Writing a great eDM takes effort. You refine your message, choose your visuals, and hit send to a carefully built list, only to watch the results fall flat.
The open rate barely moves.
Clicks? A handful at best.
Before long, the unsubscribe count starts creeping up.
Sound familiar? You’re not alone.
The truth is, most eDMs fail for the same few reasons. It’s rarely the offer itself. More often, it comes down to how the message is presented. The design, the layout, and even the tone of voice can make or break your results.
At Ignite Search, we’ve seen it all. The difference comes down to a few golden rules. Follow these, and your emails won’t just get opened; they’ll get noticed, read, and acted on.
1. Get the Subject Line Right
The subject line is your first impression and often your only opportunity to get them to open your email. Respectively, you have about two seconds to convince someone that your email is worth opening.
The best subject lines are approx. 50 characters long, informative, conversational, and a little curious. They sound like something a real person would say, not a marketing robot. Think of it as an invitation, not a command. Avoid using all caps or foreign characters that don’t belong. Skip the spammy words like “must buy!”, “_% discount on all”, or sign up now”. Readers can spot a hard sell from a mile away, and so can their email domain’s automated spam filter.
First example:
“Must buy [Product Name] now to get the 20% discount! You’d be crazy to miss this!”
Good example:
“[Product Name] sale is on now at [company name]. See the full collection.”
The difference is tone. The first sounds desperate and spammy and can be seen as labelling. The second sounds professional, confident, and helpful. It gives context without shouting.
Think of your subject line as a friendly nudge, not a demand for attention.
If you can, tap into curiosity or emotion. A hint of intrigue or empathy goes a long way. Most importantly, make it relevant to the reader, not about you.
2. Lead with an Emotional Hook
Your opening line decides whether someone keeps reading. It’s that simple. The best strategy applied is to connect with your target audience through common problems in the market and universal truths that they can relate to or have something to say about.
If the first few sentences don’t feel relevant, the rest of your message won’t matter. The opening paragraph should immediately connect with the reader’s experience: their problem, frustration, or goal. It’s not about you; it’s about them.
First example:
“[Product Name] solves all your problems. It’s one of the best on the market. You won’t regret buying this product. It has…”
Second example:
“Managing [type of task] can be challenging; you deal with [common problem #1], battle [common problem #2], and somehow still face [common problem #3]. That’s why we created [Product Name].
Want to know what makes it different?”
The second version makes the reader feel seen. It sets up empathy before introducing the product. This emotional connection is what keeps people reading past the first line.
3. Keep It Tight and Balanced
When it comes to formatting, less is more.
If your email looks long, people assume it’s long and stop reading. Keep your paragraphs short, your sentences focused, and your layout clean. Headings and subheadings should be brief, ideally one or two lines at most, and no more than twice the font size of your body text. Use spacing with intention so your email feels balanced, not crowded or chaotic. Subheadings provide context when it is needed and can act as additional calls to action, though they are not essential.
Good eDMs are easy to scan. The structure guides the reader’s eye from one section to the next without losing their attention. Every word, every line break, and every image should serve a purpose.
When an email looks tidy and balanced, it instantly feels more trustworthy and professional.
4. Use Images with Purpose
Every image in your eDM should earn its place.
Your feature image should either connect to your emotional hook or drive your main call to action. If an image doesn’t clarify, inspire, or direct the reader, it’s just taking up space. Secondary images are fine if they educate or demonstrate, but they shouldn’t clutter your layout.
In many cases, simpler is better. Less is more. A clean email with one strong image and a clear message often performs better than one filled with competing visuals. If the email still makes sense and looks good without a particular image, then it is better to leave it out.
5. Create Clear Calls to Action
A great eDM gives readers something to do next and makes it easy for them to do it.
Every campaign needs at least two or three calls to action. Place one near the top for quick readers, one in the middle (optional) and another near the end for those who need more context. If your email is longer, include a third in the middle while attention is still high.
Each CTA should stand out visually and feel like a natural next step. Use a button, not a plain hyperlink, and pair it with short, encouraging text. For example:
“Looking to add more variety in the kitchen?”
[Button: Sign up to receive weekly recipes.]
Keep the action consistent throughout. Don’t change your message halfway down the page. Readers should always know exactly where to click and why it matters.
6. Get to the Point – FAST
Emails are not essays.
If you can’t make your case in three paragraphs or less, it’s time to tighten your message. People don’t read marketing emails from start to finish; they scan. Make sure the key point stands out quickly and clearly.
Your reader should be able to tell what the email is about in the first few seconds, understand what’s in it for them, and see a call to action before they lose interest. The shorter and clearer your message, the better your results will be.
7. Remember: Design Equals ROI
Most eDMs don’t fail because the offer is weak. They fail because the design makes it hard for the reader to care.
A strong design guides the eye to what you want them to do and what you are offering and builds trust. Clean spacing, well-structured text, and thoughtful visuals keep readers engaged. When your design supports your message, your subscriber will want to keep receiving your emails because they perceive value in them, instead of them being seen as a waste of their time.
At Ignite Search, we create custom eDMs that look good and deliver real results: stronger open rates, higher clicks, and better ROI.
If your emails aren’t performing, it might not be your content at all. It could be the design.
Let’s fix that.
Contact Ignite Search to create eDMs that actually convert.
