Is A Long Email Too Long?
A quiz for you e-marketers out there …
What generates the most click-throughs in an online pitch … like your e-newsletter or email fundraising appeal?
- A bold banner at the top
- A sidebar hotbox with take-action button
- Links in the body copy
According to copywriter Karen Gedney, writing for the Clickz Network, the most response comes from the sidebar button.
But next is a link in the body copy. Which link? One at the end!
Gedney concludes that action-takers read a long time before they are motivated to click.
I would conclude, slightly differently, that some prospects need more convincing than others, so feed them what they need. In the online medium especially, you have the opportunity to adopt a "different strokes for different folks" strategy … easily providing multiple opportunities for response, whenever the impulse strikes (i.e., the sale has been made).
This shouldn’t be too surprising. Think about how important the reply card is in direct mail. Many mail recipients read it first … and respond.
Most importantly, as Gedney admonishes … test, test, test. In email as in mail, don’t assume shorter is better.
Tom
P.S. And as she notes, don’t forget the power of the postscript! Test a link there too.
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