Getting your PR email to stand out in a crowded inbox can be challenging enough. But that’s not the only key element to a successful email communication: what you say and how you say it can make or break your campaign.
In our free PR Like A Pro ebook we’ve broken down 10 crucial areas you need to focus on in order to nail your email communications. In the post below we’ll delve into three of those areas — from personalization and segmentation, to the style, size and frequency of your messages, to how to track engagement using email marketing tools. Read on for some key tips, and don’t forget to download the full ebook for more.
PR Email Tips for Successful Communication
Despite the growing number of communication channels being made available, email is still one of the core tools for distributing PR messages. But cutting through the noise requires a level of expertise: after all, the average email open rate across all industries has been measured at just 22 percent, while click-through rate is a portion of that at under 4 percent.
Having a solid email marketing strategy for PR will make all the difference. For that, here are three PR email tips you need to know.
1. Make your reader feel Special
No one likes receiving generic emails filled with content that’s irrelevant to them. To get your contacts on side, you need to make them feel special.
Firstly, personalize your emails — at a minimum by addressing the contact by name. This can not only increase click rate, but also build a more intimate relationship with your audience. Tools like contact management online software or mass email software will be able to automatically insert this information, so it’s not time-consuming for you.
Secondly, use email segmentation to ensure you’re only sending out highly relevant content to each contact. One way is to segment your email database by location. Imagine you’re sending a press release about an upcoming event: you can use your location segment to only notify contacts in the relevant city.
Another way to segment is by contact type. Newsletters to consumers will be completely different from newsletters to media, for example; and within that you might also craft different email content for bloggers as for journalists, since each audience will be interested in different things.
Influencers in particular call for personalized communications, since they tend to operate in a very different space to traditional media. Ensure you’re giving careful thought to how you approach influencer marketing and make your emails highly personalized — either by treating them as their own segment or by using specialized influencer marketing tools.
2. Balance is Key
As with all things in life, balance in key when it comes to email communications. And we mean balance across all facets of your campaign, including:
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Format and layout of emails:
Emails can consist of text, images, and attachments. In short, you don’t want to overdo it on any of these three things.
If you’re creating an email newsletter, try to find a balance between text and images, noting that images should support your message, not carry it entirely. If you send image-only emails, an estimated 60 percent of your contacts won’t see the content because it will be blocked by email providers.
Also note that many people will read your email from a mobile device, so format your messages to fit various screen sizes. Any good email automation tool should have a built-in functionality for this.
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Size of emails:
A sure way to irritate contacts is by clogging up their inbox with huge emails. Images are important to make your campaigns visually appealing, but they should always be optimized for email to keep file sizes down.
Attachments should also be kept to a minimum. If you’re sending out PR assets like campaign imagery or videos, link out to an online storage service instead.
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Frequency of emails:
We all know inboxes are bombarded these days, so avoid bothering people by emailing them too often.
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Email subject line:
This is the first thing your contact will see, so it has to entice them to open your message. But, do avoid crossing the line from being attention-grabbing to being over-the-top. Avoid all-caps and exclamation marks and be concise with your message.
3. Measure, adjust and test again
Following all the rules of good email campaign management is one thing, but you still can’t be sure your hard work is paying off until you test and measure. This also allows you to keep tweaking and adjusting your campaigns to improve your levels of engagement.
There are two main KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) you’ll want to track: open-rate and conversion-rate. These KPIs can be automatically measured using email campaign management software, like Launchmetrics Contacts.
Open-rate is how many contacts actually open your emails. If yours is below average, try re-adjusting your subject lines and email frequency.
Conversion-rate is how many contacts follow through on whatever action you’re trying to drive them towards — like signing up for an event or clicking through to an image gallery. If you find conversion-rates to be low, try tweaking your call to action (maybe it doesn’t stand out or isn’t enticingly worded). Also check that you’re segmenting appropriately and sending out only the most relevant content.
Every campaign and PR email you send should be followed up with a review of analytics data to check these KPIs and strategize adjustments for the future.
Following the above three tips will set you on a fast track to creating a winning PR email strategy. But there’s also plenty more you can do to truly master the art of email marketing. From QR codes to GDPR compliance, download our full PR Like A Pro ebook for more essential tips.
By Launchmetrics Content Team
The Launchmetrics content team is always on the lookout for new trends in the fashion and technology sector. We are geeks with style and lovers of good stories!
