9 Creative Ways to Mix up Tired Email Formats

Well-designed email templates are greeeat. But even the best layouts can lull readers into complacency over time. Consider mixing up your formatting occasionally (with the blessing of your designer, if you have one). Perhaps there are people in different parts of your organization who can bring new ideas to the table. Or, you could try one of these...

Let’s mix things up

1. Find a reason to send a message that looks just like a personal email with minimal formatting and a real signature block (but don’t neglect the obligatory unsubscribe link!)
2. Challenge yourself to write a single-sentence email. Okay, try two-sentences.
3. Go long-form
4. Try out a visual narrative
5. Introduce a new sender (a volunteer, a donor, an investigator)
6. Pose a multiple-choice question
7. Send an e-card
8. Use an animated GIF
9. Take inspiration from what others are doing

If all your emails tend to look the same, send visual cues occasionally that say ‘Hey, there’s something new happening here!’. Mixing things up now and then can shake people out of complacency and give you great testing data to understand what your audience does and doesn’t respond to.

From: 14 long-term engagement strategies that work