Writing Good Messages

ANSWRs to your questions about writing effective Emails including subject and author lines, effective wording, "netiquette" considerations, length, and general strategies

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Article: How Can We Create Well-Formatted Emails?

There are many small components that go into crafting a compelling email message. One must always remember that their constituents get multiple, sometimes hundreds of, emails every day, so emphasis must be put on standing out in the crowd. This...

Article: What makes an effective or compelling subject line?

It’s hard to get your email recipient to open your email – there’s just too much email coming in, and too much else to do. But much more important than folks opening your email is that they interact with it, clicking-through to give, signing up, getti...

Article: Is there an ideal length for emails?

The general wisdom about emails is that shorter is better.  With in-boxes at their all-time high in terms of volume, people have taken to scanning email much like they scan web sites, looking for keywords or recognizable items, and often filing things...

Web Link: Ten Steps to a Great Email

Web Link: Increase Your Email Campaign's Power to Persuade

Web Link: Email Etiquette

Web Link: Video in Your Emails

Article: Given lowering open rates, how do nonprofits decide what is effective email?

Briefly, effective email is email that is concise, skimmable, has a well designed subject, header, sidebar, table of contents, and a clear ask. The design should be simple for clear messaging. The use of a template is very helpful. Keep the tone...

Article: Can an email be as convincing as a pamphlet sent via snail mail or are emails seen as being more casual, less pressure?

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Article: How can we build a cult following that avidly reads our emails in the era of "email diets?"

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Article: What's the consensus on offering a "bribe" of some sort to get people to update their contact info and how they'd like to receive email (text vs. html)?

Asking people whether they prefer to receive HTML or text emails is definitely a best practice, and the best way to do this is to ask for any necessary contact information during the initial email sign up. If this is not possible, some organizations...

Article: What are some ways to deal with email fatigue?

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Article: How can we get people to open emails after they have "given up on the publication?"

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Article: How do you get people to step away from their computers and come to events, using email outreach?

How do you get people to step away from their computers and come to events, using email outreach? At Aspiration, we stress that Technology is for building and strengthening relationships; it is not a replacement for the same. With that said, online...

Article: Are there any proven effective methods of email outreach to recruit teens?

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Article: How do I create an email template in an email client?

Email templates are created differently depending upon what type of email application you are using. The general approach is to draft an email as usual for your application then save it as a template. For instructions on specific applications, see...