Rest, reformat, read aloud and review common errors
By Chris Smith
You spell-checked it, but that story still appeared with a grammar fail or typo. D’oh!… Read the full article
Ann Wylie’s blog of writing tips
Should you use emojis in email subject lines?
What about special characters, all caps?
Oh, those darling emojis: red heart, face with tears of joy, naughty eggplant. Surely they have a use in subject lines for marketing emails.… Read the full article
Create a sense of urgency in email subject lines
It may be the most effective approach
Nobody wants to miss out: Adding a sense of urgency to your subject lines is one of the best ways to get recipients to read your email.… Read the full article
Tips for writing email subject lines
Make them clear, easy to understand
What makes one email campaign generate an amazing 93% open rate, while another languishes at a dismal 0.5%?
Ask the researchers at MailChimp, an email service provider.… Read the full article
How to write clever email subject lines
Try wordplay, humor, creative techniques
Among the most popular subject lines for my e-zine Wylie’s Writing Tips:
Now you see it
The Awwww Factor
Paint the schnauzer
One-sentence stories
Can you read me now?
… Read the full articleHow to write email subject lines that get opened
Target the recipient to boost email analytics
Useful information is among the top three reasons people share information via email or social media, according to research by Chadwick Martin Bailey:
- Because I find it interesting/entertaining (72%)
- Because I think it will be helpful to recipients (58%)
- To get a laugh (58%)
Those findings echo research by three professors at Carnegie Mellon University.… Read the full article
How to write an email preview pane
Give readers a peek at your contents
Eight out of 10 businesspeople and more than half of consumers use preview panes to decide whether to open an email, according to Lyris Technologies.… Read the full article
Use a conversational writing style in press releases
Run the ‘Hey, did you hear?’ test
Having trouble nailing that “business casual” tone you’re aiming for? Try reading your message aloud — after a friendly greeting or phrase:
“Good morning, honey!
… Read the full article6 more conversational writing tips
Use your business casual voice
When my family moved from Tulsa to Houston, my siblings and I picked up the accent pretty quickly. When an aunt visited us from the Midwest, my 5-year-old brother proudly announced:
“I used to talk human, now I talk Texas.”
… Read the full articleHow to create a conversational tone in writing
To write like you talk, read your copy aloud
When Don Murray arrived in the newsroom for his first day on the job as writing coach for the Boston Globe, he turned to his new boss and said: “I can tell you who your three best writers are.”… Read the full article