It sounds like a silly question, but it is actually very important to your internet marketing efforts.
Because let’s face it, you get a ton of emails every day. And some are only a few words wide, while others are so wide that you have to scroll to read them. Is there a width that works best for marketing purposes?
Yes! And here’s why …
If the width of the line is too short, the eye has to jump too often. This tires the eye, because it is not used to reading this way. So the reader clicks because it is too tiring to read the email.
However, if the width of the email is too long, the eyes also get tired because they have to read across the entire width of the email, which in some cases clears the space and you have to stick with the scroll bar, then bring it up all the way to the beginning like an old carriage style typewriter.
So either way, you will lose your readers, not to mention the sale.
I suggest a line width of 55-60 characters. In all my years of writing autoresponders and email copies, this has proven to be the most effective width and the easiest to read.
Most text editors allow you to preset the width. If your text editor doesn’t do this, here’s a tricky (and easy) way to do it:
– Open your window in your text editor.
– Go to the upper left corner and type “0123456789”. That is 10 characters.
– Copy that line and paste it back to back with the line you just wrote. You now have 20 characters. Then do it again and you will have 30 characters. Do it again and you will have 40 characters. Do it one more time and you will have 50 characters.
– Now go ahead and write your email. When you reach the end of the 50-character line, you know it’s time to go back.
Here’s another important point on how to write your emails: don’t use fancy fonts. Too often I get emails with pictures and colorful backgrounds with lots of emoticons and other distractions.
As a marketer, you need to send an email that is quick and easy to consume. Stick with sans serif fonts, which have proven easier to read online, or the tried and true Times New Roman.
Avoid cartoon-like fonts like Comic Sans. Save the fluff from your personal emails for your friends. The bells and whistles only distract from the message. Do not go there. Stick with black text on white background.
It is easy to consume and that is what we want.
