By Sean Tinney January 17, 2022

We analyzed emails from the highest advertising specialists to learn how lengthy your electronic mail must be.

Almost each enterprise with an electronic mail advertising technique wonders learn how to write the right electronic mail. They query the size of their emails. (Quick or lengthy?) They marvel how they’ll get extra individuals to open their emails. 

And there isn’t a easy reply to those questions — till now.

With the assistance of AWeber’s information scientist, we analyzed 1,000 emails from 100 of at the moment’s high entrepreneurs. Our purpose? Collect electronic mail advertising statistics that can reply how lengthy an electronic mail must be.

The 100 specialists we analyzed are the most effective of the most effective. Their electronic mail methods have interaction hundreds and drive thousands and thousands in income. A lot of them see exceptional outcomes (like 80% open charges and 30% click-through charges).

The common electronic mail size

Of the 1,000 emails we analyzed, we discovered that emails have 434.48 phrases on common. 434 phrases takes roughly 3.3 minutes to learn.

Why some execs go along with shorter emails

Nevertheless, greater than 50% of the emails we analyzed contained 300 phrases or much less (a 2.3 minute learn time). With individuals receiving extra emails than ever earlier than, it is smart that specialists are sending shorter emails. Electronic mail entrepreneurs want to face out to captivate their readers. Quick emails could be a very good technique for doing so.

Henneke Duistermaat is the founding father of Enchanting Advertising and one of many 100 high entrepreneurs whose emails we analyzed. She typically sends emails with lower than 300 phrases.

“Have you ever ever heard somebody complaining they’re not getting sufficient electronic mail? Everybody’s inbox is overflowing. We’re all time-starved. So, we love succinct messages that assist us make a fast choice: whether or not to answer or not, whether or not to click on by or not”

Henneke Duistermaat is the founding father of Enchanting Advertising

Why some execs ship long-form emails

But, 24.1% of the emails we analyzed contained 601 phrases or extra. And 11.4% of them had greater than 901 phrases, a learn time of roughly 6.9 minutes.

These specialists stand out by sending lengthy emails filled with precious content material, like Ann Handley. Handley is the Chief Content material Officer at Advertising Profs, a advertising training firm, and one of many high 100 entrepreneurs we included in our analysis. 

She sends her e-newsletter TotalAnnarchy by way of AWeber each different Sunday. On common, her newsletters comprise 1,838.5 phrases, which takes roughly 14 minutes to learn.

“It’s not that long-form emails are efficient. Fairly, what’s efficient is emails which have worth for the individuals in your record. I don’t set out each different Sunday with a purpose of writing the longest electronic mail I presumably can. However I do have a purpose of writing an genuine, precious, enjoyable letter to every subscriber on my record. I put my coronary heart and soul into it, and that’s why individuals reply.”

Ann Handley, Chief Content material Officer at Advertising Profs

Matt Kepnes, creator and founding father of journey weblog Nomadic Matt, can be on our record of high entrepreneurs. He sends long-form emails as effectively. On common, they comprise 802 phrases. As a substitute of linking off to posts on his weblog, he contains complete articles inside his emails. These messages see excessive open and click-through charges.

“Folks will learn longer emails if the subject is vital sufficient.”

Matt Kepnes, creator and founding father of journey weblog Nomadic Matt

How to decide on your electronic mail size

So how do you resolve whether or not to ship brief or lengthy emails? 

It relies on your distinctive enterprise targets, in keeping with Andy Crestodina, a high electronic mail marketer and the founding father of web site consulting firm Orbit Media.

“In case your purpose is just consciousness, lengthy or brief is much less vital. If subscribers see it, prefer it, smile, you met the purpose! In case your purpose is visitors, then give the recipient the minimal quantity of knowledge wanted to resolve to click on. The CTR (click-through charge) is all the things and extra textual content simply means extra noise of their inbox.”

Andy Crestodina

A/B Break up Check

Our suggestion is to check. Your electronic mail size technique must be based mostly on information. So carry out an A/B cut up take a look at to see what size electronic mail performs greatest along with your subscribers. 

Electronic mail size tips

So the place do you begin? The one frequent theme we acquired from all our advertising specialists is your electronic mail wants to supply worth to your readers. If you happen to can say the identical factor with much less phrases, then achieve this.

You shouldn’t be too involved about ensuring your emails fall inside a sure phrase depend. Backside line is that if your emails comprise precious content material or presents, your subscribers are going to need to learn your electronic mail regardless of the size.

You might also discover the size of your electronic mail varies by the kind of emails you’re sending. Listed here are three forms of emails and a few tips you possibly can observe:

Electronic mail e-newsletter

Your electronic mail e-newsletter size might find yourself be your longest. Why? As a result of you’ve gotten quite a lot of content material to share. However don’t overshare, your purpose with a e-newsletter must be driving visitors to your web site or touchdown web page.  

The important thing to a very good e-newsletter size is to maintain every part temporary. Take a look at this instance of our weekly e-newsletter. General the e-mail is lengthy, however every part solely has 2 paragraphs every. To learn extra of the content material, you have to click on to our web site.

Promotional electronic mail

I might suggest retaining your promotional electronic mail’s brief. Use photographs and a robust headline to assist talk your provide. Get to your provide shortly.

Right here’s a terrific instance from Grubhub. This electronic mail solely accommodates 3 sentences. They’re attempting to drive an motion based mostly on the picture, unique provide, and name to motion.

Welcome electronic mail

Your welcome electronic mail could possibly be brief or lengthy format, it actually relies on how a lot info you need to share along with your new subscribers.

Listed here are two examples that present each a shorter model and longer model, that each work.

Begin creating your emails at the moment

Right here’s some extra info that may encourage you to put in writing superb emails:

Prepared to begin utilizing this info to ship higher emails? Get began with AWeber Free at the moment.