Copywriting for email: Shirk the spam filters

Do you ever wonder why some of the emails that you get are from someone you don't know and have words that are mixed with symbols such as ^free^ grant money or Check your --credit-- score today! 

One word comes to your mind: Spam. Professional copywriters for email marketing campaigns know that when the first thing to consider when sending emails to subscribers is to make sure the email gets delivered, then opened. Sometimes, you can't avoid using words like "free" or "opportunity".

Just FYI, these words usually go straight to the spam filter before it gets to your subscriber's inbox.

Don't waste precious words by writing them without giving a thought as to whether your subscribers will actually be able to receive them.

So how to get around this obstacle? Use words that are not likely to be considered by spam filters as spam. Maria Veloso in her book Web Copy  that Sells suggests http://www.lyris.com/us-en/contentchecker. For starters, she also lists the most common words that are likely to be filtered by SpamAssassin and other anti-spam programs.

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Writing on the go? Fix the run-on sentences

It would take a while for me to go through the whole thing because honestly this is not the type of stuff I would listen to even when the author is talking it just sounds like nonstop chatter to me and I'm not exaggerating but when you write could you please put a little pause here and there so that I can catch my breath while reading your run-on sentences? Whew!

Did that get your nerves riled up?

I know, I know. The editor in me just couldn't stop wondering what's going on in this article. Better yet, I couldn't go on. Here's a snippet:

Another site is Cardpool.com  they offer a similar service as Plasticjungle.com and it's the same thing, you can buy gift cards for up to 35% off the face value. Cardpool.com seems to have more of a selection of gift cards to buy. When I need to buy something, I will check out both sites to see which one has better deals, or which site may have the card I want buy in stock.

Both sites offer traditional gift cards and they will mail them to you for free or you can get electronic gift cards. It depends on what they have to offer, and if you want to shop online or at the store. With an electronic gift card, if you are planning on shopping online, you can use it much faster since you will receive it in the form of a coupon code via your email address. If you are giving the gift card as a present, you might want to buy a gift card versus an ecard. Granted, you will have to wait about a week to get the card, but at least you can give that person a gift card versus a piece of paper.

Here is one more tip if you go to Plasticjungle.com or Cardpool.com, first head over to  Topcashback.com . You can get money back just for going from the Topcashback.com website to the merchants you want to shop at websites. Of course they have to be listed on Topcashback.com as a merchant. How much cash you get back depends on what they are offering.

Source: ABC15.com

Sometimes I use a dictation app when I'm in on the go and can't write something down. But when it comes to putting everything in print (or even online), I have to edit. It's the only way to preserve my sanity and the propriety of our language.

Need some help with run-on sentences? Try this resource from Purdue Online Writing Lab.

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Seriously, redundancy, and other serious matters that need serious attention

The holidays are almost here! But hey, I'm not taking a break being on the lookout for articles that make it on the Internet but desperately need some "juice" to make them sizzle. Truth is, there's no shortage of websites, news items, and written stuff that are passable but can be injected with creativity. Here's a good one meant for Black Friday student shoppers:

Editor's Critique:

As a proofreader, I'm not bothered by the college-style writing. As an editor, I find this article in utter need of creativity and depth. On a positive light, the writer seems to have put a good amount of effort in organizing a readable article meant for readers on the student level. Apart from the redundancy of the word “serious,” this text needed only moderate editing.

Source: 

http://suite101.com/article/black-friday-shopping-tips-for-college-students-a263037

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All clogged up! Using spaces between punctuations

Because we live in "rushing" society (quoted from wildlittlefan), most of us forget to add space in between our punctuation marks. Not acceptable. If you find it annoying, get a load of this article I edited from Yahoo Voices.

There are plenty of mistakes, but the outstanding one is definitely the lack of spacing between the sentences on the last part of the article.

Don't be stingy on the spaces. They actually add more readability to your work.

Source: http://voices.yahoo.com/4-reasons-benefit-online-shopping-6731756.html?cat=7

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Anchor links matter

One of the biggest aspects that impact the search engine rankings is the "value" of anchor links and how pertinent they are to user search. The following is an edited version of Northport Boarding Kennels website:

Our mission is to provide a clean, friendly atmosphere for your pet. At Northport Boarding Kennels, we treat our guests with professional care, knowledge and compassion.

We have found it crucial that pets in our care receive individual attention. Playtime is given the highest priority. A happy dog is much easier to care for!

Whether the stay is for one day, one week, or longer... you can rest assured that your pet will receive the best of care at Northport Boarding Kennels.

Conveniently located just east of the airport, we are open 7 days a week. Northport Boarding Kennels can provide you and your loved pet with affordable professional boarding and grooming services.

Thank you for visiting us online.

When the need arises, be sure to contact us for all your boarding and grooming needs.

---EDITOR'S CRITIQUE---

Missing anchor links

If not mainly for a few punctuation and spelling errors, I find that the web copy for Northport Boarding Kennels is not a heavy editing task. However, I recommend that because readers scroll through the page, they should include bold text and anchored links such as in this last sentence:

When the need arises, be sure to contact us for all your boarding and grooming needs.

When online text has plenty of anchor links throughout, readers will find it easy to click on any part of the website and enroll in their service without having to finish reading the entire homepage.

AP Style versus Chicago

Instead of changing "open 7 days a week" to the more standard "seven days a week," I let go of this since I believe AP style is more agreeable to web writing than Chicago.

Active versus Passive

The universal rule in effective writing is to always use the active tense instead of the passive because it goads action and is more lively. Therefore:

We have found it crucial that pets in our care receive individual attention.

must be changed to:

We find it crucial that pets in our care receive individual attention.

This rule should apply to the rest of the text in this website.

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