Break Through the Noise: 10 Ways to Stand Out in a Crowded Inbox
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In today's digital age, email marketing remains a dominant form of communication. Over 347 billion emails are sent and received daily across the globe, a figure projected to keep rising.
With business professionals receiving an average of 121 emails each day, it's no surprise that inboxes are more crowded than ever. For marketers and professionals alike, the challenge has shifted from simply getting into someone’s inbox to standing out once you're there.
Amidst such overwhelming volume, how do you ensure your message doesn't get lost in the digital deluge? The key lies in crafting powerful emails that not only reach the inbox but also demand attention.
In this blog, we'll explore ten strategies to elevate your email communication, ensuring that your messages grab eyes, resonate with recipients, and beat out competitor emails. Whether you're a marketer looking to boost open rates or a professional aiming to strengthen your email communication, these tips will help you cut through the noise and make your emails hard to ignore.
Let's dive in and discover how to transform your email marketing efforts so that you stand out in a cluttered inbox.
Crafting the Perfect Subject Line
One of the best ways to stand out in a crowded inbox is by creating a subject line that:
grabs attention
makes your readers curious
delivers value
shows your personality or voice
Your subscriber should read your subject line and think, I need to open this right now.
In a world of mediocre subject lines, your attention-grabbing subject line will be irresistible to your audience.
I'm not going to expound too much on email subject lines because I wrote an entire blog post on it here. If you're looking for the deepest of deep dives into what makes a subject line click-worthy, I highly suggest you check out my blog article!
Personalization: Making it Unique
Impersonal emails don't perform well because they're...impersonal!
Imagine receiving a birthday card from a friend with no greeting at the top and a generic message that could have been written to anyone. You wouldn't feel appreciated or seen by your friend.
Similarly, email experts know that personalization is one of the core components of an effective email marketing campaign because as humans, we respond well to specificity.
Think of all the products you can personalize: your purse, your clothing, your dog's clothing, your water bottle, etc.
The main point is, we all love things tailored to us.
In your email marketing, you can put personalization:
In your subject line
In the body of your email
Ideally, you should be doing both. Research has shown that putting the subscriber's first name in subject lines boosts open rates across industries from 10-14%.
Writing body copy that speaks directly to your subscriber's needs, geographic location, aforementioned preferences, or job situation will likely result in higher click through rates and conversions because personal, relevant content converts.
To personalize your email copy you can:
Segment your audience based on stated preferences collected from opt-in forms. Keep these lists separate and tailor the content you send for each demographic
Speak to your audience's fears, frustrations, and roadblocks in a way that makes them say, how did she get in my head?!
Use "you" more than "I" in your email copy. Remember, your ideal client is the star of your emails, not you. Keeping your content focused on your client is an effective way to write email content.
Pull from real conversations. If you're not recording your conversations with your clients, it's time to start. Note what they say, especially when it comes to their main pain point. Using actual language your ideal client uses in communication with customers is a powerful method to personalize content.
Write your emails like a blog post, not a conversation. There's a time and place for everything. Professional, emotionally-void language feels stiff in an email campaign, but conveys authority in a blog post. Save the stuffy tone of voice for an article, and instead use casual words like "honestly" and "you know" with your email list.
Compelling Language to Capture Interest
Your primary method of capturing attention in an email is through your copy, or your words. Use them wisely to stand out in an email inbox.
A compelling email contains words that move your ideal client to action by clarifying your offer, portraying a sense of urgency, showing off social proof, or conveying scarcity.
If you want to capture interest, start regularly using gripping language in your email copy.
This website has a list of 108 power words that, in my opinion, are essential in well-crafted email copy.
Persuading your audience and standing out in an inbox starts with using language that convinces and convicts.
Actionable Emails with Clear CTAs
In email marketing, a solid rule of thumb is the rule of one: ONE email with ONE purpose and ONE clear call to action.
If every marketing email campaign you send results in little to no money earned, it might be because your email copy isn't actionable, and your call to action isn't clear.
When I write emails for clients, I craft the entire email with one purpose: to get the reader to scroll to the bottom and click the link. This happens through writing an email that compels your reader to take action.
Some say that in this economy, people aren't spending money. That's just not true. People are spending money, but they're only doing it on things they see as necessities.
The key to more money from email marketing? Start writing your emails in a way that shows your product or offer to be a necessity.
Hone in on your ideal client's problem. Write according to the PAS framework (problem-agitate-solution) or AIDA framework (attention-interest-desire-action) so that your reader feels the problem and can't stand to live with it for one day longer.
At the bottom of your email copy, include one call to action. Keep your email purposeful by building to that CTA the entire time.
Don't keep your audience guessing. Make it crystal clear what you want them to do by including one CTA with a clear action.
Some examples:
"Get instant access"
"Grab the ebook here"
"Snag your spot today"
"Purchase the course now"
Understanding and Targeting Your Audience
Want your emails to stand out? Conduct thorough research on your target audience.
Get to know your ideal client inside and out. Learn their concerns, their mindset blocks, their fears, their successes, and what they feel is holding them back from success.
The better you understand your audience, the more your emails will appeal to them.
Knowing who you're writing to is one of the basics of email marketing. Once you're inside your clients head, they'll be eager to read what you send because they'll know that you relate to their problems and provide timely solutions.
Once you figure out how you're going to write to your ideal client, you've got to target them. This means finding them where they already are.
If I want to see a lion in the wild, I'm not going to Wyoming. I'm going to Kenya or Tanzania because I know that's where lions are naturally found.
To improve your email performance, find your ideal client where they spend time. Are you targeted Gen Z? Hop on TikTok. Gen X? Facebook is the move.
The better you can target and get inside the mind of your ideal client, the more likely they'll be to open and respond to your marketing campaign emails.
Formatting for Readability and Interest
When writing emails, there are two rules to capture and hold attention:
Vary your sentence length
Keep your paragraphs short.
Sentence Length
If you read an entire email full of only short sentences, or long sentences, it would seem off to you because it would be off.
The natural flow of a conversation includes short and long sentences. Compelling email content does the same.
After you finish writing an email, read it back and read it aloud. Does it have a flow to it? Does it sound like how a person might talk in real life? That's the vibe you're going for.
Paragraph Length
Forget what you learned in high school English class.
A sentence can stand on it's own as a paragraph in email copy. This is crucial to creating emails people want to read.
No one has time for your big block of text. It looks intimidating. It's not scrollable or bingeable.
Every experienced email marketer knows that short paragraphs are one of the secrets to keep a reader scrolling until the bottom.
Mini paragraphs are important whether you're writing a lengthy email or a short one.
My advice is to keep your paragraphs between 1-3 sentences.
Save your longer paragraphs for your blog.
Strategic Timing of Email Sends
The time of day you send your email matters. The research says as much.
If you're a B2B business, studies show that sending emails mid-morning will yield the highest open rates for you.
If you're a B2C business, you should wait until the evening or weekend to send your messages so they'll read.
Sending emails at strategic times is a powerful email marketing tool. In some instances, it could affect your open rates by 10-15%, or more.
At the same time (and I really need you to hear this), timing doesn't matter if you don't already have all the other components of a strong email.
You can send all your emails at 10am, but if you're not personalizing, understanding your target audience, or crafting amazing subject lines, it won't matter.
Some businesses send promotional messages whenever they want and still have exceptional conversion rates because their content is strong.
Timing is something to consider, but shouldn't be relied upon too much.
Engaging Previews
Don't sleep on previews!
Though subject lines are the main draw in an inbox, previews can also play a role in convincing your ideal client to read your email content.
Preview texts should be related to your subject line, giving an additional snippet of information. They should give the potential reader even more of a reason to read your email.
Let's say you're a service providers who improves systems for business owners. Your subject line might be, "Five ways to improve systems in your business." To add more curiosity, the preview text could be, "I'm laying out what took me nine years to discover." As a potential reader, that would draw me in quickly! I would want to know about all the knowledge you accumulated over nearly a decade.
Another example: Let's say you're a coach who teaches photographers how to start and grow their own business. A subject line for you might be, "What I wish I knew before I started my photography business". A perfectly paired preview text could be, "This mistake cost me $9000. Read to find out what it was, and how to avoid it" I'd click that link so fast!
Mobile Optimization for Email Success
Today, most emails are read on mobile phones. A high quality email isn't just written well; it's formatted well for mobile reading.
When was the last time you made sure that your email was didn't look wonky on phones? If it's been a while, it's time to make that a regular practice.
Readers regularly open emails they know will show up well on their phones.
Optimizing for success on phones looks like writing short paragraphs, using well-placed and correctly-sized photos, and leaving out crazy graphics.
For mobile formatting, less is more!
Tone and Voice: Aligning with Brand Persona
Just like a baby know's his mother's voice, your email subscribers should know your voice. Your brand voice, that is.
If your brand is your business's reputation, your brand voice is the way it talks. It's the distinct tone, personality, and language your business uses in communication.
Establishing a recognizable brand voice is part an effective email marketing strategy because it will set you apart from the crowd.
Honestly, most emails I receive have little to no personality. There's nothing distinguishable about them.
The emails I love to open are ones that have subject lines which reflect the personality of the brand or business owner. I live for a subject line that's snarky, funny, or controversial.
Leaning into your brand voice in your email marketing communication will skyrocket your conversion rates, click through rates, and open rates. Your readers will come to love your unique tone, whether it's warm, playful, authoritative, or something else.
To know if your brand voice is strong, ask yourself: if your name wasn't attached to your emails, would your audience still know it's you?
If the answer is no, it's time to start incorporating your voice into your copy.
A great place to start is by answering this question: When my audience reads my emails, I want them to feel __________.
A strong brand identity in your email marketing is essential, so give this point some good thought!
Conclusion
It's possible to stand out in a crowded inbox, but not without a solid email marketing strategy.
If you feel overwhelmed with everything you feel like you need to do, start with one strategy in this post. Once you feel you've implemented it well, integrate another.
Play around with these strategies, testing and identifying what is most effective for your audience.
Feel free to reach out to me if you have questions!
