Sending out an email campaign for the first time may seem a bit daunting to businesses who have never engaged in marketing before. But simply following best email marketing tips and practices can help businesses create successful email campaigns that keep readers engaged and eager for more.

Before choosing the design of the email and the content to be included, businesses need to first establish the purpose of the email campaign. It might be to increase traffic to a business’ website or blog, encourage customers to purchase a product, make an appointment or visit a landing page for a special promotion.

Once the goal of the email campaign has been established, here are three tips to creating the content for the email campaign:

Use the 80/20 rule
The principle of the 80/20 rule is that 80 per cent of the content in a business’ email should be purely for educational or informative purposes, while only 20 per cent should be content that promotes the business. Email subscribers are more likely to engage with a campaign that provides information they are interested in. Campaigns that only focus on content that tells readers to purchase products or services may overwhelm or annoy readers, which can result in higher rates of opt-outs and unsubscribes.

Include expectations
Make sure you inform new subscribers exactly what they can expect from receiving your email newsletters when they use the signup form. Don’t forget to include the type of content they will receive, and the frequency in which they will receive it. Setting newsletter expectations early can lower email opt-outs as readers know exactly what they are getting.

Use an irresistible subject line
Many businesses don’t realise that a subject line is one of the most important aspects of an email’s content. Using a compelling or creative subject line will make readers want to read the content. Don’t settle for overused lines like ‘February newsletter;’ use language that will engage readers to read further.