Does Size Matter
According to a webinar attended by Bill Sell,my CrossTech Media colleague, and hosted by Blue Sky Factory, people will only spend approximately 51 seconds on an email newsletter. They want the email to be 1200 words max. They want the subject line to be extremely brief. They want the font for the table of contents to be smallest possible, to see the whole thing in a quick view.
I’m doing all those things wrong on my email newsletter.
Blogs are a whole different matter. Those are where we can expound, should we feel the need. But even then, thinking with brevity in mind has a great opportunity to pay off.
Delivering the payload of an idea briefly is a really great benefit to your audience.
Do you agree?
Photo credit, Maui aina
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If Youre New Here
Today was a good day for me. If you’re new here, thanks for stopping by. I’ve got lots of stuff to read. Years of it. If you want a quick cheat sheet, here’s the rest of the Social Media 100 series to date. If you want to get the new stuff, please consider subscribing for free to get the posts sent to your reader of choice.
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Finally, if you want even MORE information (completely different than what you find here), there’s also a free newsletter. It comes out twice a month.
I’m glad you’re here, and thanks for your support. The people who comment and spend time at [chrisbrogan.com] are some of the best, most engaged people in social media that you’ll meet on your journey. Believe me, the folks leaving comments could give keynotes on social media and hold there own (heck, some do!).
Thank you. I’m so glad you’ve given me your time and attention. More to come.
Photo credit, alosh bennett
How Mass Email Works
A few folks asked me about my recent email inviting them to subscribe to my newsletter. Some asked where the email addresses came from. Others called my invitation spam. Here’s my explanation so that I don’t have to tell the story more than once:
1.) I sent mail via the address you provided me by agreeing to link to me via LinkedIn.
2.) I sent an introduction to a service I thought you might want, because you’re in my circle of contacts and because for me, they’re one in the same (my passions about social media, and my contact list).
3.) I sent the introduction with a clear opt-out option so that you could choose to never receive emails from me in that format again (per the canned spam) law.
I use Blue Sky Factory for my email distributions because they have a high standard of what goes out from their platform. They are up front with how they deal with perceptions of spamming, so because I’ve followed their recommended methods for sending an introduction to such an email, I feel that I’ve done it “appropriately.”
Is every email you didn’t ask for spam? No. Is asking someone who considers themselves in my professional circle whether they want to also receive my newsletter spam? No.
There’s a huge difference between spam and “I didn’t want this.”
Or I think there is.
What’s your take? Let’s talk about it here.
