaluating your email data, here is some 2019 data to compare yours to.

  • The avg email open rate was 17.80% – this is the percentage of the total number of subscribers who opened an email campaign.
  • The avg click-thru rate was 2.6% – this is the number of subscribers who click on a link or image in your email out of all the total emails you’ve sent.
  • The avg click-to-open rate was 14.30% – this is the percentage of email viewers (those that open an email) who click on a link or image within an email.
  • And lastly, the avg unsubscribe rate was 0.10%  – this is the action a user takes to opt-out of getting any more emails.

Ep 96: Want To Increase Your Email Open Rate? Here Are Four Places To Start.

Help setting up your business email

By talking to hundreds of business owners I know email is one part of their sales process they get hung up with. But I want to help you with that.

So I’ve created an Email List Getting Started Guide for every beginner. This guide includes everything I discussed today in more depth, plus how to set up your email list for your business, with swipe files and examples for emails and subject lines! Yes, over 70 subject lines are included in the guide.

This is not something I normally offer outside of my Passive Paycheck Package: Digital Product Workshop. But for a limited time, you can get your hands on it at kristinkorn.com/emaillist.

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In the End

I’ve fallen head over heels in love with email marketing since launching my original paid branding emails in February of 2017. Since then, I’ve made it a major foundation of my business and now spend time setting up and running email backend for other business owners inside my CORE Brand Marketing Group. 

However, you decide to bring email into your business sales process – just get started.

I’m not saying get off social media as email marketing, and social media marketing aren’t the same and shouldn’t be treated as replacements for each other.  But use them together for the best return on your investment.


Whenever you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:

  1. Build a Continuous Flow of New Clients Using This Simple Profit Pipeline™ – HERE!
  2. Turn Your Chaos Into Clarity in Just 90 Minutes with this One Call – HERE!
  3. Obtain the Support System You Need Inside Our Coaching Group – HERE!
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Since I share awe-inspiring resources and must-have products for business builders like you who want to streamline their business – my content may contain affiliate links for products I use and love. If you take action (i.e. subscribe, make a purchase) after clicking one of these links, I’ll earn a small commission. While it has no effect on your pricing, it’s my responsibility to let you know that an income (however small or large it may be) is made from recommending products I love, use, and share with other awesome people like yourself. With your support, I’m able to commit time to this blog and to each of you on your journey!

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