Email | Kate Toon

How not to get sucked in by spam emails

Posted by katetoon on January 19, 2010

I get a lot of emails. I’m not showing off; these days it’s not a sign that I’m in demand but rather that my email address has been found by some spam-producing git. So this morning when I looked through my junk mail I wondered, “Which of these emails is legitimate and which is just crap?”...

Filed in: Advice, SEO

3

How to write great digital copy

Posted by katetoon on December 3, 2009

Over the last few months I’ve had several enquiries about how to become a digital copywriter, mainly from DM copywriters looking to ‘break in’ to the wonderful world of web writing. First up: I didn’t train to be a digital copywriter. I did English literature, History and Philosophy for my degree...

Filed in: Advice, Copywriting, SEO

8

How to build the perfect email. Part 6 – Deployment

Posted by katetoon on June 12, 2009

You’re nearly there. You strategy is spot on, you’ve ticked off all the various copy points, your design is award winning and your code faultless. Now – how about we get this bleeding email sent? Here is a nice pre-send checklist for you: 1) Create an online version Make sure you have an...

Filed in: Advice, Coding, Copywriting, Design, Information architecture, SEO, Usability

0

How to build the perfect email. Part 5 Code

Posted by katetoon on June 8, 2009

Coding for email is still way behind the code required for a web browser. Email readers are pretty basic when it comes to HTML so that requires coders to dust off their historic coding practices and go old school. Here are some hints to polish up your eDM code. 1) Back to basics Ah! Remember the old...

Filed in: Coding, Information architecture, Usability

2

How to build the perfect email. Part 4 Design

Posted by katetoon on June 1, 2009

Firstly, let’s understand something: An email is not a piece of direct mail. Recently while working for a major ad agency in Sydney I was horrified to discover that they were literally taking snap snots of direct mail pieces and sending out these single jpeg images as emails. This was for a major...

Filed in: Information architecture, SEO, Usability

0

How to build the perfect email. Part 3 Copy continued.

Posted by katetoon on May 28, 2009

Here are my other core email copy guidelines for ensuring your email really hits the spot. 5) HTML header By this I’m referring to the piece of copy that appears before the email proper begins. Most silly people write some nonsense such as: “If you are having trouble viewing this email communication,...

Filed in: Information architecture, SEO, Usability

0

How to build the perfect email. Part 2 Copy

Posted by katetoon on May 27, 2009

Most email copy is dreadful and consists of overlong, chunky paragraphs of guff that no one ever reads. Writing copy for emails is a different skill again from writing for the web and an art in itself. Here are a few useful tips to guide you: 1) Consider who your email is from Decide whether your...

Filed in: Copywriting, Information architecture, SEO, Usability

1

How to build the perfect email. Part 1 Strategy

Posted by katetoon on May 25, 2009

I’m sure that barely a day goes by when you don’t check your email. Electronic Direct Mail (eDM), as some old-school folk describe it, has become an integral part of how we conduct business, socialise with friends, shop, bank and interact with the world. It’s crucial to get it right. Over the...

Filed in: Information architecture, SEO, Usability

1