Latest / The Daily Writer / Why Do My Emails Looks This Way?

Transcript

Why Do My Emails Looks This Way? · The Daily Writer

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Hey my friend, thanks for joining me for today's episode.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: Today's episode is going to be a little bit different because this is actually directed toward my email subscribers, not necessarily my podcast listeners, because I'm talking about why my emails look a certain way.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: So hopefully you'll still listen to this episode and enjoy it, although it's really directed toward people who are experiencing this content from the reader's perspective, not the listeners.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: So be that as it may, let's forge ahead and I think you'll still get some value out of this.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: So here's a question for you.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: Have you ever wondered why emails from certain lists look the way that they do?
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I have.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: I subscribe to a lot of different email lists, and I'm always curious about why the creators of those lists or the writers behind them design their emails to look a certain way.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: And even though I'm not a professional designer, I'm really fascinated by the way that certain design choices affect our reading experience.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Now, again, I realize the irony of talking about the look of my emails on this podcast.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: So I do want to say that if you don't currently get my daily emails, shoot me an email at Kent at KentSanders.net and I will happily add you to my email list.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: So if you do subscribe to my emails, you've probably noticed that they look a certain way.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: And so on this episode, I want to break down seven reasons why they look that way.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: And this will give you some insight into my thinking as a writer and a creator.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: And again, if you don't get my emails, shoot me an email and I'm happy to add you to the list.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, I use the Georgia font in my emails because I want it to feel a little bit more literary and readable than a more plain-looking font like Ariel or Helvetica.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if you're not into fonts or design, what I just said in that sentence, probably you're thinking I could care less about fonts, Kent.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Why are you talking about this?
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: But I think that if you're a writer, and if you're listening to this podcast episode, you probably identify as a writer.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: You really should care about fonts because fonts communicate a certain tone and vibe and feel for what that reader is experiencing.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: So I use the Georgia font because it feels a little bit classier to me than just a plain aerial type of email font.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: And by the way, I also use a 16-point font because it's a little bit bigger than normal, and I think it's slightly easier to read than a smaller-looking font.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, I also include a little bit more spacing between lines in my emails than normally you see in emails.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: So there's more breathing room for your eyes.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: I want my emails to feel roomy to your eyes, and I don't want them to feel cluttered or cramped, and that's why I include a little bit more spacing between lines than what you typically see.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: Number three, I do not use bold type anywhere in my emails because I feel that it looks too much like a blog post.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: You know, sometimes in blog posts you see people bolding sentences and words and adding all that kind of stuff.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's great for a blog post, but I don't want my emails to feel like a blog post.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: I want them to feel like a personal email.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: Now, in addition to that, I don't use all caps anywhere in my emails because when people use all caps, it feels like they're screaming or they're shouting through text, even if that's not the writer's intention.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I do use italics from time to time for emphasis, but I try to use that kind of sparingly.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: So no bold, no all caps, but I do use italics from time to time.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: Number four, I don't usually include images in my emails because I want it to truly feel like you're getting an email from a friend, not that you're getting a marketing campaign email.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: Plus, another reason is that images can be kind of a pain in the behind to use with email marketing software.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: I personally use kit.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: Uh used to be called Convert Kit.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: Kit is great, it's fantastic, but I just don't want to mess with images.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: I just want to focus on the text and get my emails out to you and add value that way.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: And the other thing about images is that email apps and you know, desktop apps, apps on your phone, they process images all kinds of different ways.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I just want to make sure my emails look as close to possible as what I intend.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: So I generally just don't include images.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: Number five, I use an email subject line that is hopefully interesting.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: Now you'll have to be the judge as to whether you think the subject lines of my emails, or since you're listening to this via audio, uh, I actually use the same lines for the titles of these podcast episodes as I do for my email subject lines.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: So you'll have to be the judge of whether or not those grab your attention and you think they're interesting.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: Now, what's pretty cool is that my email marketing service, which I mentioned, it's kit, it also allows me to include what's called a preview line, which you have the email subject line, and then you can add a preview line.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: So whenever you see an email in a uh in your email app, the the preview line shows you an extra line.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: And I try to use that as often as I can to add a little bit of interest or intrigue or to ask a question that's related to the email itself.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: Basically, I'm using it as a little bit of an extra punch to try and get the reader to open that email and engage with it.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: Number six, I only include a single link in my emails if I even include a link at all.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: Now, a lot of times when you get emails from lists that you sign up for, they include, you know, several hyperlinks.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I can think of different various lists that I subscribe to where, you know, there there might be as many as a half dozen or even a dozen or more hyperlinks in that email.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: And that's totally fine because they maybe have different goals for their email lists.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: But I want you to take one, I want to include one single call to action in my emails.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want to include a bunch of different links because I think that's confusing for the person who's reading the email because it's like you see all these links and you're thinking, well, what do I click on?
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want to give you five things to click on.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: I want to give you one single thing to click on.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: And oftentimes in my emails, for example, this email today, if you were reading this via email and not podcast, uh, there's actually no link in this email because there's no call to action.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just showing up and trying to add value and interest in this email today, or as the case may be, this podcast.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: And then finally, number seven, in terms of how I design my emails, I write these emails in what I think of as a conversational tone.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: I don't try to be quote unquote writerly.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: I don't try to be too fancy.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: I really try to write like I talk, which is very direct and simple and straightforward.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: That's what works for me.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: You might have a totally different tone, and that's totally fine.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: The main point here is that I've made intentional choices in my email design based on how I want to show up for my reader.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: And if I were to choose three words that describe the tone that I want to convey, I would say they are simple, calm, and organized.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_00: And in fact, I would encourage you to think about what three words you would use to describe the tone of how you want to communicate in your written communication, whether it's emails, books, social media posts, whatever it is.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: The reality is that your design choices probably will be different than mine.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: And that's okay.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, I hope that they are.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, if you have a tone that is excited and maybe a bit hyper and very uh colorful and very out there, you're gonna make totally different design choices than me.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, if that's your personality, you probably should include images in your emails because you want to come across in a very bold and creative and bright uh sort of way.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, that's not my tone.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: I have more of a calm and chill tone.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's why my emails are designed the way that they are.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: The point here is you want to choose a design or a style and stick with it.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_00: And what I find is that many writers never think about how their words appear on a screen or a printed page.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that the way that you present your ideas is just as important as the ideas themselves.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: You have fonts, you have spacing, images, headlines, the tone.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: None of those choices are neutral.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: They all affect how the reader experiences your words.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: So I would be curious what design choices have you made in your emails, blog posts, books, or other communication?
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: I would genuinely love to know.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: I answer all my own emails, and I would love to hear from you.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: You can shoot me a message at Kent at KentSanders.net.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: All right, my friend, that's it for today, and I'll see you next time.