Author: Kurt Schauer
Are you annoyed that your customers, readers and loyal fans of your company only really respond to a few emails? This may not be due to the content, but to the format. In this article, we show you six tips that you should not ignore when writing emails. They increase the likelihood that you will receive honest, quick replies to your emails – without any extra effort.
Six steps to success
If you follow the tips below, you should notice a significantly higher willingness to respond among recipients in the long term:
1. Brevity and Conciseness
Simple, clear language increases the likelihood of a response. This is the conclusion reached by the developers of the well-known email app Boomerang. The simpler you write, the easier it is for the recipient to understand your message. Emails with a complexity at elementary school level achieve a response rate of 53%, while more complex messages at university level are only answered by 39%. Rows of commas, endless subordinate clauses, convoluted structures: what delights the literature professor at university usually only deters your customers. Permanently streamline your emails and focus on the truly relevant message in your communication.
2. Questions are followed by an answer
Another effective method for more feedback is asking questions. The reader feels actively addressed, which in most cases leads to a higher feedback rate. Emails without questions therefore have a response rate of 40%. With three questions in the text, this value rises to 50%. At the same time, however, you should be able to walk a fine line: If you increase the volume to, for example, eight questions, the rate drops to just 30%. Focus on important, highly relevant questions that are most likely to prompt the customer to respond.
3. The subject line is half the battle
Your customers want to feel directly addressed. The first contact is always via the subject line: if it is empty, the probability of a response drops to only 14%. Only one in seven emails is therefore answered. With one to three words per subject, the rate increases to 37 to 48%. This hits the sweet spot, as even more terms in the subject can be confusing. The response rate decreases again with increasing subject length. However, the lonely frontrunner is the email without a subject, which is why you should under no circumstances consider this option.
4. Emotions appeal to readers
Just as in retail, you sell products and services (and thus your company) not through data and facts, but through emotions. Rouse your readers by using strong adjectives. These can be both positive (great, boundless, breathtaking) and negative (ugly, deceitful, terrible). The main thing is that the customer realizes: „I should read this.“ And you convey this feeling best by evoking emotions. Adhere to the principle of not overdoing it. Emotionally charged emails increase the response rate by up to 15%, but flattery about the „best, most loyal, most fantastic customer“ is quickly recognized as such by your readers.
5. Expert opinions are sought
You may primarily convey facts to the recipients of your emails. Objectively, this is correct, but subjectively, people love personal opinions. So, let these flow into your emails and introduce a touch of subjectivity. Obviously, however, you should make sure to express opinions on less heated topics if possible. Too strong an opinion in the „wrong direction“ from your readers‘ perspective will otherwise cause them to disengage. If you rely on sales and use emails as a marketing tool, you will directly impact your revenues. Therefore, caution and tact are absolutely necessary.
6. Brevity and Conciseness
Brevity dominates not only the sentence format but also the length of the email. Emails between 50 and 125 words have proven to be the most suitable. You can hope for a 50% response rate there. Emails 500 words long only prompt 44% to respond, and from 2,500 words, it’s only 35%. This top spot is shared by very long emails and very short emails: if a document contains only ten words, only 36% of recipients respond. Overall, it is therefore advisable not to exceed the limit of 50 to 200 words.
Do you have questions?
Kurt Schauer
Managing Director
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