How long should marketing emails be?

[mia-anderson]

Hey everyone!

I’ve been working on email marketing campaigns lately to engage with my audience and form better relationships with them, and I’ve come across a common dilemma: figuring out the ideal email length for marketing emails.

It feels like there’s so much conflicting advice out there!

So, I’m curious about how long marketing emails should be. Any insights or tips on finding that sweet spot? I’d appreciate it if you could help me on this topic.

[berna-partal]

Hey Mia!

Finding the perfect length for marketing emails can sometimes be overwhelming. But it’s all about striking a balance: not too short or long, but just right!

In fact, the ideal email length is 50 to 125 words.

125 words will be enough if you want to get straight to the point and attract your audience’s attention.

But, of course, it might depend on the message you want to convey and your audience’s interests.

Also, cold email statistics state that emails containing 151-200 words strike a perfect balance, offering compelling content while maintaining reader engagement.

Lead rate by email word count data also shows that 151-200 words bring more leads.

(Source: Sopro’s The State of Prospecting in 2024.)

If you wonder about the cold email subject line length, Backlinko, in its email outreach study, suggests that the best length is approximately 36 to 50 characters.

Considering these, find the right balance while creating your email and subject line.

Keep these quick tips for finding the right balance in mind:

• Be concise: Respect your audience’s time by getting straight to the point. Focus on the most critical information and avoid unnecessary details.
• Use formatting: Break up your content into short paragraphs, use bullet points for lists, and include subheadings to improve readability.
• Experiment with length: Focus on A/B testing different email lengths to determine what generates the highest engagement and conversion rates.

Hope this helps Mia! I’d love to answer any further questions you have about the ideal email length.

[ecesanan]

Hello

When it comes to the length of marketing emails, the ideal length can vary depending on several factors, which are:

• Target audience: Consider the preferences and behavior of your target audience. Are they likely to skim through lengthy emails or prefer concise, to-the-point messages?
• Complexity of message: If your message is straightforward and requires minimal explanation, a shorter email may suffice. However, if you’re introducing a new product or discussing a complex topic, a longer email with more detailed information may be necessary.
• Marketing goals: Align the length of your email with your marketing objectives. Are you aiming to drive immediate conversions with a short, compelling offer? Or are you nurturing leads with a series of informative emails that require more content?

For example, Calendly keeps its onboarding email short and sweet:

The email includes 70 words and perfectly conveys the message it wants to give with a to-the-point headline, short description parts, and CTA buttons.

The ideal length of your marketing email can also vary based on the type of email you’re sending.

For instance, cold emails, which are often used for prospecting and lead generation, typically benefit from brevity to capture attention quickly.

Here are the ideal lengths for different email types:

• Cold emails: Aim for around 50 to 150 words to grab the recipient’s attention without overwhelming them.
• Promotional emails: Keep promotional emails concise, between 50 to 125 words, for maximum impact.
• Transactional emails: Transactional emails, such as order confirmations or shipping notifications, may require more detailed information but should still be kept relatively brief, around 100 to 250 words.

[amari-fioravanti]

Hi, great question, Mia!

Length can definitely make or break an email’s effectiveness.

Generally, most marketers find that emails between 50 and 150 words work well for promotions, as mentioned before by Berna & Ece. Also, transactional ones might span from 100 to 250 words.

The optimal length varies depending on the purpose and audience. But, as a rule of thumb, marketing emails should be kept shorter than 200 words.

Here’s why:

• Readers generally have limited attention spans.
• Long emails often are not fully read.
• Short, concise emails are better received.

You need to create enough curiosity and interest to get a response.

Regardless of the length of your marketing emails, the most critical factor is the value they provide to the recipient. Focus on delivering content that is relevant, informative, and engaging to your audience.

By understanding their needs and interests, you can create emails that resonate and drive results, regardless of their length.

• Clearly communicate the value proposition of your offer or message to motivate action.

• Tailor your emails to the individual recipient whenever possible, using segmentation and personalization techniques to increase relevance and effectiveness.

By testing different lengths, optimizing based on performance data, and prioritizing value and relevance, you can maximize the effectiveness of your email marketing efforts.

I hope these can be helpful while optimizing your marketing email’s length.

[sue-wales]

Hey, I understand your concern while deciding on the perfect email length.

I agree with Ece about tailoring your email length to the type of email you’re sending.

If you wonder how long a cold email should be, for example, it should be short and snappy – around 50 to 125 words – to grab attention quickly.

Promotional emails, on the other hand, can benefit from being concise, too. It’s all about adapting to the context!

Also, bear in mind how the email looks on a mobile device, as most emails are read on mobile.

A cold email should ideally be only three sentences long: one sentence for the introduction, one to provide value, and one for the call to action.

But remember, these recommendations are general. Every brand and target group is different. Make sure you test different email lengths and keep track of the open, click, and conversion rates to find your own ideal email length.

[ethandavis]

Hey friend!

Testing and optimization are your best pals when it comes to nailing down email length.

Set clear goals, create variations, and keep an eye on those metrics! Remember, it’s a journey of continuous improvement.

You can follow these steps for testing and optimizing your emails’ length:

• Set clear goals: Define what success looks like for your email campaign, whether it’s driving sales, increasing website traffic, or generating leads.
• Create variations: Develop multiple versions of your emails with different lengths and content strategies.
• Measure performance: Analyze the performance of each email variation and use the data to inform future campaigns.
• Iterate and improve: Continuously refine your email strategy based on insights gained from testing, striving for continual improvement.

Ultimately, testing and optimization are the best ways to determine the ideal length for your marketing emails.

Use analytics tools to track the performance of your emails, paying attention to metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates.

[mia-anderson]

Wow, thank you all so much for your fantastic insights!

Your tips have given me a much clearer perspective on tackling the email length challenge. I can’t wait to implement them and see how they impact my email marketing strategy.