Most writing in email marketing is terrible.
Experiencing lame email copy can be educational on what not to do and motivate you to aim higher, if anything. But what are some positive techniques used to craft compelling emails?
Here’s one simple but powerful method: AIDA, a time-tested copywriting formula that’s been used in marketing and advertising in all types of media for over a century.
AIDA stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, Action — four building blocks that combine to motivate your readers to your call to action, from making a purchase to reading a blog post to filling out a survey.
The elements of AIDA
Attention
Attention is the key that gets busy people in the door.
People glance at their inbox or notifications and make a split-second decision whether to open an email or not. (You know you do it too!) That’s why the subject line of your email is so pivotal.
So make sure that subject line has some oomph and piques the reader’s curiosity. Think about a line — or word (a succinct “Hey” helped raise $690 million) — will prompt someone to see what’s behind your email’s door.
Now there’s not just one but two most important lines in an email: the subject line and the first line of the email. That first line, which is often the email preheader, shows in the inbox view and affects that split-second decision.
