Writing for email

19 tips to help you stand out in inboxes.

Email remains one of the most powerful ways to connect with your audience. You have a direct line to your customers, but with that comes responsibility: don't let your words go to waste.

I've been a copywriter for nearly 20 years, and in that time, I've learned that great email copy isn't just about clever writing – it's about strategy, empathy, and accessibility. At DotDigital’s Copywriting Bootcamp in November, I shared 19 tips to help the crowd of marketers, brand owners, and copywriters create emails that cut through the noise and truly resonate.

You can watch the talk on YouTube and here’s the round-up for your reference.

The three pillars of great email

Before getting into tactics, let's set the foundations. Effective email copy should work hard on three fronts:

1.  For you (the strategic bit) – What do you want to achieve as a brand or business?
2.  For them (the engaging bit) – What's in it for the person reading your email?
3.  For everyone (the accessible bit) – How do you ensure no one is left out?

Let's break down each pillar with actionable tips you can use today.

Pillar one: Email for you (strategy)

The main purpose of your email copy is to get the reader where you want them to go. That requires a clear plan.

Tip 1: Decide the destination.

Whether you want readers to buy your product, learn about your new service, book a table, come to your event, or sign in and check a balance, you need to focus on that one action.

Tip 2: Take them on a journey.

Once you know the destination, you can take them on a journey to get there. It doesn't matter what type of email you're sending – abandoned cart, product promo, birthday discount. It doesn't matter the format – a short announcement or deep dive content. Every element should guide readers toward that one call to action to achieve your goal. (Newsletters are slightly different, but the principle still applies.) Keep in mind that one thing you want (need!) your audience to do.

Tip 3: Brand voice as a guide every step of the way.

From subject line to preheader and right through to the microcopy at the bottom, your brand voice should be consistent. Make it clear to your reader that you're talking to them throughout. Your brand voice should be recognisable across all touchpoints, and across all channels.

Pillar Two: Email for them (engagement)

Email copy should make readers feel seen, understood, and ready to act. It's all about taking the data that's available and applying human insights.

Tip 4: Forget what you want to say and focus on what's in it for them.

It's not about you, it's about them. This means going beyond features to the benefit of the benefit – the real human insight that will get them to click.

For example:

• A bigger engine means more power, but the human benefit is the confidence it gives you behind the wheel
• A stronger core means better posture, but what matters is that you carry yourself with pride
• Bigger storage means less clutter, but what you're really selling is more headspace from having a tidy home

Tip 5: Play around and playback the data you have.

Think Spotify Wrapped, but for your brand. Use what you know about individuals to create the most personal experience possible – show you know them and re-engage them in the process. For a deeper dive into what makes wrapped emails work and how to get started, check out the ActionRocket webinar here.

Tip 6: Write as if it's a 1:1 conversation.

Don’t talk at them. Talk to them. The reader should feel part of a conversation with your brand – like an old friend has popped up in their inbox. Write from one human to another. Keep it relevant and personal. It's not a corporate announcement; it should feel like a two-way conversation that maintains the relationship you have.

Tip 7: Spend time on the subject line (and pre-header).

Subject lines and pre-headers deserve half your thinking time. These are the smallest part of your email, but they have enormous work to do. They need to capture attention, address the audience, encourage engagement, and preview what's inside.

Strong examples:

• "Get access 48 hours before anyone else" (urgency and exclusivity)
• "Grid Master coming soon. Tackle the tiles." (building excitement with a preview)
• "Forecast: ice coffee ahead. 100% chance of refreshing cold sips" (playful creativity over straight product announcements)

Tip 8: Pull in what happy customers have said.

Your customers are your greatest resource. They know your brand and how it makes them feel. Pull in their positivity from reviews, forums, or customer research to show people having great experiences with your brand. It's worth its weight in gold.

Tip 9: Get emotional and bring the energy.

The best job in the world (IMHO): you get to have fun with words. Your email should give a sense of the feeling your product or service will deliver. Tell the story of the pain point or the solution.

For example, in a MoneySuperMarket email encouraging customers to find the best deal for their Wi-Fi provider, we illustrated poor networks as "WhyFi" or "CryFi" before introducing "the smartest Wi-Fi" with full signal. It’s not groundbreaking but giving your attention to the details can really strengthen a concept.

Use these techniques:

• Alliteration and rhythm (e.g. "Reap your rewards, return to your grid")
• Varied sentence length – mix long sentences, short sentences, and even one-word sentences for pace and energy.

Tip 10: Make the most of the microcopy.

Surprise and delight in the details like navigation bars and all the legal bits. Even the unsubscribe link at the bottom can make your brand shine and feel friendly and human. As long as it’s not at the expense of clarity and being GDPR compliant with your links. The point is, don't just polish the headlines and body copy – make sure your voice is there all the way through.

Pillar three: Email for everyone (accessibility)

Email copy should remove barriers and make words work for everyone. You don't want to alienate or leave out anyone who could be a valued customer. Accessibility isn't just about disabilities. Clear, inclusive writing builds trust, strengthens brand connection, and makes your content more effective for everyone. Plus, since the EU Accessibility Act came into effect in June, certain accessibility standards are now legal requirements for digital communications.

The good news? Many tips that make emails accessible also make for good copywriting. You can learn more about the EU Accessibility Act with this webinar recording.

Tip 11: Remove all complexity. Write for clarity.

Clarity is kindness. People shouldn't need to work to understand what you want them to know or do.

How to do this:

• One idea per sentence
• Use everyday words, not jargon
• Frontload key information – don't make readers scroll through loads of text to get to what they need
• Avoid unnecessary punctuation – for example: write ‘and’ instead of an ampersand; write ‘or’ instead of a slash; and use dashes, hyphens and exclamation marks sparingly (especially for screen readers)

Tip 12: Keep consistent.

Consistency isn't just about maintaining one voice across all channels and within emails. It also applies to formatting. Structure headlines and body copy the same way throughout. If formatting changes from one section to the next, it can be jarring. Consistency helps flow.

Tip 13: Give context.

Don't assume prior knowledge. Even if you've sent a million messages before, recipients might not have read them. Include key details. Everyone welcomes a recap so we can all get on the same page together.

Tip 14: Structure in a way that helps readers navigate and absorb.

The way you structure your content can really help comprehension. Here are some things to consider:

• Use headings to break up content
• Keep paragraphs short – two to three sentences max
• Use lists for clarity – bullet points and numbered lists work well
• Left-align copy for easier scanning

The goal is to get people to grasp your message as quickly as possible.

Tip 15: Make every link make sense.

"Click here" isn't good enough. To avoid surprises, use words that describe where the link is going – whether it's an inline link to a webpage or your main call-to-action button. And a design tip: it’s best to avoid using colour alone to indicate links in body copy, they must be descriptive links too.

Tip 16: Write for people, not personas.

Check your own bias and be intentionally inclusive. We know that not everyone experiences the world in the same way, so consciously step outside yourself and check that what you're writing will resonate with many different people. At an absolute minimum: avoid gendered, ageist, or culturally biased language. For help with inclusive language and accessible communication, I strongly recommend signing up to the Fighting Talk newsletter by Ettie Bailey-King

Tip 17: Write alt text for images. With context.

Alt text is a short description of a visual element on a website, email or other digital communication. It’s primarily used to give visual context to people using screen readers. And it’s a key part of accessibility requirements.

An image can be described in many different ways – the most important thing is to think about the context of that image within your messaging and email format. For example, if you're featuring a product for a particular calendar event, your alt text should bring out both the product details and the link to the occasion, so screen readers can convey why the image is there.

Tip 18: Check your work. See how it reads.

You've finished writing. But you’re not done quite yet. Try to make time to give it the overnight test – returning to it the next day will give a fresh perspective and it works wonders for clarity. There are a few other ways to stress-test your writing too:

• Read your copy out loud (you'll spot typos and flow issues better than any other way)
• Check with screen readers to make sure it sounds right

• Run readability tools – aiming for a reading age of 9 to 12

Being a good copywriter isn't about how many big words you use. It's about conveying emotion, urgency, and energy with short, powerful words that connect with people. Trust yourself to know better than AI what will resonate with your reader. Go and experiment with using AI as an editor or a sounding board, but don’t use it as a creator. Do the creative work yourself – enjoy playing with words and saying what you want to say in the best way. Then try using AI to help improve readability or to shorten your alt text. It can be a really useful editor. Another example: I used AI to help translate my talk into a structure that would work for this article, mainly because I knew it would be quicker than listening back and transcribing everything. Then I spent time reworking, reviewing and rewriting to make it right.

And because odd-numbered lists usually perform best, here’s one last tip for luck

Tip 19: Go get a cuppa and don't overthink it.

You're human. You make human connections every day. So just trust you can do it with your words.

Get that hot drink. And don't overthink it.

To recap

Great email copy is strategic, empathetic, and accessible. When you keep these three pillars in mind your emails won't just clutter inboxes – they'll resonate, engage, and convert.

Enjoy crafting your brand messages.

Remember: if brands love what they send, the people receiving it will love it too.