The Optimal Length for an Email

[Spencer Haws]

Okay,

Just looking for a little input here. Does anyone have a guideline for how long or short an email should be? I am referring to an email in an auto responder series.

In my efforts to provide great quality to my list, I tend to send out really long emails. Some are over 1000 words! Is that too long?

Anyway, do you have any recommendations?

Thanks.

[Scott Murdaugh]

Well, to put things in perspective, I got an email from David Deangelo (Eban Pagen) today that clocked in at over 5,000 words...

And he definitely knows what he's doing.

And another one from a very well known marketer that clocked in at a whopping 95 words...

So, the answer is, "it depends."

It depends on what you're doing and why you're doing it... I like Paul Hancox's explanation of how long copy should be, this is a cool post to check out if you haven't... At Last, Here’s The Definitive Formula For The Length Of Your Sales Copy! | CopySnips

Hope that helps.

-Scott

[Spencer Haws]

Originally Posted by scottspfd82

Well, to put things in perspective, I got an email from David Deangelo (Eban Pagen) today that clocked in at over 5,000 words...

And he definitely knows what he's doing.

And another one from a very well known marketer that clocked in at a whopping 95 words...

So, the answer is, "it depends."

It depends on what you're doing and why you're doing it... I like Paul Hancox's explanation of how long copy should be, this is a cool post to check out if you haven't... At Last, Here’s The Definitive Formula For The Length Of Your Sales Copy! | CopySnips

Hope that helps.

-Scott

Thanks for the link! Of course I was hoping for a simple answer, but I will have to chalk this one up to "it depends". Which seems to be the correct answer more often than not.

I think I will just have to take a closer look at what my emails are trying to accomplish...thanks!

[Bill Jeffels]

What I would suggest is get on some e-mail lists and see how the experts do it.

I will second the Eban Pegan, got that one today. Here a few of the ones I get. Frank kern, John Carlton, Bob Bly, Jay Abraham, Daily Health News, Mike Filsaime, Early To Rise and more. But there is one person that I have been studying their e-mails and they are remarkable.

Matt Furey. He is diet and fitness but the subject matter really isn't a issue. Just watch the way he tell's a story. And sucks you in all the way down to the bottom. Amazing.

-Bill

[Jo_Shua]

While I too will say 'it depends'... I do, however, have an outlook for you.

But first I want to second Paul Hancox's post on how long sales copy should be. It goes straight to the heart of the BIG debate, and kills it dead.

Ok, I have a question for you. If you have 7 auto-responder emails to send to your subscribers... and each are 1,000 words or longer, then is it possible to split those emails into 14?

Maybe you could set the emails up in a way where they lead into the next. Thus, keeping the interest of your subscriber. Maybe this will keep them a subscriber longer, and give them a 'perceived' more value -- even though it is the same content just sent over a longer period of time.

But, in the end it will depend on your target audience and what you are trying to do with your audience... So, we come back to the 'it depends'

[dking88]

It really depends on what you are mailing for...

if you are mailing for a free blog post or a paid product.

I have heard that shorter messages work better because they are to the point and they have the link right there which gets a higher click through rate.

[Spencer Haws]

This discussion has actually been very helpful for me. I am taking a deeper look at the real purpose of each email. I have decided that in an effort to provide good value, I may be boring my reader. In my situation, I am considering taking one or two of my emails and making a PDF book out of it. Then I will have it as a "FREE gift" in one of my messages. This will prepare the reader for something more substantial when they download the PDF.

[Mark McClure]

If I'm on someone's mailing list I really admire (like Paul 5-0 Myers) then I usually don't care how long their newsletters are... coz there's always some great writing to enjoy and learn from. Along with a few promotions, which is fine.

For emails in an autoresponder series... I'd say long enough to get the click.
Most of the non-html emails I've written have been between 500 and 1000 words. And that's for B2C non-IM stuff.

In the B2B tech markets I'm tracking, they're all over the place in terms of length and also heavy on html graphics. Lord knows how readers are supposed to figure out what to do with them... other than to file and forget.

Most of the stuff I've seen from Jay White - and I'm a student of his work from the cat copy days onwards - seems to be less than 1000 words and text-based.

Test and track...

[Jo_Shua]

Originally Posted by The Redfox

I am considering taking one or two of my emails and making a PDF book out of it. Then I will have it as a "FREE gift" in one of my messages. This will prepare the reader for something more substantial when they download the PDF.

That sounds like a good idea.

And, you could mention the FREE report on your squeeze page too.

[Traci]

Most of the autoresponder emails I write are between 250 and 500 words. MOST, not all. It really does depend on the reason for the series, what kind of style you're writing in and what you want to get out of each message. The best way to learn more about emails and autoresponders has been mentioned - get on several lists. Read the emails, see which one catch your attention and why.

[Spencer Haws]

Yep, I am starting to think that 250 to 500 is probably a good length. In fact, I am on one list where the author will just write a small portion and then say the rest is on his blog. Then the reader needs to click through to get the rest of the information.

My main purpose is to build a strong relationship with my list. I am hoping to continue to stay in contact with them for years to come.

Originally Posted by Traci

Most of the autoresponder emails I write are between 250 and 500 words. MOST, not all. It really does depend on the reason for the series, what kind of style you're writing in and what you want to get out of each message. The best way to learn more about emails and autoresponders has been mentioned - get on several lists. Read the emails, see which one catch your attention and why.

[uday1583]

i think there is no optimal size of an email. It depends on the subject that you are talking about... but usually any email which is longer or has more than 1000 words for that matter looses the attention of the reader. so it could be in the range of 250 - 300 words and very crispy and to the point is helpful. Thanks

[tbarnby]

I personally refuse to read any email that is longer than one page. If it needs to be longer than that, it should have a link within viewing range of the top. I'm a little obnoxious about this, but I do make purchasing decisions based on email marketing.

[DougHughes]

250-500 words is short and sweet, and to the point. I have an opt-in account and am on the mailing list of nearly every guru (and every other marketer I can find), and in my experience that is an average length.

That said, I personally prefer long well written emails. My two favorites are emails from Troy White and Ben Settle (no, I have no connection to these people). They usually tell a good story and some are longer than others but I would guess that on average they are around 1000 words or so.

I mean really, whatever it takes to get the job done. Based on response from emails I have written I have personally seen better response from shorter emails. If you have a lot to say just bounce them over to you sales/landing page.