The "Gurus" are over using this... are you?

Yeah, I don't like the "guru" type emails... actually I hate them!

Marian

I try not to
complain about
what other
marketers are
doing, but I
must admit I
think this is
annoying. I
usually delete
the message
without reading
it, right after
I unsubscribe.

But, to each their own. I'm sure they know what they are doing. No one copycats in this industry without testing for themselves. Nope.

No
one.
Not
even
a
dummy
like
me.

Ha Ha
That
Is
Really
Funny.
Thanks
For the
laugh!

CT

I'm waiting for somebody to post a series of haikus.

Wait, so the margin is narrow on purpose? The marketers WANT it to look like that?

I don't know what it is but I find that style hard to read. When someone writes a forum post that has shortened lines I rarely read what it says and skip over it to the next post.

Our newsletters go out with narrow margin , we asked our
readers which read more easily for them, and they preferred
narrow margin to full width.

We don't sell anything in the newsletters.

Not so sure about the 3-4 words per line , does start to look
a bit over engineered but certainly reduced width versus full
width can improve readability and seems popular.

It was the no 2 request from one of our lists over "no images"
please.

This style has been used widely in Internet Marketing especially Affiliate Marketing. It's easier to read for me though. And, still it's not about the margin or anything else, it's about the content so it's better to open them and see if they really are selling good ones or not and it's true, most of them have tried what they are promoting so it's all about the right choices.

The fact of the matter is, narrow margins are more pleasing to the eye. This is not a guru's technique (they seldom invent anything) it is a mail order technique. Read a few Ted Nicholas books.

I always assumed they were composing it on an iphone or something, lol. I don't get it either. Maybe the guys doing that use the same system to send out via SMS or something?

I try to make text wrap at about 64 characters (about the same as most paperbacks), but not as small as I've seen a lot of guys do it. I've never heard a reason why on that.

I don't think these emails are for the advanced warrior, who has been around the block so many times he hates the structures. I think it's for the newbie. These short blocked emails appear to be a quick note to the reader. Makes em' feel all special.

Some people do the same with Forum posts - I hate that even more

Will

I like narrow margins but not the super narrow like many marketers are using. I never thought about it too much until this post but as soon as I open it and see the super narrow I autonmatically think "bad sales pitch - delete."

When I compose my AR messages in AWeber, I do a hard return at the end of their default text area (for HTML), and select "Wrap Long Lines" for the text version of the email.

The reson I do it is so that the line doesn't have to scroll horizontally, or wrap in an unexpected way. It also keeps the right marging somewhat regular, not justified, but not wildly uneven either.

For example, have you ever received an email message that
looked something
like this, and then wondered why the heck it happened?
If so, there's a
good chance that the writer
of the message only used a hard return on some lines, and
not on others. Anyway, that's why I
do it that way.

It's for readability, and some level of control over the uniformity of the message. I didn't copy anybody else's techinque, I just did a few test messages to see what looks best.

All the
best,
Michael

You joined his list - if you don't like what he sends you - just unsub.

He's an Internet Marketer who is positioned as a guru and you're 'noticing that he's selling to you'?

Not sure if most people know this...but the suggested "breaks" in Aweber and GetResponse always look like crap on an iPhone or small screen.

You end up getting a really
long line
and then a short one like above
and then
a long one. But you get the idea
right?

Why "narrow"? Aren't those wide margins with narrow text?

kay

Well, if you're on a "guru" list, or any other marketer's list for that matter, you know they're going to be trying to sell you anyway ... even if they say they aren't in that particular email. Don't get me wrong, some of them do indeed offer some very good value for free, but I don't think they'd be calling you "friend" and wanting to "keep up" with you if they didn't need another million dollar payday. (Why do they need so many? ... Makes you wonder about the quality of their lives. -- okay, off topic)

Anyway, if you find yourself annoyed by the narrow column, it probably means you're getting burned out by being relentlessly marketed to. You're also probably tired of them pretending that they aren't marketing to you. They aren't your "friend," and you're not their "cousin," and no matter how nice they might be in real life, those facts resist any schmaltz or schmooze they can lay on. After a certain point, a natural backlash kicks in.

Internet marketers (the successful ones) get the big payoffs, it's true. But due to the nature of the niche, their customer base is probably more jaded than any other market out there. ... It's a good thing they're promising riches and not happy cats or revolutionary knitting techniques. Otherwise they'd be dead.

I've always wrapped my emails at around 65 to 70 characters...

Web pages at about 13pt (not pixel) san-seriff style text for most industries, I try to keep the content at roughly 680 to 780 pixels wide (12 to 14 words per line).

This is what books like "Design to Sell" by Roger C. Parker (Great guy, great read by the way) say about it from a user study and statistical perspective.

Personally, I prefer a shorter line and HATE having to scroll rght/left when reading emails - many of the html emails that I get are too interested in looking "branded" and pretty to even consider how easy it is for me to scan or read their messages.

Frankly, to me... again... just give me good information that I can benefit from and that has value to ME - and I'll read it if you can't spell correctly, if your grammar is poor, if you wrap it every three words or make me click a link to read it all on your blog.

Keep sending me crap with headlines that trick me to open them however - and you can gold plate the message and I'll still unsubscribe from your list.

These days, when I see an email in my inbox, I know right off the bat that it is a sales letter.

Like Andy said, "You subscribed"
At one time someone decided to be clever and stand out.
Then as usually happens his/her idea was copied by the masses.

I actually find the narrow margin emails significantly easier (and faster) to read. Along with all of the mocking posts here.

I used to do this

Then someone private messaged me saying it annoyed them and I stopped. I thought it looked prettier but deep down I think I sub-consciously did it to increase the chances of it getting read.

People love small snippets

I've always wondered about the short lines. I only see them once from any particular sender.

The reason these "gurus" are so successful are BECAUSE of their massive massive email lists. Which they acheived by branding branding branding. Junk like that narrow margin email is them not trying. At all! They don't have to any more. They're like google. Why try when you've got 500k email lists? Without a doubt, good copywright will get you true blue sales, and get people to stay on your email list, and not unsubscribe. Good copywright however, takes effort. There is no way, someone pretending to whisper to you in an email builds and rapport or trust. I guarantee you people don't unsubscribe from Frank Kerns, because he's Frank Kerns, but because they love receiving those hokey emails.

It's easier to read.

I write all my emails and even forum posts with a 'reduced' margin.
I think it's easier to read than if it's full width.

but I don't think column width has anything to do with the sales
copy in the emails..

seems like your real issue is with the hyped up pitching some marketers
do.. well, you're on their list, and you have the freedom to unsubscribe.

Stuart

When I first started writing emails I did it because my old mentor taught me that style back in the good ol days of 2006.

Now, I do it out of habit and I also think it looks better.

But the other reason to do it is because if you write a full blown side to side email you run the risk of the email program having to scroll right to read the text.

That's the main reason I do it now.

There was a time when I started making lines shorter and shorter, but now I manage to write a little further than I used to.

Like all things in direct marketing, a series of split tests will reveal what's best for you.

Here is a more simple reason to consider. Aweber gives you the opportunity to create a html version and a text version of your email. The text version will ask you to create line breaks so screens don't scroll horizontally.

I look at that and think - text version autoresponder.