7 Writing Hacks for Better Sales Emails

High-quality sales emails are both an art and a science.

If you want your emails to stand out against the flood of crowded inboxes, you need well-crafted copy that converts readers to leads.

A catchy subject line helps, but it’s the same as getting your foot in the door. 

The content of your email is what builds interest and gets readers to respond.

That’s where these 7 copywriting hacks come in.

They’ll help you turn your B2B sales copy from something ordinary to truly extraordinary.

Hack 1: Use concrete phrases

According to Richard Shotton, when you use more specific and concrete language instead of abstract, you see growth in customer satisfaction and memory recollection.

In a 2021 study, Shotton and his colleagues proved that people remember concrete statements better than abstract phrases.

There’s a simple reason why. Concrete details are easier to visualize, which in turn makes them easier to recall. Concrete is also more direct and confident, and avoids the wishy-washy nature of weasel words.

Used wisely, this approach can pay off in increased sales. 

Research in 2022 revealed that an Oreo description saying “15 cookies per pack” saw higher sales than “150 grams”.

Hack 2: Use references your audience knows

Which sounds more appealing – 100 mg of vitamin C or more vitamin C than an orange?

Most likely the second option.

Instead of technical descriptions, you should use a frame of reference that’s clear, easy to visualize, and popular.

The trick is to use visuals that people (a) know and (b) like, especially if you’re using units people are less familiar with (such as metric for Americans).

For instance, let’s imagine you’re selling protein supplements to customers in the United States.

You probably won’t see your products flying off the shelves if you compare them to the protein in crickets and grasshoppers, even though insects are a sustainable and nutritious source of protein.

Instead, you’re better off referencing popular proteins like salmon, eggs, or tofu.

Hack 3: Share how much effort you put in

This hack can get a bit counterintuitive. 

That’s because in school and society, we’re frequently taught that what matters most is the result, and not so much the process or time investment. And if something did take a long time, we better not say it.

Interestingly enough, you’ll see better results if you reveal how much work you did.

A 2003 study showed that when people were told one presentation took longer than another, the audience rated the first as more engaging and of better quality.

Even though both options effectively say the same thing (“check out 7 writing hacks”), the second will yield better results because it shares how much effort I put into the blog.

Hack 4: Use smaller units of measurement

The more specific you are, the better.

You can build this into your sales emails by simply breaking down large units into their smaller counterpart. 

Here are several examples.

But before you get too carried away breaking down large units into smaller ones, just keep in mind that “less is more”.

After all, you wouldn’t want to market your company as taking 86,400 seconds to onboard new clients. Instead, you should simply say 24 hours and call it a day.

Hack 5: Use non-round numbers

In addition to using smaller units, you can potentially unlock better sales results by using non-round numbers (i.e. numbers that aren’t divisible by 5).

There are many notable examples of this hack being used by major brand names, especially if they were in the middle of a sales war.

Over time, these numbers have become an integral part of the brand’s identity, making them memorable for customers.

Hack 6: Stick with present tense

This can get a bit challenging for grammar enthusiasts who prioritize accuracy, but the present tense is more helpful and compelling at getting readers interested.

One 2023 study found that reviews in the present tense received 26% more upvotes while readers were 12% more likely to buy.

Consider these examples.

Present tense has several other benefits compared to the past tense:

• Feels more conversational
• Emphasizes ongoing value
• Appears timeless and relevant
• Encourages immediate engagement

Naturally, there are some exceptions, such as the one mentioned in Hack 3.

Hack 7: Use second-person pronouns

As you can see, this post doesn’t shy away from using second-person pronouns (e.g. you, your, you’ll).

And as you can imagine, there’s a reason.

A 2022 study revealed that second-person pronouns improve the performance of blog and social media posts.

Using you also helps make the message more personalized, building a connection and making content feel tailored.

You is more engaging and conversational since it mirrors how we speak on a normal day-to-day basis.