Find Your Reader
How to Write the Email of Your Dreams
Your reader gave you the keys to their inbox. Don’t just barge in there without a plan.
In audience development, we talk a lot about “meeting the reader where they are.” That means that it’s on you, the creator, to find out where your audience spends a lot of their time (Twitter? Instagram? Scrolling their inbox?) and find creative ways to get your content into those spaces. And (almost) every reader spends a lot of time reading email.
I love email as an audience building tool for the same reasons I love push notifications — we know that people are glued to their phones, so sending messages directly to your reader’s device makes it a lot more likely they’ll see it, and if it’s packaged well, read it. (For more on good packaging, see this megalist of effective headlines.)
On Medium, publications can send newsletters to their readers, and any creator can leverage the subscribe to profile feature to email updates to followers who have opted into their profile. Wherever you’re sending email, below are a few principles to keep in mind to make sure your message stands out in any inbox.
Define your purpose
The more clear and focused your newsletter’s purpose is, the easier it will be for readers to connect with it and share it widely. Here are some prompts to help get you started. Try to brainstorm at least one of these:
- Who would your reader forward this to, and why? Picture them saying: “I love this newsletter. I think you’d like it too if you like _____.”
- What will your reader learn, and why do they need that information?
- What can your newsletter provide that others can’t? Do you have a specific expertise, voice, or following that readers respond to?
- What kind of habit do you want to build? How often does your reader need or want this information?
Once you’ve completed this exercise, you should have the building blocks of your newsletter: who it’s for, what it’s about, how long it should be, and when you’ll send.
A note on timing: Now that we’re on our phones all day, every day, there’s no “magical time” to send an email. But there are times that make sense depending on your purpose. If your newsletter is meant to catch your reader up on the biggest stories, then you should aim to send it early in the morning, before their commute. If your newsletter is a longer, more thoughtful read, you might consider sending it in the evening or on a Saturday morning when readers have a little more downtime.
Always remember that you can test it out! Send it at the same day and time for a few weeks, and then try something completely different for a few weeks. Compare the open rates between both groups (open rate is calculated by seeing how many people who were sent the email opened it), and choose the winner.
Write a great subject line
Just like we need readers to click stories, we need them to open emails — and the subject line functions as the “headline” for your message. When trying to decide how you’ll draw a reader in, think emotion first. Target a distinct emotion in order to make people open: fear, anxiety, excitement, curiosity, anger are all good ones to aim for. More emotions to try here.
Keep it short, clear, and sweet: aim for around 50 characters or less (and frontload the most interesting piece so it’s not cut off in the inbox!). Avoid words like “free,” “promotion,” “deal,” and others that could get your note filtered into promotional or spam folders.
This subject line from Poynter inspires curiosity, and the idea that there are “50 new tools” in here feels exciting and useful — but it better deliver on the promise! (Spoiler: It does)
This subject line from Dana G Smith at Elemental also inspires curiosity — and some anxiety. It’s simple, but effective, and it directly addresses me, the reader, which feels personal and thoughtful.
If you’re struggling to identify a specific emotion, think of it more like eliciting a reaction. This subject line from The 19th* knows its audience — it consistently covers the pay gap, so they can use this more subtle reference to elicit a reaction from readers, likely ones of outrage, frustration, or disbelief.
Make it super scannable
Your email should be easy to read — especially on a tiny phone screen. Break it up into sections, avoid jargon, and bold or italicize for emphasis. (But use that sparingly! People are likely reading on their phones, and too many font changes can be distracting).
If your email is focused on driving back to the site, get to the link right away. Hyperlink in the first paragraph or two before explicitly driving to the link itself.
I love the Forge Daily Tip because it makes use of creative formatting solutions to help the reader through the email. The most important part of each is, of course, the tip — and so the tip is always in big, bold letters at the top. You can see an archive of the emails here.
Develop a relationship with your reader
Stepping into a reader’s inbox is kind of like stepping into their virtual home — they trust you enough to want to hear from you directly, so be mindful of the voice you use when writing. Talk directly to your reader as though they were a friend or trusted colleague.
Another easy relationship builder is participation. Emails are meant to be exchanged between people! Ask them to reply with questions or thoughts, and consider highlighting responses in a future email. OneZero’s Will Oremus does this at the bottom of every email — he asks for tips or feedback, and then provides his contact information, so his reader knows he’s being genuine.
Finally, thank them for reading. Your readers are your most powerful PR tool, and you want them to send these newsletters around their networks.
