The Anatomy of an Email.

One of the most frequently asked questions we get at Litir Marketing is: 'How do I make a good email?'. In this post we'll break down the anatomy of an email into the parts and pieces so you can see how they work together to paint the bigger picture.

Photo by julien Tromeur on Unsplash

An email consists of these parts:

• Sender Name

• Subject Line 

• Preview Text

• Header/Hook

• Body/Offer

• Visuals

• Call to Action

Read on for two real world examples and how the pieces of an email are put into practice.

Sender Name, Subject Line & Preview Text:

Let's take a look at this example from Velo Coffee.

We can learn the following:

Sender Name: Velo is using a custom sender name which is something they've set in their sending platform so that when they arrive in subscriber inboxes they are identified. This is a good step -- the eye scanning the inbox will look to see who sent the message first oftentimes before the Subject Line is considered.

Subject Line: This bolded short text tells the subscriber what the email is about. Velo have chosen to tell their subscribers about a promotion.

Preview Text: This secondary text follows the Subject Line and should be treated as a second place to reference the reason for sending, oftentimes in support of the Subject Line. If you're not using your Preview Text for that you might have a standard phrase to include etc.

**Pro Note: If you don't choose something for this section most inboxes will pull from the top of your email body so use this space to your benefit!

Header/Hook, Body, Visuals & Call To Action (CTA):

Let's take a look at this example from Naked Bakes.

We can learn the following:

Header/Hook: Naked Bakes is promoting their collaboration with the company Tony's Chocolonely and by using the logo immediately they are triggering for subscribers what this email will be about.

Body: Short and sweet Naked Bakes have gone with few short lines of copy emphasizing some key features/benefits of the product to incentivize the subscriber to take action.

Visuals: The purpose of this email is to communicate the delicious collaboration between the two brands. The image Naked Bakes has chosen shows what susbcribers can expect when they purchase one of the cookies -- this sets good expectations and truly can do the work of a 1,000 words.

Call to Action (CTA): There are two actions Naked Bakes wants subscribers to take from this email -- 'Order Now' or 'Visit the Cafe'. Simple and direct! By doing the thinking for the subscriber Naked Bakes are appealing to the desire of the subscriber and therefore driving a result -- either an order, or a visit.

**Pro Tip: An email should rarely have more than one subject or CTA. Keep them short, simple and focused -- if you find yourself having way more to say consider sending a more specific email on that subject, separately.

Summary:

Good emails include a custom sender name, specific subject line, referential preview text, and header/hook, body, visuals and CTA that speak to the focused reason for sending.

Get in Touch:

Have a question about email marketing? Write to us at Liz@litirmarketing.com.