How to obtain the necessary skills for writing copy for mobile email marketing
It is one thing to be told, as us commentators on email marketing like to do, that for mobile devices you should try to cut wordage to the bone, and then do it again. However, there’s a certain skill in doing so without confusing readers. If only there was an easily accessible source of examples of top class headline writing.
Take the sub-heading above. Thirteen words to accurately explain the point of the article. Above it we see five words which catch the attention. That’s a fair summary of email marketing headline writing.
The internet provides brilliant examples of headline writing. All you have to do is to log on to the Sun website. We’ll ignore the ones dealing in personal tragedy and opt instead for ‘Band of Old’. It’s a rather poor pun, but it grabs the attention. Who wouldn’t read on?
‘Ell of a Night’ is targeted with precision. Ellie is a combatant from Love Island and the fans would have been drawn to the first word. It will have hit its target audience.
The Times, from the same stable, eschews puns. Monday’s top banner read: ‘Water braggers’. It then mentions the Times2 supplement. Another heading reads: ‘The secrets of Imran’s party years.’
The headings do not tell a story. They merely grab the attention of those glancing at the page, and attempt to get people to read on. This is what you need to do for effective mobile email marketing.
Once you have them you don’t want to lose them.
The pre-header, that bit of copy exposed in most mobile phone email providers, should enlarge on the original heading. If subscribers feel cheated, they’ll close the email.
The sub-heading, equivalent to the pre-header, to Water braggers in The Times reads: ‘Why is everyone drinking so much of it?’ While you might not be grabbed, those with a water bottle on their desk might sneak a peek.
The printed press has brought snappy headlines to a level that we should try to emulate. They’ve made it into an art form. You need to hit their level of expertise.
