When it comes to marketing in eCommerce — especially email marketing — being a rebel is not only easy, it’s fun! And rebellious emails often convert better than your average email. Because they stand out. They get noticed. In email marketing, the rules were made to be broken.

So, if you like being a rebel…

And you’re not scared to throw the “rules” out the window…

And you want to turn your ordinary emails into extraordinary conversion engines…

Break the rules.

Be a rebel.

Here are 5 ways to do it.

1st Rebel Move: Break the grammar rules! 

Whether you retained all the grammar rules from English class or religiously edit your copy in Grammarly (and trust everything it tells you to do…), when it comes to email marketing, forget all of it.

Copywriting — words used to move readers to action for advertising or marketing — doesn’t have to follow the rules. And email copywriting falls under that umbrella.

What should you do instead?

End a sentence with a preposition.

Start a sentence with “And,” “Because,” or “But.”

Use slang that’s only meaningful to your audience.

It’s okay to use sentence fragments.

And one word sentences.

And one sentence paragraphs are perfectly acceptable.

Email copy is usually short and sweet — you don’t have long to grab your readers’ attention when they’re scrolling through their inbox. So anything you do to stand out from the mundane bulk of emails is a good thing. Promise.

2nd Rebel Move: Sprinkle in a few plain text emails from time to time. 

eCommerce emails typically lean heavily on high-quality images of branded products. Or people enjoying life while using/wearing the products. Or the transformation the products give users. 

For many brands, images do a lot of the selling. And that’s not only okay; it’s a necessary tool to “seal the deal” or make the sale.

Because when products are sold online, you can’t touch them, hold them in your hand, and experience the quality. The two-dimensional images (and the copy describing it) do the selling. And most buyers want to see what they’re buying — not only a description, but a visual image of their potential purchase.

It makes sense.

But think about this: if you’re used to getting image-heavy emails from a brand you follow, would it catch your eye if they sent a text-only email? An email with an interesting message — sans images?

If you’re not used to emails looking like this from that particular brand, it will probably stand out.

You’ll be more likely to read the email.

Mixing in an occasional text-only email is your chance to grab your audience’s attention. It will help your email stand out. And it’s your chance to find the message — using only words, not graphics, that will build a deeper connection with them. 

Help your audience fall in love not only with your beautiful product images but also your story, your values, and what you stand for. Do this with plain text emails.

3rd Rebel Move: vary your subject line length, capitalization, & use of emojis.

If your email doesn’t get opened, it can’t do its job. And the very important job of the subject line is to entice the reader enough to get them to open the email.

So, whether the goal of your email is to make a sale, deepen a relationship, or build loyalty, none of that can happen if it doesn’t get opened.

What makes a good subject line?

You have to find what works for your audience. What do they like? And what gets them to take action, aka open the email?

Perhaps you use intrigue.

Or an emoji.

Try some emails in Title Case and some in subject case.

Test, optimize, and test again.

4th Rebel Move: Change who your emails are sent “from.”

The first thing your reader sees in their inbox is the sender: who each email is from.

In each ESP (email service provider), you can fill in the sender field… the “From.” 

The sender field is the first touchpoint you have to build trust with your audience — so choose who your email is from wisely.

Who should your emails be from?

Most people want emails from a person. Not from a brand or a business.

Perhaps you’ll try sending emails from the founder or CEO. Perhaps another person at your company.

To find out what works best for your audience, test different variations of the “from” field. If your brand is playful, have a little fun with it. (Are you on Shinesty’s list? Their emails — particularly the “from” field — are gold!)

Whatever you do, don’t send emails from a “no-reply” email address. You can do better than that.

5th Rebel Move: Write short sentences. 

Nobody wants to read long sentences or extended paragraphs in an email.

If you can’t easily read a sentence in a single breath, it’s too long. (Pro tip: always read your email out loud before you hit “send.” It’s a great test for determining if you need to trim it down.)

Keep your readers engaged by writing easy to skim paragraphs.

Short sentences.

Maybe just a few words.

Or two.

Write in a varied, skimmable cadence so that your readers’ eyes see every word you want them to read.

Seriously. Do it.

Don’t be afraid to be different!

Most people get hundreds of emails every day.

To stand out in the crowded inbox, dare to be different.

Do things in ways that other brands don’t. Test what works best; don’t assume you know.

And if you try something that works and it surprises you, keep doing it! Being an eComm rebel is fun.