How to Write a Marketing Email: 28 Tips for Writing Compelling Email Copy [+ HubSpotter Insights]

Marketing emails are a weird little miracle. You type a handful of words, press “Send,” and suddenly your message is hanging out next to a receipt, a work memo, and an aunt’s forwarded “IMPORTANT!!!” chain email from 2009. No pressure.

The good news: compelling email copy isn’t magic. It’s a set of repeatable choicesabout clarity, relevance, and friction (a.k.a. the stuff that makes readers sigh and close the tab). Below are 28 practical tips, plus “HubSpotter Insights” calloutshow many high-performing teams think about subject lines, preview text, structure, and the all-important one thing you want the reader to do.

Main idea: The best marketing email doesn’t try to win a Pulitzer. It tries to win the next click by being useful, readable, and trustable.

What Makes Marketing Email Copy Work (In Plain English)

When someone opens your email, they’re subconsciously asking three questions:

• Is this for me? (relevance)
• Is this worth my time? (value)
• Is this safe to click? (trust)

Your copy should answer all threefast. That’s why strong emails feel “simple.” They aren’t simplistic. They’re edited.

Before You Write: Strategy That Saves Your Sanity

Tip 1: Pick one primary goal (seriously, one)

Decide the single action you want: read an article, book a demo, claim a discount, reply, upgradewhatever it is. Your copy becomes sharper when it has one destination. If you add three CTAs, your reader often chooses the secret fourth option: “Later” (never).

Tip 2: Choose a specific audience segment, not “everyone”

Email copy improves instantly when you stop writing to the entire list and start writing to a slice of it. Segment by lifecycle stage, behavior, purchase history, location, interests, or engagement level. Different people need different “reasons to click.”

Tip 3: Write to one person you can picture

Not a vague “target audience.” A real-feeling reader: what they’re trying to do today, what they’re worried about, what they’ll ignore. If your email sounds like it was written by “The Marketing Department,” people treat it like a policy update.

Tip 4: Match your message to the buyer’s stage

Awareness-stage emails educate. Consideration-stage emails compare and clarify. Decision-stage emails reduce risk and friction. If your email jumps straight to “BUY NOW” when the reader still needs context, it feels like a marriage proposal on the first date.

Tip 5: Write your value promise in one sentence

Try this formula: “You’ll get [outcome] without [pain], using [specific mechanism].” If you can’t summarize the value in one sentence, your email will wander like a GPS that keeps rerouting.

Tip 6: Outline the structure before you draft

A simple outline keeps you honest:

1. Hook (why this matters now)
2. Value (what they’ll gain)
3. Proof (why believe you)
4. CTA (what to do next)

Win the Inbox: Subject Lines, Preview Text, and Trust Signals

Tip 7: Use a recognizable “From” name

People don’t open emails from strangers. Use a consistent sender name that readers recognize: your brand, a real person at your brand, or a team name that makes sense. Consistency builds familiarity, and familiarity boosts opens.

Tip 8: Avoid “no-reply” when you can

Marketing emails perform better when they feel conversational. If replies are useful (questions, objections, buying signals), let people respond. Even when replies go to a monitored inbox, it signals: “Humans live here.”

Tip 9: Make your subject line a promise, not a riddle

Curiosity is powerful. Confusion is not. A good subject line previews value and nudges the open. A bad subject line tries to cosplay as a fortune cookie.

Try: “A 3-step checklist for faster onboarding”
Avoid: “You won’t believe what happened…”

Tip 10: Keep subject lines shortand front-load the benefit

Many inboxes truncate long subject lines, especially on mobile. Put the payoff early. If the key word is at the end, it might never be seen.

Tip 11: Personalize carefully (and only when it’s accurate)

Personalization can lift engagement when it’s relevant and correctlike using a name, location, plan type, or product category. But if your data is messy, personalization becomes a jump-scare (“Hi {FIRSTNAME}”). Start small and verify your fields.

Tip 12: Use urgency and curiosity ethically

Real deadlines and limited availability are fine. Fake scarcity trains readers to distrust you. If your “ends tonight” sale is still there next Tuesday, you’re teaching your list that your words are decorative.

Tip 13: Treat preview text like a second subject line

Preview text (preheader) is prime real estate. Don’t repeat the subject lineextend it. Add a detail, a benefit, or a micro-CTA.

Example pairing:
Subject: “Your January content plan is ready”
Preview text: “Steal our 4-post template (and plug in your niche).”

Write Copy That Gets Clicked: Body, CTA, and Persuasion

Tip 14: Make the first line instantly relevant

Readers decide in seconds whether to keep going. Open with context that proves the email is for them: what triggered it, what changed, or what problem you’re solving.

Example: “You downloaded our pricing guidehere’s a 2-minute walkthrough to pick the right plan.”

Tip 15: Cut “throat-clearing” intros

“Hope you’re doing well” isn’t evil. It’s just usually not doing any work. If your first sentence doesn’t increase clarity, trust, or momentum, delete it.

Tip 16: Lead with benefits, then support with features

Features are what your product is. Benefits are what your reader gets. Start with outcomes: saved time, fewer errors, more revenue, less stress, better results.

Tip 17: Use “you” more than “we”

Most drafts are a company talking about itself. High-performing emails sound like they’re written for the reader’s world: their goals, their schedule, their constraints.

Tip 18: Get specific (numbers beat adjectives)

“Fast” is vague. “Set it up in 3 minutes” is concrete. Specifics create believabilityand help readers visualize the win.

• “Save time” → “Save 45 minutes per report”
• “Improve results” → “Increase reply rates with 5 tested subject-line angles”

Tip 19: Make it scannable on purpose

Most people scan emails. Help them. Use short paragraphs, bullets, bold highlights, and clear spacing. If your email looks like a legal contract, people will treat it like one: they won’t read it.

Tip 20: Use one primary CTA (and make it obvious)

Your CTA is not a decorationit’s the point. Use one clear button (or link) that matches the promise of the email. Secondary links are fine, but they should support the main path, not compete with it.

Tip 21: Write CTA copy that explains the outcome

“Submit” is a button from 2006. Write CTA text that tells readers what happens next.

• “Get the checklist”
• “Reserve my spot”
• “See plans and pricing”
• “Watch the 2-minute demo”

Tip 22: Reduce friction with micro-clarity

People hesitate when they’re unsure what clicking will do. Add tiny details that reduce anxiety:

• Time: “Takes 60 seconds.”
• Risk: “No credit card required.”
• Format: “PDF + editable template.”
• Escape hatch: “Unsubscribe anytime.”

Tip 23: Add proof in one tight sentence

Trust accelerates decisions. Use a short proof point: a testimonial snippet, a number, a recognizable customer type, or a quick “why this works.” Keep it briefproof should support the pitch, not become the pitch.

Make It Easy to Read (and Impossible to Miss): Formatting, Mobile, Accessibility

Tip 24: Format for thumbsmobile-first always

Most marketing email is opened on phones at least some of the time. Use short lines, generous spacing, and buttons that are easy to tap. Put the core message above the fold, and avoid making readers hunt for the point.

Tip 25: Don’t hide meaning in images

Some clients block images by default. Some readers skim with images off. Some people use screen readers. Your key message should exist as text, not only inside a graphic. Images should supportnot substituteyour copy.

Tip 26: Bake in accessibility basics

Accessible emails are easier for everyone to read. Use strong contrast, descriptive link text (not “click here”), meaningful alt text, and “live text” instead of text baked into images. Accessibility also helps maintain clarity across devices and inboxes.

Stay Out of Spam: Compliance and Deliverability (The Unsexy Stuff That Protects Revenue)

Tip 27: Follow CAN-SPAM essentials and make opt-out painless

If you send commercial email in the U.S., your message must avoid deceptive headers and subject lines, include a clear way to opt out, and include a valid physical postal address. If required for your message type and context, disclose that it’s an ad. And when someone opts out, honor it promptly. (Yes, even if they were “such a good lead.”)

Tip 28: Protect deliverability with authentication + list hygiene + smart unsubscribe

Great copy can’t convert if it never reaches the inbox. Protect your sender reputation with:

• Authentication: Set up SPF and DKIM, and publish DMARC so inbox providers can verify your mail.
• Alignment: Use a consistent From domain that aligns with your authentication setup.
• Easy unsubscribes: Make opting out simple (and for bulk sending, support modern unsubscribe expectations where applicable).
• List hygiene: Don’t buy lists. Remove hard bounces. Re-engage inactive subscribers, then sunset them if they stay cold.

Quick Copy Examples You Can Adapt (Without Sounding Like a Copy Robot)

Example 1: Welcome email (set expectations + earn the next open)

Subject: Welcomehere’s what you’ll get (and what you won’t)
Preview: Two helpful emails a week. No spam. No nonsense.

Hi Jennathanks for signing up.

Here’s what to expect: every Tuesday and Friday, we’ll send practical tips you can use immediately to improve your email copy. Most are 3–5 minutes to read.

• Want templates? You’ll get them.
• Want strategy? You’ll get that too.
• Want 47 emojis in one subject line? You will not get that here.

Start here: our 10-minute “Email Copy Audit” checklist.

Get the checklist

Example 2: Promotional email (benefit + proof + clear CTA)

Subject: Save 20% on the toolkit you’ll use all year
Preview: Includes subject lines, CTA swipe file, and a testing plan.

If your emails are getting opened but not clicked, the problem is usually the “middle”the copy that connects value to action.

Our Email Copy Toolkit gives you:

• 28 proven angles to test
• CTA examples for every funnel stage
• A simple A/B testing worksheet

This week only: 20% off (ends Friday at midnight).

See what’s inside

Example 3: Re-engagement email (honest + low friction)

Subject: Still want these emails?
Preview: One click to stay. One click to leave. No hard feelings.

Quick check-in: do you still want email copy tips from us?

If yes, click below and we’ll keep sending the good stuff.

Yeskeep me subscribed

If not, you can unsubscribe in one click. (We’d rather be helpful than annoying.)

Common Mistakes That Kill Conversions (And the Fix)

• Mistake: Writing like a brochure. Fix: Write like a helpful person with one clear point.
• Mistake: Big claims, tiny details. Fix: Add specifics (time, outcome, proof, next step).
• Mistake: Multiple competing CTAs. Fix: One primary CTA, supported by optional secondary links.
• Mistake: The CTA doesn’t match the subject line. Fix: Make the click deliver the promise.
• Mistake: “Set it and forget it.” Fix: Test, learn, and keep a running swipe file.

of Real-World Experience: What Marketers Learn the Hard Way (So You Don’t Have To)

In practice, the biggest email-copy improvements rarely come from “clever wording.” They come from removing friction and aligning expectations. Teams often discover this after a few humbling sendsusually the kind where the internal reaction is, “Wait… why did nobody click?” followed by silence and the soft sound of someone opening the analytics dashboard like it’s a thriller movie.

One common turning point is when marketers stop treating the subject line as a headline and start treating it as a contract. If the subject promises “3 quick fixes,” the email needs to deliver three quick fixesnot a five-paragraph origin story and a surprise webinar pitch at the bottom. When teams tighten that alignment, engagement tends to lift because readers feel rewarded for opening. The email becomes reliable, and reliability creates repeat opens.

Another frequent lesson: the middle matters. Many emails have a strong subject line and a decent CTA button, but the copy between them is mushy. It’s full of vague benefits (“streamline,” “optimize,” “maximize”) and light on specifics. When teams rewrite the middle to include concrete outcomestime saved, steps reduced, results achievedclicks often improve without changing the offer at all. The offer was fine; the explanation wasn’t.

Segmentation is where “pretty good” becomes “consistently good.” Marketers who send the same email to the entire list often see average results and assume email “doesn’t work for their audience.” Then they split the list into even two groupsnew leads vs. current customers, or engaged vs. inactiveand suddenly the copy can speak to context. The same product can be framed as “get started faster” for new folks and “unlock advanced workflows” for existing users. The email feels personal not because it uses a first name, but because it respects reality.

There’s also the trust tax: every confusing email, spammy subject line, or hard-to-find unsubscribe link charges interest. Over time, inbox providers and humans both react. That’s why teams that treat compliance, authentication, and list hygiene as part of copy performance often win long-term. Deliverability is the invisible foundationwhen it cracks, even your best writing can’t save the campaign.

Finally, experienced teams develop a simple habit: they write, then edit like a reader. They remove the fluff, bold the essentials, and ask, “If I skim this in 6 seconds, do I know what this is and what to do next?” If the answer is no, they revise. That mindsetclarity over clevernessturns email copy from a gamble into a system.

Conclusion: Put These Tips to Work Today

If you only change three things this week, do these: (1) write to one segment, (2) make your subject + preview text tell one coherent story, and (3) use one primary CTA with a clear outcome. Then test one variable at a time and keep improving. Compelling marketing emails aren’t bornthey’re edited, measured, and made.