Like most individuals, I don’t learn the entire gross sales emails I get. After I do open an e mail, I skim its contents and instantly shut out lengthy, rambling messages, which is strictly why the seek for the perfect e mail size is like Indiana Jones and the Holy Grail.

It’s not about nitpicking phrase depend; it comes right down to holding the reader’s consideration lengthy sufficient to stay out within the unending sea of emails.

One evaluation of over 20 million chilly emails discovered that the extra folks you e mail, the decrease the open charges go. That statistic would possibly as properly say, “the more durable you’re employed, the more severe the outcomes get.” However in actuality, being profitable in gross sales isn’t about doing extra — it’s about being simpler. This makes studying find out how to write a gross sales e mail that folks need to reply to extra essential than ever.

Let’s take a look at how e mail size will help you get the outcomes you need out of your e mail advertising and marketing technique.

Desk of Contents

For nearly a decade, it’s been stated that the perfect e mail size is 50 to 125 phrases. The origin of this well-known numeral is a 2016 Boomerang research, which analyzed 40 million emails. Regardless of its age, that Boomerang research remains to be used as a benchmark due to the depth of analysis. They discovered the next correlations between e mail phrase depend and response charges:

• 200 phrases = 48% response
• 175 = 49% response
• 150 = 49% response
• 125 = 50% response
• 100 = 51% response
• 75 = 51% response
• 50 = 50% response
• 25 = 44% response
• 10 = 36% response

Boomerang additionally reviewed e mail sentiment and located that messages that expressed both average positivity or negativity evoked 10 to fifteen% extra responses than fully impartial emails.

However, gross sales reps ought to know, the analysis found an excessive amount of emotion in messages resulted in comparable response charges as impartial emails. “Flattery works, however extreme flattery doesn’t,” Alex Moore wrote within the report.

What’s modified since this research’s beginning? Effectively, e mail nonetheless has unbelievable ROI. New instruments, like our AI E mail Author, provide help to write emails quicker and extra effectively. However everyone seems to be getting extra emails than ever earlier than, like a ship taking up increasingly water.

Analysis by Fixed Contact reinforces factors of Boomerang’s information, which you’ll see beneath. Some extra insightful 2024 information from Fixed Contact: 40% of enterprise homeowners surveyed within the Present State of SMB Advertising report stated that they postpone managing e mail campaigns due to an absence of time.

Greater than half of the surveyed entrepreneurs stated that they spent lower than one hour per day on advertising and marketing emails, regardless of it being (on common) their second most-frequented advertising and marketing channel.

The reality is, phrase depend shouldn’t be the end-all relating to writing profitable gross sales emails. These finest practices, nonetheless, make an enormous distinction.

Boomerang’s information is supported by different analysis, like this research from Fixed Contact. In a research of over 2.1 million prospects, they discovered emails with roughly 20 traces of textual content had the very best click-through charges:

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This interprets to about 200 phrases, which is larger than Boomerang’s information, however nonetheless gives a useful vary. When unsure, shorter is mostly higher, so all the time err on the aspect of “much less is extra,” and maintain your emails beneath 200 phrases.

Right here’s an instance of an ultra-brief two-line e mail template from Sam Wright, head of operations and partnerships at Huntr:

The topic line: [Company] <> Huntr

E mail physique: We helped [x, y, z, competitor] do Y, which led to Z outcomes. I imagine we might be useful to you as properly.

Sam shared this screenshot of the e-mail open and reply charges:

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Keep away from making your emails too brief.

Sure, brief and direct emails resonated finest with prospects and earned a response. (That’s why former HubSpot account govt Dan Muscatello writes brief prospecting emails — two sentences lengthy at most.)

Nevertheless, Boomerang’s numbers revealed a wonderful line: Emails that had been 10 phrases or shorter received a response simply 36% of the time. You don’t need your emails to really feel such as you’re simply sending a textual content, or that you just forgot the opposite half of the e-mail earlier than hitting ship (been there).

Use visuals to interrupt it up.

Amanda DeLuke is an e mail professional who has overseen the sending of tens of tens of millions of bulk advertising and marketing emails. She echoed the significance of retaining emails transient, and in addition added this recommendation:

“Present a small visible illustration (picture, icon, and so forth.) to assist every subject/textual content and supply hyperlinks out to exterior content material for extra particulars — it will prevent a variety of area.”

Don’t be heavy-handed with photos.

There’s rather a lot to say about how photos can enhance consumer engagement, however there’s a wonderful line between attention-grabbing and attention-hogging. HubSpot analysis means that because the variety of photos in an e mail will increase, your click-through price will lower.

Fixed Contact additionally discovered that imagery impacted click-through price, with clicks dropping as photos are added to an e mail.

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Plan for cell gadgets.

Does utilizing the time period “cell gadgets” make me sound outdated? People are checking their electronic message all over the place today: desktops, laptops, telephones, tablets, and even good watches (although getting an e mail on my wrist is an precise waking nightmare for me, personally).

Statistic: 64% of individuals primarily examine their inbox on cell gadgets.

Smaller screens make the case for shorter messages, however there’s additionally a hidden catch. When folks use their cell to examine their inbox, it signifies that they’re checking their e mail whereas multitasking. All of the extra purpose to be transient, utilizing bolded textual content and bullet factors to assist with scannability.

Make your message viewable at a look on cell. Your level needs to be clear with one look, with out making readers scroll. Take a look at this earlier than sending. Massive headers take up precious area on cell, so use them with care.

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Head again to the third grade.

Why delay the transmission of 1’s message with a tedious flip of phrase?

Translation: Why make folks’s brains work more durable by utilizing fancy language? Writing at a third-grade studying stage is a golden rule in all advertising and marketing, and e mail is not any exception.

Boomerang’s research discovered that third-grade stage emails carried out 36% higher by way of open price than these written at a university studying stage and boasted a 17% larger response price than emails composed at a highschool studying stage. Free-flowing, casual emails are finest for eliciting a response from recipients.

I’ll present you a device that may provide help to measure this beneath.

Embody clear CTAs and ask 1-3 questions.

What’s somebody purported to do after they learn your e mail? The decision-to-action (CTA) needs to be clear in each single message you ship.

It’s finest follow to additionally embody an “ask” in each gross sales e mail you ship, and reps usually ask prospects for data of their messages. However what number of questions are too many in an e mail?

We suggest asking one to 3 questions in your e mail. There’s even a built-in safeguard in opposition to over-probing prospects (invasive) within the HubSpot e mail device:

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Shorten e mail topic traces.

If nobody opens your emails, it doesn’t matter how lengthy they’re, does it? That’s a somewhat miserable realization, however it might encourage all of us to spend slightly extra time on this simply ignored step.

Statistics: Topic traces with seven phrases have been discovered to have the very best open price at 46.2% (Regie.ai).

The golden rule? Maintain it brief, to the purpose, and personalize it. Personalization is so essential that it deserves its personal call-out.

Do your analysis and personalize.

When you don’t put within the time to analysis your prospect and craft a precious e mail, it doesn’t matter in the event you obtain the right e mail size. Your prospect received’t be involved in what you need to say since you haven’t taken the time to say one thing that issues to them.

One simple trick: Use your recipient’s first title in topic traces. One research discovered that topic traces mentioning somebody’s first title had been found to have a 29% larger open price.

Our e mail device has dozens of personalization choices for the topic line, plus simple A/B testing to drive conversions:

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Copy and paste your e mail message into this app and see what grade the readability tracks to, which phrases have less complicated options, and what number of “laborious to learn” and “very laborious to learn” sentences your message accommodates.

2. All the time add a detailed.

Gross sales professional Jeff Hoffman advocates that each dialog or e mail you trade with a prospect ought to embody a detailed. Whether or not you’re asking for extra time, contact data, or their enterprise, all the time be sure you’re asking for one thing. This makes it as simple as potential for recipients to reply.

Earlier than writing your e mail, think about what your objective is for this communication and tailor your shut accordingly. For instance, if I need an e mail to yield a discovery name, I’ll embody that ask on the finish, and construct the remainder of the e-mail round it to assist and encourage that shut.

3. Don’t waste essential actual property.

Your e mail opening line and greeting are extremely essential, so don’t waste them on “Hello, my title is.” As an alternative, strive, “How can I make your life simpler?” or “I observed your organization lately …”.

Equally, make your e mail closing traces highly effective and intriguing with statements like, “I like ramen as properly. Have you ever tried [restaurant name]?” or “Did the e-book you downloaded change the way in which you concentrate on [topic]?”

4. Take away extra language.

We have a tendency so as to add further phrases to our writing to melt our message (particularly after we’re asking for one thing or offering constructive suggestions). Earlier than sending your e mail, overview for pointless language.

For instance, right here’s a sentence earlier than and after eradicating filler phrases:

• Earlier than: “I believe it is perhaps a good suggestion for us to give you a couple of concepts that can assist us current a number of situations to your govt staff after we meet.”
• After: “Let’s brainstorm a number of situations to current to your govt staff subsequent week.”

Let’s take a look at some nice examples that embody these finest practices (and, bonus: are editable so that you can use your self).

5. Create staff e mail templates.

When you’re engaged on a gross sales staff, I believe it’s essential to be in keeping with language, CTAs, and presents. Utilizing a template builder device can guarantee constant messaging and supply a jumping-off level for particular person reps of their outreach.

The e-mail examples beneath are all templates included in HubSpot’s e mail template library. This can be a free a part of our Advertising Hub! Arrange solely takes a couple of minutes, and you should utilize our software program to ship out skilled gross sales emails by way of your work e mail handle.

Once you enter a contact’s particulars (like first title and firm title), your emails will routinely be personalized. Because of this you’ll by no means enter the improper firm or misspell a reputation (even my first title will get butchered).

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1. The Easy Subsequent Steps E mail

I’m ordering these e mail examples by size: shortest to longest. First up is the “What would wish to vary?” e mail. At solely 36 phrases lengthy, this e mail will get proper to the purpose by asking a prospect what would wish to vary to ensure that them to need to talk about working collectively. It’s a brief, chilly e mail that doesn’t waste anybody’s time beating across the bush.

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Why this follow-up e mail works:

• Emphasis on the connection (“make sense for us to speak”) as a substitute of the sale.
• Ellipsis within the topic line creates intrigue.
• Extraordinarily transient, with a give attention to the CTA.

2. Breakup E mail

Right here’s an instance of an e mail following up with an inbound lead. You’ll be able to see the template screenshot immediately beneath, and my customized model beneath (size: 91 phrases). I’m an search engine marketing author who works with companies to construct their blogs, so my e mail is written from that perspective.

Enjoyable truth: This breakup e mail has a 33% reply price. If solely all breakups went that properly!

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Hello [name],

I’ve tried to succeed in you a couple of occasions to go over options on enhancing your web site site visitors, however haven’t heard again, which tells me certainly one of three issues:

1. You’re all set with web site site visitors and your weblog, and I ought to cease bothering you.
2. You’re nonetheless however haven’t had the time to get again to me but.
3. You’ve fallen and may’t stand up, and in that case, let me know and I’ll name somebody that will help you.

Please let me know which one. I’m beginning to fear!

[Your Name]

Why this e mail works:

• You present that you just’re considerate by acknowledging that you just is perhaps bothering them.
• Persona sells (you should utilize AI all you need, however folks purchase from folks).
• It’s simple for the recipient to answer by selecting out of your numbered checklist.

3. Inbound Lead From Content material Observe-up E mail

Let’s handle the elephant on the display screen: This e mail is longer than most. When the template is populated, this e mail runs at greater than 100 phrases (mine is 106, to be actual). That is longer than most gross sales emails, but it surely brings a variety of worth to the recipient.

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Hello [first name],

You latterly visited my web site and downloaded my weblog search engine marketing guidelines. Did you discover it helpful?

Did you obtain the piece simply to study extra about search engine marketing in 2025? Or, are you searching for an economical answer to the always-changing Google panorama?

I truly did some analysis on [COMPANY] and have the next suggestions:

• Your weblog shows nice experience, however a fast audit of your most up-to-date submit exhibits that it has an optimization rating of solely 43 (out of 100).
• I believe re-optimizing for the key phrase [example] may assist this stick the touchdown on Google.

Have you ever considered doing this?

Finest,

[Your Name]

Why this e mail works:

• The easy “Did it assist?” topic line will get your prospect’s consideration.
• Worth-based content material exhibiting your experience and helpfulness.
• Pure point out of ache factors helps promote with out feeling salesy.
• The emphasis on a “cost-effective answer” is a pleasant contact.
• Bullet factors maintain it organized and simple to skim.