Let’s get real: Our inboxes are bursting with emails each and every day! If the message you want delivered isn’t standing out in the inbox, it’s getting buried … and that means unread.
Mistake #1: You’re Sending a Novel
Let’s start with some tough love: if your email is as long as a novel, it’s going straight to the trash. Research shows that emails over 150 words cause an immediate shutdown. No one wants to look at an infinitely scrolling field of type. We just don’t have time. They’ll be clicking on that AI summary in a heartbeat instead of reading your words of wisdom.
Stick to one message and one clear call-to-action (CTA). Psychology tells us that you can’t ask a person to make too many decisions. If you do, they just skip to the next task. Thinking requires energy and we are hard-wired to expend the least amount of energy as possible (no matter our caloric intake).
Mistake #2: Your Video is Ghosting
Nobody’s clicking a buried video link. Make your video obvious at first glance.
- Put the word “Video” in the subject line.
- Include a thumbnail image of your smiling face with a play button. People want to hear from you as opposed to someone they don’t know.
- Add “Watch Video Here” below the thumbnail, then hyperlink both the thumbnail and the text below it.
Mistake #3: You’re Pressing “Send” too Soon
I catch 100% of my typos … just after I press send.
Every. Single. Time.
Force yourself to read through your email BEFORE you hit send. Here’s what I’m looking for:
- Links: Test them to ensure they actually work.
- Copy: Typos can undermine your credibility and can create a sentence that just doesn’t make sense.
- Images: Make sure your thumbnails load properly and are sized correctly.
Mistake #4: You’re Sending at the Worst Time
Forget 9:00 a.m. if you want your message read shortly after it is received. The top of the hour is the most popular start time for meetings. Try 8:45 AM or 9:15 AM … those in-between minutes when your reader doesn’t quite have enough time to get something done, so they dive into their inbox. Little tweaks like this can make a big difference between getting read or sliding down the list.
Mistake #5: Your Email Design Doesn’t Stand Out
Let’s talk layout. Sure, you can type up a text-only message. But why not wow them? Use Word to pre-design your email layout, then copy it into Outlook.
Want your email to really shine?
Try creating a branded template. I love BeeFree.io for this. It’s a free design tool that makes your emails look like they came from a pro ESP.
Mistake #6: You’re Ending up in Junk
You took the time to create the email, you certainly don’t want it to end up in junk! If you’re emailing a large list, split it into smaller groups (50-60 emails at a time). Outlook doesn’t love bulk sending. You’ll be a lot less likely to end up flagged as spam if you send in smaller batches!
