Humor is appreciated everywhere and email marketing is no exception to it. We all know that building emails turns boring at some point in time, and even your readers will get used to your copywriting style and email templates. Businesses often come up with some out-of-the-box strategies to keep their engagement rates up, and humor is undoubtedly one of the major drivers of human emotion.
It has found a special place across cultures, and probably you don’t need to know the language to make someone smile. People even expect brands to display their funny sides:
(Image Source: SproutSocial)
In this blog, I am going to discuss how you can add a flavor of humor to your email marketing recipe. Whether you are a remote HTML email developer or brand strategist, I have got you covered. Read the article to know comic tips and tricks for email marketing.
Grab Attention With Comic Tone In Subject Line
Your subject line is probably the best place to sprinkle some comic tone. All of us go through an average of 121 emails that we receive daily just by reading the subject line and seeing who sent the message. Writing something unexpectedly humorous in the subject line is a great way to capture the attention and persuade your readers to read your entire message.
Use Funny Hero Image
I find the hero image one of the strongest influences in curating the reader’s journey. The hero image is the big picture used in the above fold to grab the reader’s attention and set the message’s agenda. Having a funny hero image will excite your readers about your email copy as they would naturally look for something interesting. This is especially helpful considering the muting nature of emails inspired by the corporate culture. A funny hero image can become an Oasis of the otherwise unwelcoming inboxes. Have a quick look at this emailer from Hulu with this quirky GIF that fits exactly the way it should:
(Image Source: Reallygoodemails)
Experiment With Funny CTA Buttons
Call-to-action buttons are bombarded with powerful words. This is an industry best practice, and it is also effective, but having funny CTAs can go beyond power words. A call-to-action button is all about resonating with the reader’s sentiment and instilling a strong sense of motivation to complete an action. Here in this example from Skimm, they have used an unconventionally funny CTA button with wording that isn’t uncommon among the readers as far as their day-to-day life is concerned, but it’s surely not something they would expect in the email. If your workplace culture and clients are okay with the idea of using lighter language, you can give funny CTAs a try.
(Image Source: eConsultancy)
Get Creative With Your Email Copy
Last but not least, your email copy remains the biggest spot for sprinkling some humor. Most of the email copies try to balance sales heavy language with interesting copy and ultimately create a general feel for the readers. This makes email copy an equally good contestant for putting a smile on the face of your readers with funny wording. You can use storytelling or draw parallels with certain subjects to crack jokes and nurture interest in your readers. Remember, you don’t need to set up a whole comic scene. Instead, go for stand up comedy inspired punch lines that give instant gratification. In this email copy from Casper, they have use metaphor to make their message sound funny and technically relevant at the same time:
(Image Source: Chamaileon)
Things To Keep In Mind While Using Humor In Email Marketing
Imagine your favorite ice cream. Now imagine me putting 4 tbsp of sugar into it. Would you appreciate that? Adding too much of any flavor will ruin your recipe, and this applies the same to humor. If your work culture doesn’t permit joking with your clients, which may be the case for lawyers, simply avoid it. Don’t crack jokes that might end up hurting your subscribers’ sentiments. Try to stay decent and ensure that your sense of humor reflects a candid brand image without trespassing any grey area.
Over To You
Your email marketing recipe will be incomplete without seasoning it with various emotions. Humor will help your audience feel positive and connected with your brand as well as make you seem honest. This helps you win the hearts of your subscribers while helping you build a niche presence in your audience’s mailboxes. I hope you find this article on using humor in email marketing insightful.
