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WEB COPYWRITING GETS NONPROFIT EMAILS OPENED AND READ

Say Goodbye to the Trash Folder

Let’s face it, we all open our email with some fear these days. Especially those of us that want to make a change. I find myself signing up for far too many nonprofit advocacy and cause email lists!

 

Copywriting can keep your nonprofit’s emails from being passed over and forgotten. It is especially useful when immediate action is needed. This is the sole purpose of direct response copywriting.

 

Using email wisely is important. If you limit yourself to using it for the most pressing issues then it is more likely to get opened. Reducing your e-newsletters from weekly to monthly can also help.

 

Adding Web Content Copywriting Principles to Email

Getting your email noticed or opened is the number one problem you face. Even the “FROM:” line is critical and may require some tweaking.

 

Your organization’s name should foster trust in your prospect. This, coupled with your subject line, is all that you have to get your email opened.

 

Adding a noun that helps describe the organization as people, like “team,” will make you more familiar. For example, “FROM: The Yes! Magazine Team” instead of “FROM: Yes! Magazine.”

 

Subject Lines That Stand Out

I cannot stress enough the importance of a subject line. It must allude to your emphasized benefit.

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  1. Intrigue is your friend… and so are ellipses. Curiosity is a prospect’s best emotion to tap for hooking them into your email. I talk more about this in my next article.

  2. Ask a question and keep it under 50 characters. “Are Your Emails Getting Opened and Read?” works much better than the longer headline I used for this article.

  3. Never use spammy language, like “free.” Use all capitals and an exclamation point infrequently. Use normal headline capitals for most subject lines.

  4. Use a first name. You can use this coding in many email programs: <firstname$>, Are Your Emails Getting Opened and Read?

  5. If these are appeal emails that are asking for donations, then think of 3 to 5 different subject lines and test to find out which one works best. I guarantee the results will surprise you.

50 characters are difficult to stick to, but if you incorporate these web copywriting ideas more of your emails will get opened.

 

Copywriting Your Headline and Lead Paragraph

Even with your email open, you are racing a limited attention span. Your first line or headline puts your benefits front and center, and your first paragraph summarizes your complete message.

 

For example, “More of your donors will give if you use copywriting principles in your emails,” is a direct lead-in sentence. Or you could frame it as a headline. “Increase Donor’s Giving by Copywriting Your Emails”.

 

Always include a call-to-action in your first paragraph if your message is simple. If you need more space use your lead paragraph to pique the reader’s interest.

 

Simple stories are fun way to keep the curiosity flowing. Devoting time to the lead makes your call-to-action as compelling as possible. Generally, it is better to create concise emails that get to the point.

 

Make it Personal and Emotional

When you are reaching out to your audience, a personal voice that is candid and authentic helps to build trust. Trust is the basis for all your relationships, especially for repeat donors or customers.

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Keeping your tone friendly and informative will lead them to read more if they need to.

But don’t be afraid to use emotion to keep your audience happy to continue reading in the closing. Repeating the call to action reiterates the point, and makes the ending clear and provocative.

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Easy Reading Formatting and Grammar

Breaking up sentences and paragraphs, like I have done in this article, makes it easier to read. Editing out the passive voice also drives the reader forward towards the call-to-action.

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Set your margins wide so your sentence length on the screen is about 60 characters long. Simple things like these can keep the reader from going cross-eyed and closing the email for later (never)!

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There are so many great tips and tricks to increase your readership.  But they are different for each type of web copywriting.

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So get in contact with me and set up your free 20 minute call to see if I am a good fit for your project.

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