No questions for the Email Diva? Very well then: a lecture.

There is an important lesson for email marketers to learn from television. In the olden days, we had three networks from which to choose. Then came cable and satellite dishes and suddenly there were zillions of shows, yet the familiar refrain: “A thousand channels and nothing is on.” Next came DVRs, which gave consumers control over their viewing lives. The big networks struggled to draw an audience and remain relevant. The tried and true formulas just weren’t working.

Then something interesting happened. People started talking about TV shows again. They began devoting nights to their favorite programs, paying for premium networks, buying past seasons on DVD, extending the viewing experience online and talking about characters and episodes with passion.

What caused this? Two things: reality shows and deep, complex shows with larger-than-life characters and intricate, serial plots. Shows like Lost, 24, Heroes, Desperate Housewives, Entourage and Weeds.

Then came the writer’s strike and we all realized what was at the root of great TV: great writing. A thousand new reality TV shows couldn’t replace these outstanding fictional plots in our hearts and minds.

And herein lies the lesson for email marketers. While we wring our hands over spam filters, over-crowded in-boxes and declining response rates, and seek a quick-fix band-aid for our problems, are we overlooking the importance of great copywriting?

As I pointed out in this article, even a humble transactional message can be written with flair. Even when there is very little copy, it can be evocative and benefit driven, as in a recent Target email:

Living Room + Dining Room. Spaces to live. Spaces to love.
Home Office Furniture. Taskmasters and spacesavers.
Home. Unleash some elegance.

And don’t forget about the back story. The popularity of reality shows that we enjoy the human drama and appreciate/like to judge talent. Where did you get the inspiration for the development of your latest product or service? What obstacles did you overcome? What was the big A-ha moment? Did the buyer come across this item in a roadside stand? Did your CEO start in the mailroom? You may not know these stories, but someone does, and all you need to do is put this person in touch with your writer.

As you seek to improve your email program, just ask yourself: have you hugged your copywriter today?

Good Luck!

The Email Diva

Email Marketing Consultant