Tune in to Radio WIIFM
When you scan your inbox, what are you thinking? Most likely it’s – WIIFM, or ‘what’s in it for me and that’s what your readers are thinking too. With overflowing inboxes, we need to filter out the irrelevant just to stay afloat.
I once asked a room of business owners how many emails they receive every day. Some said up to 300 – every day! Guess how many they read? Less than half.
Therefore, you need to think carefully about why you are sending an email. Then think about how to capture your reader’s attention. Is your objective to inform, to entertain or to educate? If your answer is -“just to keep them up-to-date” – that might not be enough.
Rather than asking yourself, “What can I tell people about me and my business?”- put yourself in your readers’ shoes and imagine what they need. What problem can I solve for them? What benefit can I give them?
You may think your proposal or offer is enticing and juicy, but how well do you know your reader? How do you know if it’s relevant to them?
You need to make your message engaging and easy for people to grasp. If it’s hard work – they’ll simply hit the delete button.
Good business writing is:
- Direct, succinct, concise and clear.
- Five paragraphs is plenty.
- Include further information as an attachment.
- Make the layout easy to read and use lots of white space, bullet points and keep sentences short.
- One idea per sentence and one topic per paragraph.
What do you want your readers to do at the end of the email? Get up and make a cup of tea or take action on your instructions or offer?
Always close your email with a strong and specific call-to-action with a deadline. E.g. Book a business writing workshop with Theresa Miller by the end of the week!