Top 7 common marketing email mistakes — and how to avoid them

We all know that marketing emails can be fiddly to put together, and they're more time-consuming to create and populate than people who never create and populate them could ever imagine.

Naturally then, it’s rather easy to make a tiny mistake — and small mistakes can drastically affect your engagement.

In fact, 47% of recipients open an email based solely on the subject line, so that alone is crucial to nail from the off!

Let’s now look at seven common email mistakes — and how to avoid making them.

Fail #1: Typos in the subject line

A typo in the subject line can damage your credibility. For example, "Do you need an online assistant?" can become "Do you need an online ass?"

That's a drastic example, but you get the point. 

And, since 69% of email recipients report emails as spam based on the subject line alone, it's vital to ensure your subject line is always flawless. What’s more, don’t forget to keep your subject line to 30 to 50 characters or 4 to 7 words long so it has less chance of truncating when it hits inboxes.

Takeaway: Always proofread and test for subject line truncation.

Fail #2: Missing or ‘default’ email preview text

We’ve all seen examples where someone totally forgot to fill in the ‘preview text’ field of their email draft OR they left in the default text on their template. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Preview text is often overlooked, but it’s an important element of your communication. Why? Because emails with well-written preview text can boost open rates by up to 45%.

Takeaway: Always customize your preview text to complement the subject line. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage your audience before they’ve even opened your email.

Fail #3: Missing (or faulty) personalisation

Staying with subject lines for a moment, did you know that personalising this element can increase your open rates by 26%?

In general, personalised emails see transaction rates six times higher than non-personalised emails. However, mistakes like broken tokens (e.g., "Hi NAME") can leave a negative impression. That’s why it’s important to thoroughly test your marketing emails before you hit send. Don't have a ‘heart sink’ moment!

Think about whether you have enough information about your mailing list recipients to incorporate some nice ‘nuggets’ of personalisation. For example, if your CRM carries all the up-to-date job titles of your intended email recipients, you could add a personalised sentence like this:

“Do you find that, in your job as [TOKEN (job title)] you’re always up against the clock?”

You should also include a personalised CTA in your marketing email if it makes sense to do so. This element alone can result in 42% more conversions than regular CTAs.

Takeaway: Use personalisation in your marketing emails if you possibly can, and never skip the ‘testing’ step!

Fail #4: The wrong tone has been used

A poorly chosen tone can alienate your audience instantly. And with 64% of customers expecting tailored content based on their past interactions with your brand, it’s critical to ensure that you match your tone of voice to your audience’s preferences and culture.

Try to avoid using acronyms and vague or ‘cryptic’ service or product names that will not be easily understood by those working outside of your organization — it will only serve to alienate your audience and put a barrier up between you and them.

Takeaway: Consider your audience carefully. Take some time to properly evaluate whether the tone and language used fit your message and are likely to resonate with readers.

Fail #5: Irrelevant content

Sending generic content to people who have been categorised too broadly within your CRM can lead to unsubscribes and low engagement. 56% of users unsubscribe from email lists when they receive email content that is irrelevant to them.

Segmenting your audience into more finely-tailored mailing lists is far more time-consuming, but allows brands to focus in on the exact messaging and information that will resonate with its recipients.

Takeaway: Invest time in audience segmentation to ensure you're sending the right content to the right people.

Fail #6: Lack of a clear call-to-action (CTA)

There's not much point in making all of this effort if you’re not going to include a clear, compelling CTA.

Emails with a single, clear CTA can increase click-through rates by 371% and sales by 161%, so make your CTA stand out to help drive more conversions.

Takeaway: Every marketing email should have a purpose. Focus on including a single, prominent CTA and ensure it's easy to spot — whether positioned at the end of your marketing email or peppered throughout the communication.

Fail #7: Hidden or non-functional Unsubscribe links

Did you know that 50% of email recipients report emails as spam because they can’t easily unsubscribe?

‘Unsubscribe’ issues violate GDPR, harm email deliverability, and can damage your brand’s reputation.

Tip: Prioritise user experience and compliance over keeping your mailing list number intact — ensure unsubscribe links are always visible and functional.

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