We're back with more expert email advice!

If you joined us for our inaugural Email Advice from A Friend, you'll have a fair idea of what today's email is about.

For our new community members, welcome!

This special edition is a once-monthly insight from close friends of Email Expert Africa, and today we have the massive privilege of featuring expert writer, Matt Thomas.

Matt’s been a professional writer for 13 years. He’s worked as a technical writer, copywriter, editor, and content creator.

It would be a shame not to share his wisdom, so we've invited Matt to teach us how to write better emails, and we know you're going to learn something today.
 

So, buckle up, start your mental engines, and get ready to learn more about writing email copy that gets your emails over the finish line first 🏁

Racing Lines to Subject Lines: 5 track-tested strategies to accelerate your emails

Few environments are as fiercely contested as the crucible of motorsport.

Since its earliest days, racing has been the ultimate proving ground for man and machine.

Teams and drivers relentlessly push the limits of mechanical failure and human endurance, striving for any edge over equally determined rivals.

You might not be trading paint with your peers as an email marketer. But your subscribers’ inbox is an arena as competitive as any racetrack!

Your audience faces a crowded field of senders vying daily for their attention.

So, what separates emails that get opened from ones that get overlooked?

Writing!

It’s the engine that engages your audience, powers your message, and drives action.

Today, I’ll share 5 track-tested strategies to:

• Rev up your writing
   
• Accelerate your emails’ performance
   
• Finish first in the battle for readers’ time, attention, and money

Let’s put the pedal to the metal...

OPTIMIZE FOR PURPOSE

A race car is a purpose-built machine designed around one goal – crossing the finish line first.

Like a dedicated track car, high-octane writing focuses on a single, clearly defined purpose.

Savvy writers optimize their words for peak performance, the same way a racing team adjusts their car based on track conditions.

Choose one objective for your email (education, promotion, conversion), then align every aspect accordingly.

This singular focus boosts your writing’s:

• Engagement: Capture attention, keep them reading
   
• Clarity: Easier for readers to process
   
• Precision: Hone your message
   
• Persuasion: Compel your audience to take action

Like a finely tuned race car, your email copy performs best when optimized for a specific purpose and context.

A Formula 1 car will dominate any other machine on a tarmac track. But you can’t expect the same performance if you take it off-road

BE PRECISE
 

A dedicated race car feels effortless to drive – sharp, agile, and finely balanced. Precision writing feels just as easy to read.

Compelling copy has a natural rhythm that flows smoothly from word to word, sentence to sentence. It remains dynamic in transition – capable of fluidly changing direction, like a driver gliding from corner to corner.

Effective emails, like a race car, are the result of deliberate planning and precise design.

High-performance writers meticulously engineer every aspect of their message, including:

• Crafting an irresistible subject line
   
• Maintaining a consistent brand voice and tone
   
• Using precise, memorable language that stands out in a crowded inbox

From the starting grid (subject line) to the finish line (call to action), every email should be a well-oiled machine tuned for peak performance

FUNCTIONAL OVER FRIVOLOUS

The cramped cockpit of a race car is a uniquely uncomfortable place.

No A/C.

No sound deadening.

No creature comforts.

One narrow bucket seat to hold the driver firmly in place under extreme g-forces.

And if you’re behind the wheel when nature calls, good luck with that.

But there's a stark, functional beauty to a race car's uncompromising nature.

Race teams will pore over a car to shave off every ounce of extra weight.

Writers must be just as ruthless and unflinching trimming every last scrap of fat from their words.

Every line in an email should have a clear purpose, just as every component on a race car has a specific, dedicated function.

Besides, the discomfort of a race car's interior is nothing compared to the pain of reading bloated, self-indulgent copy!

CAPTURE ATTENTION

So far, we’ve focused on a race car’s more austere qualities.

Spartan. Functional. Purposeful.

But we aren’t talking about a joyless, dull commuter.

We’re talking about a race car!

Race cars are fast and loud, and motor racing is a sport based on spectacle.

Aerodynamic bodywork, shrieking engines, and vivid colour schemes are all designed to grab attention and evoke emotion.

Copywriters use similar tactics to catch readers’ eyes in a crowded inbox.

Of course, your words should entice readers with an intriguing subject line, a strong lead, and precise, compelling language.

But dynamic copy is more than just words!

Just as a team’s signature racing livery makes them stand out at the track, effective emails incorporate visual elements like:

• Graphics and imagery
   
• Distinctive colour schemes
   
• Clear, descriptive headings
   
• Bold formatting and typography

Because 'boring' is a description that should never apply to a race car - or your emails

RELENTLESS REFINEMENT

At the highest levels of motorsport, victory and defeat are separated by the narrowest margins.

Teams search tirelessly for any edge, no matter how slight.

They’ll spend hours, even days, analyzing data and tweaking every part of the car to eke out mere tenths of a second.

A race car is a dynamic machine constantly being tested, refined, and adjusted based on data-driven insights.

Treat your emails the same way!

Identify what performs best by subjecting your email copy to continuous analysis, testing, and improvement.

Minimize any trace of friction. A/B test subject lines.

Establish a clear visual hierarchy that makes your emails easy for readers to scan, navigate, or take action.

Whether battling for the top spot on the track or in the inbox, relentless refinement is the foundation of high-performance racing and writing.

1. Optimize for Purpose

2. Be Precise

3. Functional > Frivolous

4. Capture Attention

5. Relentless Refinement

Apply these 5 race-ready strategies to rev up your writing, accelerate your emails, and leave your competition in the dust!

If you enjoyed Matt’s insights on writing better, you’ll love his email newsletter!

The first issue drops next Thursday, September 21st. Sign up by hitting this link or by clicking on the button below.

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