Why Won’t Your Content Matter if There are Large Blocks of Text in Your Email?
There are several components that must work in harmony in order for an email campaign to reach its full potential. For most of us, finding that harmony begins with our design. Creating a quality design is much more than producing eye candy because copy and content are key parts of the equation as well. While they have the power to carry your message, text is one element that can prevent both of them from making an impact with your readers, especially if it is composed in large blocks.
Readers Despise Large Blocks of Text
Throughout the years, there have been numerous studies conducted on email readability. The vast majority of them show that the average reader will not take the time to read a message that contains large blocks of text. This is true for most readers no matter how well written, informative, or valuable the copy or content may be. It is essentially the reason email marketers are strongly encouraged to break up their copy into longer, more comprehensive paragraphs. Doing so accentuates your content by creating a nice flow and keeping the reader’s attention.
Text Stands Out More Than Graphics
Readability studies also consistently show that when it comes to email, text is actually more of an attention grabber than the graphics used to enhance it. Contrary to what people may believe, the first thing most readers will focus their attention on is not the images, but the words. This is compounded by the high probability that many subscribers will sign up for email campaigns to obtain more information. The point here is that large blocks of text could potentially serve as an instant distraction that devalues the strength of your copy and graphical content.
Large Blocks Turn Brief Text Into Long Copy
It doesn’t take years of research data to figure out that shorter copy typically out performs its longer counterpart. This is something that has been proven both in print and on the web. The problem you often encounter when composing your message in large blocks of text is making it appear longer than it actually is. In reality, your message may be able to be read in a matter of minutes, but to the reader, those huge chunks could make it seem like a mini novel. The simple remedy to this common problem is keeping your sentences and paragraphs short, and to the point. This technique can be just as effective whether you implement it in your email campaigns, or apply it to your website copy.
Avoiding large blocks of text may appear simple enough, but alarmingly low clickthrough and conversion rates reported from email marketers all over the world show that not everyone is up to speed on the best practices. Easy techniques such as formatting your text with bullet points, highlighting important text, and sticking to your objectives are all proven tactics that will help you avoid the large blocks and get the most from your email campaigns.
Nan King, a tech geek and environmentalist at heart, is an advocate of business email marketing strategies that encompass the use of an email marketing company which is permission based.
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