Strategies for Crafting Emails That Evade Deletion
Hey there, the digital world keeps spinning, and it's high time we talk about emails. Once a reliable way to reach your audience, they now face stiff competition.
Lo and behold, the era of emojis in subject lines and random personalization is long gone. Today, mass emails that miss the mark are more likely to end up in the SPAM folder or unopened forever.
Curious about what's been going on behind the scenes? We've been observing trends at Yorba, an online tool committed to making account, subscription, and inbox management easy for everyone.
What we found out is rather interesting—people may claim to be tired of emails, but they're actually' over mass emails without any substance.
Take it from us—you know the drill: the jewelry brand email you signed up for eons ago, newsletters that never meant much to you. They're still sending emails, but they don't resonate unless the recipient is genuinely interested.
You're likely familiar with the feeling; it's the same; apathy you feel when yet another brand tries to sell you something you don't need or want. No amount of design finesse or enticing content will change minds if the recipient isn't invested.
Seeking a fresh perspective, we invited the brilliant minds at Ruca—a global design cooperative that collaborates with startups and large enterprises. With a broad perspective on brand channel activation across various sectors, they're the experts when it comes to emails that convert.
Ready to up your email game? Here are some expert tips and tricks to consider before sending your next email, covering both design and content plus strategy.
First off, let's address the elephant in the virtual room:
According to Yorba's 2025 State of Clutter Report, the average person is subscribed to 148 mailing lists, but only opens 1 in 4 emails. Simply put, the inbox is a cluttered mess, and standout emails are the exception, not the rule.
Designers craft experiences with purpose and intention, but when communicating with potential clients, you must fight for visibility in this digital battlefield. How do you make emails stand out when they're struggling to break through the noise?
Time to Shine
1. Catch attention with a fresh perspective
Delaney Gibbons, a visual storyteller who boosts open rates through story-filled emails, offers a clever trick: break from stock photos.
A comic or visual essay illustrates a break from typical stock photos, grabbing attention for a quick payoff. Real humans back the tech and brand, reinforcing the human connection.
2. Win Hearts with Insightful Content
Share genuine design knowledge instead of focusing on self-promotion.
- Identify the design challenges your clients face, gleaning insights through emails or surveys.- Create content tailored to solve their problems—Figma components, color palette generators, animation tutorials, and more.- Once you've provided value, you can speak about your services as a natural solution.
3. Follow up thoughtfully
Avoid generic reminders, instead, reference previously discussed designs, engaging in genuine conversation.
- Offer increasingly valuable insights with each follow-up.- Keep design references tight, selecting 3-4 relevant examples instead of overwhelming recipients.
4. Invest in Email Design
Treat your emails as another canvas to exhibit your design skills.
- Prioritize visual hierarchy, typography, and white space in email layout.- Ensuring mobile responsiveness is essential, testing your designs across multiple devices.- Use visual elements strategically for impact.
5. Know When to Walk Away
Three attempts without a response? Time to revise your approach or wait until you have something new and valuable to share.
Remember, email doesn't have to be a necessary evil disconnected from your creative practice. Approach it thoughtfully, and you'll have another platform to show off your skills.
Yorba is an online tool dedicated to helping people manage their online accounts and subscriptions efficiently. Their newest feature, 'Delete Desk', allows you to delete old or unwanted accounts with just a few clicks.
Find more awesome stories on the Courtside blog. If you've got suggestions, don't hesitate to reach out to stories@yourwebsite.
- To maintain a compelling lifestyle, it's essential to embrace technology and adopt innovative strategies for email marketing. For instance, breaking away from traditional stock photos and opting for unique illustrations or visual essays can boost open rates.
- In the realm of education-and-self-development, sends valuable and insightful content to captivate audience's interest. By identifying client design challenges and creating content tailored to solve those problems, designers can establish themselves as experts that genuinely help others.
