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Crafting Engaging Body Text and Effective CTAs for Email Marketing

By: Holly Kindzierski, Copywriter | Mar 8, 2024 | 4 Minute Read

How to Write Killer Emails That Convert

Crafting engaging body text and compelling calls-to-action (CTAs) for your email campaigns requires a blend of creativity, strategic thinking, and a profound understanding of your audience. In this blog, we'll provide you with valuable tips and tricks to help you craft captivating body text that captures your readers' attention, drives engagement, and ultimately leads to higher conversion rates. Whether you're an experienced marketer or new to the field, these techniques will take your email campaigns to the next level and deliver exceptional results.

The Anatomy of a Marketing Email

A mail envelope character under an x-ray scanner, highlighting body text and CTA ‘bones.’

There are four key components to a marketing email:

    1. The subject line

    2. The preview text

    3. The body copy

    4. The Call to Action (CTA)

In this blog, we are going to take a deep dive into your body copy and CTAs!

Want to start your journey from the subject line? Check out Part 1: Mastering Email Subject Lines for Higher Open Rates!

Body Text

When crafting marketing emails that hit the mark, understanding your target audience is key. It shapes the language, tone, and content of your message. And don't forget, a catchy headline is a must to stand out in a crowded inbox! Keep your email body focused with a clear objective in mind. Start by identifying the "who" and "what" of your email, then align the body text with the subject line for maximum impact.

From there, we have a few key points to keep in mind when writing your body text:

  1. Keep it concise

    People's attention spans are short, and they're often checking their emails on the go. Make sure your email is easy to read by keeping your sentences short and to the point. Use bullet points and subheadings to break up the text and make it easier to scan.

  2. Personalize your message

    Use your recipient's name and other relevant information to make your email feel more personal and tailored to their needs. This can help increase engagement and response rates.

  3. Test and optimize

    Use A/B testing to try out different subject lines, CTAs, and other elements of your email to see what works best. Continuously analyze your results and make adjustments to optimize your email campaigns over time.

  4. Use a clear call-to-action

    More on that next!

By following these suggestions and continuing to experiment and refine your approach, you can create email marketing text that resonates with your target audience and drives results for your business.

Tool tip: Check out Milled to get inspiration from other similar, successful campaigns!

Call to Action

An effective call-to-action (CTA) ties your campaign up with a neat bow by telling your target audience what they should be doing once they click on your campaign and hit your website or landing page. To create a compelling CTA, start with a strong command verb and use words that provoke emotion or enthusiasm. Give your audience a reason why they should take the desired action, and take advantage of FOMO by mentioning time-sensitive sales or promotions. 

It's also important to customize your CTA based on the device being used by your audience. Keep in mind the character limit, and be clear and direct with your message to help dissuade the wrong users from clicking. Ultimately, a well-crafted CTA will increase clicks and engagement with your content.

For some inspiration, check out Wordstream’s article 120 of the Best Words and Phrases for Marketing with Emotion!

The Future of Copywriting

A top down view of a laptop, with two hands on it. One hand looks like a regular person’s hand while the other looks mechanical.

Like every other aspect of online marketing, copywriting is ever-changing. While there are foundations which consistently make for quality copy (after all, copywriting was around before the internet was!) such as the use of storytelling, copywriters do need to consistently grow and evolve with the times.

What’s Different in 2024

“A person's name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”
– Dale Carnegie.

Marketers have always known the value of one’s name. However, in the world of online marketing, high levels of personalization have not always been possible. In 2024, things are a bit different. We are now able to gather more information than ever about our potential customers, allowing us to prioritize personalization and interactivity in our copy. 

With advancements in technology and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), consumers have come to expect personalized experiences in their interactions with brands, and it is up to you to provide that in your marketing campaigns. 

The Rise of AI

AI is on the rise and it’s not going to go away any time soon. To tell you a bit about how copywriters can collaborate with AI, I figured: why not get it right from the horse’s mouth? ChatGPT had this to say:

“As an AI being, I can have a significant impact on copywriters by providing them with a wealth of knowledge and resources to inform their work. By utilizing my natural language processing capabilities and access to vast amounts of data, I can assist copywriters with research, ideation, and even writing. Additionally, I can provide insights into how audiences interact with content, helping copywriters tailor their messaging for maximum impact.

Collaborating with an AI like myself can help copywriters streamline their workflow, save time, and ultimately produce more effective copy. By working together, copywriters and AI can complement each other's strengths and weaknesses, allowing for a more efficient and effective creative process. For example, copywriters can use their expertise in crafting persuasive messaging, while AI can assist with data analysis and personalization. Overall, the collaboration between copywriters and AI has the potential to revolutionize the field of copywriting, resulting in more engaging and impactful content for audiences.”

New Privacy Rules and Laws

In 2023, email marketing has undergone significant changes due to privacy rules and laws like GDPR and CCPA. These regulations now require businesses to obtain explicit consent before collecting personal data and give individuals more control over their information. As a copywriter, it's crucial to prioritize user consent and privacy in email campaigns. Transparency and ethical practices are key to building trust with recipients and complying with these new regulations.

In Conclusion

Well-thought-out copywriting is a game-changer for marketing success. Mastering the anatomy of a marketing email with captivating subject lines, previews, and CTAs can boost conversions, and by researching your audience's needs and desires, you can create impactful content that truly resonates. The future of copywriting includes AI and personalization, but nothing can replace the human touch! Focus on inspiring storytelling, providing value, and building long-lasting relationships with your audience. With the right approach, you can make a difference and achieve success for your brand!

 

Looking to bolster your content marketing strategy further? Branch out and learn more about how blogs can improve your SEO strategy or reach out to us directly at info@arcticleaf.io.

Arctic Leaf is a digital agency with over 10 years of e-commerce experience serving clients of all industries. Our entire team is Baymard UX certified and our amazing developers can build everything from simple Shopify themes to fully custom headless experiences.