I love checklists!
It's not fashionable to admit, but when you are running multi-step marketing campaigns across different channels, you can't beat a good checklist. It's satisfying to tick off each action, knowing you've left no stone unturned.
Checklists for email
Email is incredibly flexible - you can run surveys, stories, video links and even a games campaign from them. But that same flexibility can get you into trouble. There's so much to think about! Different time zones, different platforms, whether images are on or off and what you need to include to get people to buy. That's before you consider your legal obligations or whether people can see your email on a small screen in dim light.
Hence, this checklist.
I've identified 24 key points that outline the essential steps to create an ethical and polished email. It's not just about good practice. It's also about profit. I want to make your emails so effortless to open and read that your audience's next click is automatic.
Part 1: The Audience
This sounds obvious - until it's not. The best way to get results is to know exactly who you are targeting. Sending out an email to a segment of your list instead of the whole thing can increase your results by 30%. Knowing who to include (and exclude) for your message will make all the difference to your outcome.
You also need to build trust, and with 100+ emails a day going into the inbox, that means being consistent, both with your from address and naming convention. The same applies to your logo. Even if the rest of your email is plain text, have something visual at the top to set your business apart.
Part 2: The Content
Your content starts (and ends) with your subject line. That's your real estate, like a newspaper headline. If you can't get people to open, the rest of your message is wasted. For repeatable, profitable email campaigns, your thought process should be:
Who's my audience? (segment or list) > What do I need them to do? (call to action) > How do I earn their attention? (from line & subject line).
Part 3: The View
This is where it gets technical! The aim is to keep your email easy to read under any condition. Your audience could be reading it on phones in a dimly-lit room whilst half-watching TV, or skimming emails at the airport. They may have a visual impairment, or ask Google Gemini to read aloud a summary. Use my checklist to look good and communicate well, no matter where your email is opened.
Part 4: The Legal Requirements
By law, every email needs an unsubscribe button and a way for people to contact the company or trader, if they need to. Legal compliance varies by industry and country - for example, if you are based in the UK, advertising loans, you need to comply with the Financial Services Authority conditions. The same applies to promotional marketing if you are running a prize draw or competition - these are regulated by the Advertising Standards Authority. Taking a moment to check your legal obligations is good business sense.
Part 5: Profit Moments
This is the icing on the cake - the nudge factor that turns your emails into sales. Here, the aim is to ensure you fully connect with your audience, both in the email and afterwards. For most service-based businesses, the key is in repetition; people need to hear from you in several different ways and learn you are reliable and trustworthy before they let you in. So, if you do nothing else, answer this question: what's your follow-up?
Get my checklist for your next campaign or get in touch if you'd like my help.
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