Why your emails get ignored (and how to fix them)

Avoid these email mistakes

By simply checking each of your marketing emails before they go out (or, better still, setting up some simple rules to consider before you start writing), you’ll get much better results than if you just type and hope for the best. These are my 7 tips for better marketing emails:

1. Don’t use TOO MANY CAPITAL LETTERS.
   Avoid ALL CAPS as much as possible as it is percieved by most readers as shouting, which is just rude.
   Even if there’s an urgent deadline on the horizon, there are better ways to make important details stand out. You can use bold text or italics.
   
   Or perhaps pop the important information in a line on its own (just like this one).
   
2. Limit your use of exclamation marks!!!! A single exclamation mark is fine for emphasis, but the double and triple exclamation marks need to stay in your teenage diary entries. Or perhaps in comments on your favourite sports star’s posts.
3. Avoid fake urgency. If I see another countdown clock that resets to 7 days an hour after I’ve bought something that had 5 minutes to go, I’ll scream. And I’ll never buy from that business again.
4. Don’t overuse ‘Buy now’. A single call to action is fine three or four times on a long sales page, but in an email, it’s over the top. Top and tail your email with a reminder to purchase. Don’t splash it excesively throughout.
5. Stop using corporate jargon unless you’re talking to your peers…and even then, only if it actually has meaning. Corporate doublespeak belongs in the bin.
6. Talk about what’s in it for your reader. Unless they’re planning to compete in Ms Body Australia, most of your readers don’t care how many grams of protein are in your new smoothy flavour. They want to know if it tastes good and if it will stop them feeling hungry if they skip lunch.
7. Break your text up into bullet points, numbered lists or simply add blank line after each section. Readers are busy and prefer scan nowadays, so you want to make it easy for them to get to the parts they’re interested in.

And here’s a bonus tip: use your reader’s name in your email.

‘Dear customer’ doesn’t cut it anymore.

It’s 2026, people. We all know how to code a merge field into our email platforms.

But if you’re not able to set this up, or your VA has come down with the mumps and you absolutely need to send an email out without including your readers’ names, use something warmer, like, ‘Hi all’ or ‘Hello lovely people’.

Just remember, you’ll need to adjust that if your customers are more likey to be in the boardroom rather than in your bookclub. In that case, you might say ‘Hi there’ or simply, ‘Hi’.

Email Tone

We’ve all heard about using a warmer tone rather than a cold one, but what does that mean?

Put simply, it’s the difference between how you’d tell your favourite aunty about something exciting at work, and how you’d describe the same thing in a written proposal to a client you’ve never met. It’s not just the more conversational tone, it’s bringing the other person into the story.

Warm tone vs cold example

Here’s an email that belongs in the Antarctic, not your inbox.

Dear Customer,
DON’T MISS THIS EXCLUSIVE OFFER!!!
Our revolutionary email solution will transform your business immediately. Act now and get our email opening system before this opportunity disappears forever.
BUY TODAY.

This email has no personality, no empathy and no context. It’s also entirely transactional and uses pressure where a human connection would work much better.

Here’s the same email written with a bit more warmth:

Hi Sarah,
Quick question.
How many emails did you ignore this morning before you even finished your coffee?
Most businesses assume people hate email marketing. I don’t think that’s true. I think people hate feeling shouted at.
There’s a big difference between ‘Here’s something useful’ and ‘BUY THIS NOW.’
The brands people remember usually sound more human than polished.
Anyway, it made me rethink how I write emails lately.

The second version works because it’s conversational and curious rather than pushy. The opening is relatable. It feels observational rather than promotional, and it builds trust before it asks for anything.

How do your emails stack up?

Before you hit ‘send’, run your email through these five questions:

1. Would I say this to someone face to face?
2. Does this sound like I actually care about the reader?
3. Am I trying to help (or pressure) them?
4. Is the email easy to scan and read quickly?
5. Does this sound like I understand what the reader needs (or am I just shouting ‘Buy my thing’)?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, the email probably needs softening before it goes anywhere near your list.

Would you rather write better emails… or just have someone write them for you?

If you’ve read this far and thought ‘That’s all well and good, but I still don’t have the time or headspace to fix my emails,’ that’s exactly what I’m here for.

Email sequences, newsletters, sales emails…I write them in your voice so you don’t have to think about it. I only take one or two new clients a month, so if you’ve been meaning to get that welcome sequence done or finally sort out your newsletter, now’s a good time to lock it in.