The Art and Science of Email Copywriting: Insights from a Designer's Perspective
- Diana Buda
- May 21
- 3 min read
Your email looks fantastic. You've used personalised images and modules, the design flows well, the colours and fonts are accessible, and the buttons are clear. But the results? Flat.
The likely culprit? The copy.
I'm not a copywriter, not even close. But after years of working on email design and development, I've realised that copy is probably the most important part of an email’s anatomy.
In the age of AI, it's easy to treat copywriting as just another task to automate. But email copywriting is both an art and a science, and it's one of the few parts of an email that can truly persuade or connect.
Here are some of the things I’ve learned about what makes email copy work.
1. Know Your Audience
Before writing a single line, dig into who you’re speaking to.
Look at demographics: age, region, industry (especially for B2B), but also consider technical factors like what device and email provider they use to open your emails. These insights shape tone, structure, and format.
Always segment. A generic email is a forgettable email.
2. Talk to Your Reader, Not About Yourself
It’s easy to read an email draft and think, “I’d take action on this.” But you’re not the target.
Instead of focusing on your product or offer, focus on the reader’s needs. This is where user personas can help. If your brand doesn't have them, now’s a good time to start building them.
Pro tip: swap “we” for “you” as often as possible. You’ll naturally write in a more user-centric tone.
3. Use AI, But Be Smart About It
AI can be an incredible assistant, but only if you give it context. Here’s one way I recommend to use it:
Ask AI to act as an email copywriting specialist
Explain the target audience
State the goal of the email
Share the tone of voice you're aiming for
Be specific about the type of email (welcome, promotional, abandoned cart, etc.)
Include examples of good copy if you have any
Add this to your prompt: “Ask me any questions you need to complete this task”
Once you get the AI's output, don’t take it at face value. Tweak, iterate, and refine it until it sounds like your brand. Once you're happy with the result, ask AI to check your text for errors. You'd be surprised how many times I caught mistakes this way!
Bonus tip: Create a persona of your audience using AI, and then ask it to review your copy from that point of view.
4. Keep It Simple
Short emails almost always perform better. Don’t bury the point under marketing fluff. Stick to plain English. Unless you're writing for a specialist audience, clarity always wins.
Here are a few plain language tips that work for me:
Use short, active sentences
Avoid jargon or explain it simply if you must use it
Use headings, bullet points, and bold text to guide the reader
Highlight benefits, not just features
Get straight to the point. Don't make readers work to understand your message
If you’re interested in more, I also shared some design-focused clarity tips in a previous article on email design structure.
5. Learn from the Experts
Want to get better at email copywriting? These are a few people and resources that have helped me:
Her book Mailed It! is full of real-world examples and tips for writing emails that convert, build trust, and feel like they were written by a human (because they were).
In Holistic Email Marketing, she shows how strategy, design, and copy all work together. It's a great read if you’re looking to improve your email results.
A retention-focused strategist who’s great at writing lifecycle emails that sound personal, not robotic. Her onboarding teardown series is packed with insights.
Final Thoughts on Good Email Copywriting
Design gets attention. Copy gets results.
If you're a designer like me, it's easy to focus on the visuals. But in the end, a beautifully designed email that doesn't say the right thing won’t perform.
The good news? You don’t need to be a copywriter to write better copy. You just need to stay curious, stay clear, and keep your audience at the heart of what you write.
