Rewrite: AbeBooks Promotional Email
I received this email from book seller Abe Books, and immediately had ideas for how to improve it.
First, the title / subject line: How about something a bit more personal, like:
Run Out of Reading Material?
Alt: “What Have You Been Reading During Quarantine?” or “Add Some Titles to Your Quarantine Reading List!”
Tie it into the present situation people are experiencing around the world — Needing a ton of books to read to kill time during quarantine. In any of the three rewrites, the reader is much more likely to open the email.
As much as I like the idea of free shipping, it’s rarely the thing that gets me most excited. Why should Free Shipping be a point of value right now? Maybe because I’m buying so many books to kill time during quarantine that it’s really starting to add up. There are too many ways of tying this promotion into the present moment, without evoking anxiety over the situation, to pass the opportunity up.
Again, the text here would be stronger if it referred to our collective moment of kairos that is the quarantine. Something along the lines of:
Run out of reading to get you through quarantine? Thankfully, Abe Books is offering free shipping for the month of May. Stock up on top titles in every category, no minimum purchase necessary!
Find Your Next Favorite Book Here
That bold text would be a link that would take you straight to search the catalog.