Copywriting Quick Tips: 13 Email Copywriting Tactics For Beginners

by Michael de la Guerra in Copywriting June 10th, 2022

When copy is done right, it “does the work for you.”

The right message, delivered at the right time, makes selling almost unnecessary, because if you set your marketing message up correctly…

Your customers will be excited and HUNGRY when you make them an offer!

But the marketing world right now is full of “tactics.”

Now there’s nothing wrong with GOOD tactics; the problem is that without a clear strategy in place, tactics won’t really help.

But if you know your market well, and you’ve built out a solid strategy, here are 13 tried and true email tactics I share with beginners for writing email copy:

Make your subject line interesting! Depending on where your prospects currently are , sure, “6 ways to avoid X” might do the job, but have they seen that before? If so, you’ll need a more interesting subject line that piques your reader’s interest. Example: “Even ‘veteran’ biz owners can’t break this cycle.”
Communicate benefits clearly by using “so you can___” to showcase what your features do for the reader. Example: “Increase your sales rate by 200%, so you can not only make more money, but show your team leader you mean BUSINESS!”
Open the email at a connection point. Share a common experience you and your reader have dealt with. Example: “Ever burn the roof of your mouth when eating something that ended up being hotter than you thought?”
Open with a promise. Let them know exactly what your email is going to be about, then expand. Example: “Today I’d like to share with you exactly how to...”
Open with a “Nod Series.” This is a series of two or three questions that gets your reader to nod in agreement. Example: “Ever feel like you’re spinning your wheels when it comes to copy? Does everything you write sound flat?”
Open with a BANG! Share a good story, but open the email at the juiciest moment, then slowly reveal the story. Example: “While riding the subway, a sharp pain suddenly pierced through my spine and I fell to the floor.”
Deliver value. Give your readers a tip or strategy they can use in the email itself! This will let them know that if they continue to open your emails, they’ll actually get something out of them! Example: this email you’re reading!
Case studies are stories. When you share a case study, make a story out of it. Don’t just share your results, showcase them! Where was your client/customer at before they met you? What drove them to your solution? What did you do? What was the result? Where are they now? Simple.
Infuse emotion. Think about what you want your reader to feel, then use words that relate to that emotion. Example: “If you don’t do this, your entire business could disappear overnight” vs. “Be prepared! Down times happen :-)”
Always deliver. If you make a promise, always follow through and either deliver on it in the email, or send them somewhere to get access to it. Example: “Now that you know you can___, click here to see how you can___.”
Be clear with your Calls To Action. When you want your reader to take action, be very clear about it—don’t leave it up to chance. Example: “Just use this link to get started: URL.”
Keep an eye on what works. If one email got a high open rate and no sales, but another got a low open rate and actually made sales, what does that tell you? Well, if you want more sales, focus on what’s actually making them!
Sound like a real person! No one wants to read an email from someone who sounds flat or inauthentic, so infuse your personality! And if you don’t have a personality, then go get one. Kidding. (That’s me adding in a bad joke, as I’m prone to do in real life.)

If you feel like your copy doesn’t truly reflect who you are, don’t worry.

I talk to business owners every day who don’t feel their writing is good once they get it down “onto the page.”

Good writing takes years to master. That’s why people like me exist. To write for you.

And I’ll let you in on a not-so-secret trick of the trade: it’s all about editing.

You’re not always going to nail what you write on your first go. After you’ve written your email, go back through and edit for personality, emotion, benefits, etc.

Exploring the Poetic Voice: Michael de la Guerra's Literary Landscape

Michael de la Guerra's online portfolio presents a rich tapestry of poetry, essays, and artistic reflections that examine the complexities of modern relationships, cultural influences on romantic expression, and the psychological dimensions of love and loss.

A Distinctive Voice in Contemporary Poetry

Throughout his work, de la Guerra demonstrates a remarkable ability to blend raw emotional honesty with technical craft. His poetry collection features pieces like "HAPPY IN BED," which tackles modern dating concepts like "situationships" with a blend of dark humor and quiet dignity. The poet often acknowledges his own vulnerability while maintaining a self-aware perspective about the human condition.

His "Medical School Romance Poem" captures fleeting connections with strangers in institutional settings, pondering whether brief shared moments might someday become meaningful memories for the other person. This theme of ephemeral connections appears frequently in his work.

Cultural Exploration and Scholarly Depth

De la Guerra's scholarly side emerges in comprehensive explorations like "Romantic Poetry: Poems About Love Across Cultures," where he examines how different cultural traditions approach romantic expression. From Tang Dynasty China to Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, he traces the universal human need to capture love's complexities through poetry while highlighting how each society filters these emotions through unique cultural lenses.

His work often begins with personal anecdotes - like his inability to communicate directly with his Spanish-speaking grandmother - before expanding into broader cultural analysis. This technique creates an accessible entry point for readers into complex literary traditions.

Dark Poetry and Psychological Insight

The "Dark Love Poetry" guide demonstrates de la Guerra's understanding of how poetry serves as both artistic expression and psychological processing. He distinguishes between performative darkness and authentic shadow work, offering readers insight into how true dark poetry transforms private pain into shared understanding.

Throughout this exploration, he connects psychological concepts like attachment theory to poetic expression, showing how disorganized attachment might manifest in certain poetic tendencies, while earned security allows for different forms of creative expression.

Personal Narratives with Universal Appeal

In shorter reflective pieces like "A Ruthless Gangster's Greatest Fear," de la Guerra reveals his ability to find profound meaning in unexpected places. By juxtaposing the vulnerability of a hardened criminal experiencing a crush with his own similar feelings, he creates a meditation on how emotional authenticity connects us across seemingly vast differences.

This approach - finding universal human experiences in specific, often overlooked moments - characterizes much of his work, making even his most personal reflections resonate with readers from diverse backgrounds.

A Multi-Faceted Creative Practice

Beyond his writing, de la Guerra offers resources for fellow poets and writers, including prompt generators and workbooks. His website showcases his parallel visual art practice, including abstract, Japandi, and dark abstract wall art collections.

This integration of visual and literary arts reflects a holistic creative approach, where different expressive forms complement and enhance each other rather than existing in isolation.

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