Hit Send
Before You
An email checklist for public sector communicators
Email is one of the most-effective communication channels for the public sector to reach, engage, and move their audiences to take action. But with high-traffic inboxes, increasing mobility and shortening attention spans, your email has to work even harder to get people to open, read, click and act.
Not to worry: whether you’re emailing 500 or 500,000 people, this pre-send checklist will help give your emails the boost they need to grab your audience’s attention—and keep it.
Inbox
Content
Experience
Footer
Introduction
Email is one of the most-effective communication channels for the public sector to reach, engage, and move their audiences to take action. But with high-traffic inboxes, increasing mobility and shortening attention spans, your email has to work even harder to get people to open, read, click and act.
Not to worry: Whether you’re emailing 500 or 500,000 people, this pre-send checklist will help give your emails the boost they need to grab your audience’s attention—and keep it.
An Email Checklist for Government Communicators
Hit Send
Before You
For more ways to boost your digital communication success, visit granicus.com
Want a printable copy for your desk? Click here
Share this Checklist
Grow your engaged audience by giving subscribers quick, easy ways to share your messages on socialmedia. Include links to your social accounts and encourage specific actions with words like “tweet,”“post” or “share.”
Make your content easy to share
Offering email preference options, such as topic-specific unsubscribes and frequency settings, can helpyou deliver a more relevant email experience to reduce unsubscribes.
Include email preference options before your unsubscribe link
The Footer: more opportunities to build your audience
Changes to layout, content and subject lines can positively impact the number of people who open andact on your messages. Testing and data analysis are powerful tools when it comes to identifying whatmotivates your audience to click.
Test and analyze your results
Providing a link to a hosted web version of your email is extremely helpful to anyone who doesn’t haveimages enabled. It offers your audience one more way to view your content in an environment that worksbest for them.
Offer a landing page version
More people are reading emails on smartphones as they catch up between meetings, on the train or ina waiting room. Optimize the mobile experience by using short snippets of text, a large enough font (14pixels) and easy-to-tap buttons.
Make emails mobile friendly
The Experience: optimize across audiences
Your audience shouldn’t have to scroll to the left or right to read your messages. Stick to an email widthof 500-700 pixels.
Use a reader-friendly width
Use a vertical, single-column layout and avoid long newsletter formats to keep quick-scrolling audiencesengaged.
Optimize scannability
The “above the fold” area (the top 2-4 inches or 300-500 pixels of your email) is a great place to spotlightcontent. Place your key messages and primary CTA here so your audience can take action without scrolling.
Put your most-compelling content at the top
In most cases, emails should be quick reads that guide subscribers to the action you want them to take.Balance headlines, subheads and succinct paragraphs to make for easy reading and clear calls-to-action(CTA).
Balance headlines and text
The content, layout and design: keep it simple, make it visual
The inbox: capture attention, get opens
Almost every email provider displays a preview text snippet in the inbox. Pulled from the email’s text, the preheader should add context and build on the subject line so audiences are enticed by what’s inside. Aim for 75 characters or less.
Preheader: Succinct and compelling
Subject lines make a big first impression - 64% of people will decide if they’ll open the message based on this alone! Limit to 50 characters at eight words or less. Highlight attention-grabbing content. Avoid spam trigger words like “FREE.” And test different options!
Subject Lines: Be concise, simple and descriptive
Deliverability hinges upon the sending reputation of your email domain. Make sure your digital communications uses reputable IP addresses that are only used for sending government information.
Email Address: Be recognizable
Your “from name” is the display that appears in your audience’s inbox. Let subscribers know you’re a trusted source by using your organization, department or division name.
From Name: Make it clear who you are
Inbox
Introduction
Footer
Content
Experience
The inbox: capture attention, get opens
Many email clients, including Gmail, display a preview text snippet in the inbox. Pulled from the email’s text, the preheader should add context and build on the subject line so audiences are enticed by what’s inside. Aim for 75 characters or less.
Preheader: Succinct and compelling
Your subject line makes a big first impression - 64 percent of people will decide if they’ll open the message based on this alone! Limit to 50 characters at 8 words or less. Highlight attention grabbing content. Avoid spam trigger words like “FREE.” And test different options!
Subject lines: Concise, simple and descriptive
Your deliverability hinges upon the sending reputation of your email domain. Make sure your digital communications provider uses reputable IP addresses that are only used for sending government information.
Email address: Be recognisable
Your “from name” is the display that appears in your audience’s inbox. Let subscribers know you’re a trusted source by using your organisation, department, or division name.
From name: Make it clear who you are
Hit Send
Before You
Inbox
Introduction
Footer
Content
Experience
Your audience shouldn’t have to scroll to the left or right to read your messages. Stick to an email width of 500-700 pixels.
Use a reader-friendly width
Use a vertical, single-column layout and avoid long newsletter formats to keep quick-scrolling audiences engaged.
Optimise scannability
The “above the fold” area (the top 2-4 inches or 300-500 pixels of your email) is a great place to spotlight content. Place your key messages and primary CTA here so your audience can take action without scrolling.
Put your most-compelling content at
the top
In most cases, emails should be quick reads that guide subscribers to the action you want them to take. Balance headlines, subheads and succinct paragraphs to make for easy reading and clearcalls-to-action (CTA).
Balance headlines and text
The content, layout and design: keep it simple, make it visual.
Hit Send
Before You
Inbox
Introduction
Footer
Content
Experience
Changes to layout, content and subject lines can positively impact the number of people who open and act on your messages. Testing and data analysis are powerful tools when it comes to identifying what motivates your audience to click.
Test and analyse your results
Providing a link to a hosted web version of your email is extremely helpful to anyone who doesn’t have images enabled. It offers your audience one more way to view your content in an environment that works best for them.
Offer a landing page version
More people are reading emails on smartphones as they catch up between meetings, on the train or in a waiting room. Optimise the mobile experience by using short snippets of text, a large enough font (14 pixels) and easy-to-tap buttons.
Make emails mobile friendly
The Experience: optimise across audiences.
Hit Send
Before You
Inbox
Introduction
Footer
Content
Experience
For more ways to boost your digital communication success, visit granicus.uk
Want a printable copy for your desk? Click here
Share this Checklist
Grow your engaged audience by giving subscribers quick, easy ways to share your messages on social media. Include links to your social accounts and encourage specific actions with words like “tweet,” “post” or “share.”
Make your content easy to share
Offering email preference options, such as topic-specific unsubscribes and frequency settings, can help you deliver a more relevant email experience to reduce unsubscribes.
Include email preference options before your unsubscribe link
The Footer: more opportunities to build your audience.
Hit Send
Before You