How to craft great marketing emails — a practical playbook

How to craft great marketing emails — a practical playbook

Emails still win when they’re fast to read, clear about value, and make the next step obvious. Below you’ll find a friendly, practical article that teaches the ropes — distilled from the PPT playbook and expanded into an easy-to-follow guide you can use today.

Big-picture rules

1. Keep it simple: one primary CTA per email. If you add others, make them secondary and clearly less prominent.
2. Don’t overcrowd: limit images, avoid walls of text, and don’t make readers hunt for value.
3. Align everything: subject line → H1 → body → CTA should all tell the same story.

When to use which template

Subject line: your 3-word elevator pitch

Why it matters: most recipients decide whether to open from the subject.

Best practices from the playbook

• Mobile-first: 30-50% of opens are on mobile, so avoid truncation.
• Length: aim for 30–50 characters; if possible keep it to ~3 words for immediate clarity.
• Be concrete and benefit-led (e.g., “Reduce payroll errors in 10m”).

Quick examples:

• “Free demo — tax module”
• “Boost payroll accuracy”
• “Webinar: new reporting tools”

Main title (H1) and full body copy

H1 (Main title) Should clearly state the core value/purpose and mirror the subject line for consistency. Recommended length: 20–55 characters. No subtitle directly under the main title
Full body copy Recommended length: 40–100 characters for the body that appears above the fold — short, with greeting, scannable paragraphs and a direct CTA.

Quote block

Use sparingly to add social proof or a memorable line from a customer/expert.

• Keep quotes memorable and skimmable. Don’t exceed 170 characters; recommended 80–150 characters.
• You can use a person’s picture and details, as well as a company logo!

CTAs — copy, number, and placement

Primary CTA

• Make it action-oriented and specific (e.g., “Book a demo”, “Download report”, “Reserve spot”). Avoid vague text like “Click here”.
• Recommended CTA length: 10–20 characters.

How many CTAs?

• 1 primary CTA is the rule. You may add up to 2 secondary CTAs (maximum) for less-prioritized actions (e.g., “Read case study”).

Placement

• Put the primary CTA above the fold and repeat once below the fold for longer emails. Keep secondary CTAs visually subdued.

Buttons vs. text links

• Buttons draw attention and are best for the primary action. Text links are fine for supporting content. Use color and whitespace to make the button stand out — but keep brand consistency.

Final checklist before sending

1. One clear primary CTA (10–20 chars).
2. H1 matches the subject (20–55 chars).
3. Body communicates value in 15–20s of reading (40–100 chars above the fold).
4. Test subject line and CTA where possible.
5. Include unsubscribe and legal footer as required.

Style overview

Element/Component	Preview	Colour hex value	Size
Email Main title		#1D2830	24px
Subheading		#1D2830	20px
Body text colour	Een warm welkom terug voor onze collega’s die al van hun jaarlijkse verlof hebben genoten.	#1D2830	16px
Primary button		#DA3300	16px
Secondary Button
Link colour	Connect and discover	#C42600	16px
Images	PNG (Never SVG) / JPG for photos