CEO Advice Resources

Why No One Reads Your Emails + How to Fix It

Why No One Reads Your Emails + How to Fix It

This blog post is going to change the way you send pitch emails forever. If you are lucky you will have caught the post in time to make it to the NET 30 webinar on how to sell wholesale. Enticing, yes? Read on.

I know you.

You are a brand owner looking to increase sales. I meet people like you everyday. You spend a lot of time developing your product, executing on marketing, and worrying about making more sales. If you are in the business of writing pitch emails (emails to retail buyers, press, influencers and editors) then you know how frustrating it can be to spend a lot of time on getting everything perfect, writing you pitch email, then closing your eyes and pressing send. That moment you press send you have sent your pitch into the world and you want validation. You want the buyers to write you back and the editors to come a ringing. But, 99% of the time you send these emails you get crickets. Why is that? Why is no one opening? Then panic sets in, does no one like the product? Is it the pictures? What about the price?

The top 3 reasons why no one reads your emails are:

    1. Poor Subject Headers
    2. Too Long
    3. Too General

The Fixes

You need to change your mindset + take action to create an email that warrants an open or a response. Ask yourself before you write your next email, why should anyone care about what i am writing? How is this relevant to them? How am I helping them? Once you master the confidence your reader (buyer, editor, press, influencer, customer) will respond accordingly.

  • Poor subject headers: Be casual and confident. I cannot stress enough the power of not overselling in your subject header. Headers like New Brand: “FW 17″ or S/S 18 RTW” is too general and to be honest will generate stress by your audience. Try something more approachable like “Hi”. You will be surprised at how many people actually open this. It’s usually a near 90% open rate every time.
  • Too long: If you email is too lengthy no one will read it. We are used to skimming! You should bullet point, italicize and bold key words and phrases you want to emphasize. You should also get clear on exactly you want them to do. Do you want someone to write you back? Set up appointment? Maybe you want to prep them for your follow up email or phone call. Get clear on what you want to say, why its relevant and what you want them to do. Try to do this all in 3 paragraphs.
  • Too general: How many times do you get an email that has nothing to do with you? That is called bad marketing. Don’t do that to the people you are trying to pitch to! Personalize each email and please don’t use Mailchimp or another auto-responder to send out mass emails when you are trying to create a personal connection. Make sure you nail the following: name, company, why you are a good fit for them specifically, what is interesting about your brand that they would find interesting.

Curious on how to track your opens? Make sure you have your corporate email running through Gmail and download Streak ASAP. This will allow you to track, schedule and optimize your email forever. You can send me a thank you email for turning you onto it 🙂