If you’re like me, you’re so busy doing your job that you barely have time to get it all done.  So where do you find the time to improve your skills, and pick up on the latest research that can help you improve results?

Here’s a formula that will help you write emails that get better results. You can read and implement it in five minutes – I promise.  And it really does work.

Follow the rules

The three rules to improving email marketing results are simple.

1. Design your email to look like a “quick read”.  If they have to scroll down to see the whole message, or scroll side to side to see graphics on a mobile phone, it doesn’t look easy or quick.
2. Draw your readers in with compelling content.  That means a subject line that grabs attention without being misleading, and a first sentence that is directly relevant to your audience.
3. Make it easy for them to take the action(s) you want.  Don’t put the link at the very top – it’s like proposing marriage on the first date.  And don’t clutter the email with a dozen thumbnail images and half a dozen links.  One or two links are plenty.  One topic per email.

Follow the Space Formula

Limit your email to a single topic.  Within that single-topic email, here’s the space formula that has worked best for me:

• 3 main paragraphs
• Simple, clean design with no more than two images (including your logo)
• 1 paragraph of a single sentence – two paragraphs of different lengths, but no more than four sentences in a paragraph
• Clear, benefits-oriented call to action at the end

Keep your emails to less than 175 words, and your sentence structure simple and clear. If your sentence needs a semi-colon, it’s too complex for an email.

And there you have it – a five-minute make-over for your email copy writing.