Marketing tactics change like the weather, but if there's one that's stayed the course, it's email. It's cheap. It's mobile-friendly. Everybody has it. It works.
Not surprisingly, we send a lot of email here at Pixel Union. Whether we're releasing a new product or feature, promoting content from our blog, or announcing changes to a product or policy, it seems there's always an email (or two) to be sent.
In this section, we'll cover the different types of emails we send, as well as the elements that make up each of those emails. Note that this section focuses on marketing emails. If you're looking for Product or Support emails, please refer to those sections.
Basics
Email helps us inform and empower our users. Here are the most common types of content we send by email:
Regular monthly newsletters (AKA State of the Union—you should sign up!)
Cross-promotional emails aimed at increasing our products per user
Alerts about changes to policies or functionality
When writing emails, we abide by the points outlined in the Voice and tone and Language and grammar sections. We also try to keep in mind the general lack of brand context that comes with email (meaning we always remind customers who we are and why they're hearing from us).
Elements of an email
Every email we send is made up of some or all of the following elements. Make sure they're in place before clicking send.
From name and address
For promotional emails (product releases, cross-promotions) and monthly newsletters, we use Pixel Union as our "From" name. The same goes for product emails, except in some cases where we'll use the support lead's name. All marketing emails come from info@pixelunion.net.
Subject line
Subject lines should be compelling and descriptive. Hint at what's inside, but don't give it all away. Choose your words carefully, use title case, and try to keep emoji to a minimum.
Preview text
This is the copy that appears in the inbox before a subscriber opens one of our emails. Use it as a supporting subject line, telling recipients what they can expect once they open the message.
Body copy
Keep your content concise. Remember why you're emailing users and try to connect each paragraph to that. Include links and images when they're helpful.
Call to action
Whether you’re asking people to buy, sign up, read, or respond to something, a clear call to action tells readers what to do next. Use strong, familiar command verbs like "Log in" and "Start trial."
Links
Provide a link whenever referring to something on another page or site. If you're referring to a Pixel Union product, use a website link (unless referring to an app, in which case, link to the Shopify App Store).
Image(s)
We include images in newsletters and some promotional emails. Image dimensions typically mirror blog posts (1700 x 955px) and are supplied by Monika or another designer. Make sure to include alt text for every image.
Footer
All of our campaigns follow CAN-SPAM rules. Our default footer includes our mailing address, unsubscribe link, and links to our primary social media profiles.
Signature
Promotional emails (product releases, cross-promotions) come from Leah (Marketing Coordinator, Pixel Union). Product emails (onboarding, updates) come from Emily or Calvin (Support Lead, Pixel Union), depending if the content is theme or app-related. Newsletters don't include a signature.
Additional considerations
Segmentation
We have tens of thousands of subscribers. From time to time, we have a reason to blast all of them, but more often our message is best suited to a specific user group.
In these cases, we segment. We think carefully about who we want to reach, and we tailor our recipient list to include them and only them.
Once we've created our segment, it's important to adjust the content and language to fit the recipients' needs and knowledge level. For example, users who already use a certain app are more likely to understand the ins and outs than users who haven't.
Testing
It's frighteningly easy to mess up an email campaign. You could make a typo in your subject line. You could send it to the wrong list. You could announce a new product before it's even ready.
For these reasons and more, we test. Start with the Preview mode, then read the content aloud, and finally send it off to your colleagues to see what they can sniff out. Test it on different browsers, test it on mobile, test until you're absolutely sure it's ready—and then test it again.
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