One of the most important steps of working as a freelancer or even as an employee is to write an email that will undoubtedly grab the reader’s attention. Something we all struggle with, especially in the initial stages of work. From writing an email to a colleague to drafting an email for cold pitching, the art of writing an effective email is something that we need to get familiar with so that we can get what we expect, a response.
We are going to make a very unpopular and controversial statement: getting clicks on the email is very easy.
Setting up a clickbait in the subject line can help you achieve that. However, it definitely should not be the ultimate intention behind writing an email.
A lot of people consider getting a considerable number of clicks on an email as an achievement but not getting a response in return is not going to get you anywhere. And this is exactly where most of us fail.
Here is a step-by-step guide for you to write an email that will not only get opened but even promise a positive response from your prospects.
Step-by-Step Guide to Writing an Effective Email
Without beating around the bush let’s directly dive into the steps that will help you write an email that gets you clients, shall we?
Research Before You Write
This may come as a surprise for a lot of you, the work you put into writing a good email starts way before the actual writing part. Before you let your wordsmith take the charge, your sneaky detective self needs to do some digging.
In simple words, before writing an email to the prospect, you need to do a little research about them so that you can have some information at hand that will be of interest to them. Check out their previous work, see what kind of content they are interested in, who is running the organisation, and who you will be addressing your email to. These are the basics that you shall be covering. Your proposal and email should be closely related to this information.
Subject Line
This one is a no-brainer. Your subject line helps you get the clicks.
Let us add another unpopular opinion, well, it is actually a popular opinion but still, people refuse to accept it.
Setting up a clickbait in the subject line will definitely help you get your email opened but it can and most likely will backfire.
Your subject line should be crisp, short, informative, and related to the message you are trying to send across. Include everything and your subject line will become click-worthy automatically, you don’t have to put any extra thought into that.
Read more: 4 Email Subject Line Formulas That Can Guarantee Success
Get Personal
Right after writing the subject line, you are supposed to greet the person. This has been said multiple times on a myriad of platforms that addressing the receiver by their name is the best option while writing an email. Avoid initiating conversations with openers like “hello dear” and “good morning”.
If you are not sure about the name of the receiver, you can simply use openers like “hey there”. It is as effective and normal to use informal openers like these as those old-school greetings for the day.
Remember It’s an Email and Not an Article
You don’t have to write paragraphs explaining everything about yourself or your intentions behind writing the email in just one email. Include the information that you believe is important and try to make the email as short yet informative and inclusive as possible. The easiest way to do this is by writing short sentences, in an active voice, and avoiding any fluff.
Simple Is Always Better
Writing an effective email does not mean you have to go all fancy and add a thousand emojis, exclamation marks, and different colours and fonts just to grab the receiver’s attention to what you are offering. Keeping it simple and lowkey would do. If necessary, you can bold the information that needs to be highlighted.
Conclude the Email
It is important to conclude the email, especially when you are expecting something out of it. Conclusion works like a CTA several times. Moreover, an abrupt ending to the email leaves the receiver confused with a bunch of questions. They are not going to ask you these questions but simply ignore your email even after reading the whole thing. So, just to avoid getting ignored, make sure you conclude everything in a sentence or two and give the receiver a clear direction as to what they are supposed to do next.
Common Mistakes to Avoid While Writing Your First Email
Even after following the given instructions, there are chances that you may end up making a few mistakes. Here is a list of mistakes that you need to avoid while writing your first email. By the first email, we don’t mean your first-ever email, you might have sent thousands of emails already. It is about sending the very first email to a specific receiver. Your first email is going to set the foundation for you so the pressure is real.
- It is easy to send a general email to everyone but it is always better to avoid doing that. The thing with personalised emails is that they take time but they let the receiver know how serious you are about the work.
- Make sure the subject line is informative and not misleading or all fluff. Let your copywriting skills take the lead here.
- Using gender-specific terms like ‘hey guys’, ‘Mr’, ‘ms’, ‘Mrs’, and ‘he/she’ should be avoided by all means. It’s 2022 and we are familiar with the concept of pronouns. Let’s keep that in mind at all times so that we don’t come out as ignorant or rude when we are addressing an absolute stranger online.
- Instead of ending your emails with words like ‘Faithfull’, ‘please’, and ‘yours sincerely’, keep it simple and professional. It is okay to write informally but the essence of professionalism should always be there. Phrases like ‘best regards’, and ‘take care’ work just fine.
Final Words
Email writing is just a small (yet extremely important) part of the process. It is better to neither take it lightly nor get stuck at it. Businesses and side hustles majorly depend on emails and with email marketing taking a crucial spot in growing a business, the importance of learning the art of writing an effective email intensifies.
If you wish to learn more about email marketing and how to write an email, you can check out the email marketing course at Hustlepost Academy. The course will help you understand everything right from the basics of email marketing to building your own email list which will help you get expertise in email marketing. This can not only help you expand your own side hustle but even start a new side hustle as an email marketing professional.
