How To Avoid Cringe-Worthy Content in Professional Emails
What does a cringe-y email look like?
Dear Mr. Ali,
Are you ready to shoot for the effing stars with your next email campaign?
While your competitors are struggling to send successful emails, I can have you increasing conversions and saving tons of money in no time.
But this is hush-hush because only our favorite ones get this deal - it's the best you've ever seen.
Cheers,
X
Yikes.
Emails like this do actually go out.
Let's break it down:
Subject lines. While I didn't show a subject line for this, it's definitely essential. I know you want to be crafty and catchy, but save those for marketing emails. Trust me. Make it straightforward and clear what the email is about.
Avoid overly informal language. If there's an award for worse openers, this would be deserving. I get that casual and quirky is in, but it doesn't crack or close deals. So avoid slang words and informal, casual language that is between friends.
Get to the point. Say why you're reaching out and avoid unnecessary rambling. Brevity is essential when it comes to emails.
CTA if you need it. Encourage the reader to take the desired action. Your CTA should be clear and concise and include a link to a website, a button to download a file, or a specific instruction such as, "Contact me with any questions." It's also essential to provide the recipient with a timeline for when you prefer the action to be taken.
Sign off. It's always good to end an email with a polite sign-off, but sometimes the standard 'regards' or 'sincerely' can come off as too generic or boring. Find what resonates with the email. For example, 'with appreciation' or 'wishing you all the best.'