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Email is a powerful marketing tool. It allows you to build a rapport with your audience, keep your offerings in the front of their minds, and present them with special offers to help seal the deal. Here are ten tips that will help you get the best possible results from your email offers.

#1: Make it Worthwhile and Useful

Your reader’s time is valuable, so if you’re going to send him an offer through email, it’s important to make sure it’s worthwhile. And that means more than offering a substantial discount (although that is a good start). It means sending targeted offers that the reader can use. If you send offers that are of no interest to him personally, not only will he not take advantage of them, he might decide to unsubscribe.

#2: Use a Descriptive Subject Line

There are times when a vague or mysterious subject line can work, but it’s important to remember that you’re taking a risk that such an email might be deleted unread. So when you’re making an offer, it’s especially important to let the reader know in the subject line. You don’t necessarily have to lay out all of the details, but you want to let them know that there are savings waiting for them if they take the time to read your message.

#3: Create a Sense of Urgency

Any time you make an offer, you’ll get better results by creating a sense of urgency. Letting subscribers know that the offer is only good for a limited time or to a limited number of customers will give them an incentive to act now.

Remember to stick to any deadlines that you set - while an occasional extension of a popular offer can be a good thing, if you extend every offer you make subscribers will not take you seriously.

#4: Don’t Overwhelm the Reader

Emails containing offers should be fairly short and to the point. If you bury the offer at the end of a thousand-word article, it’s unlikely that your readers will make it that far. It’s also a good idea to avoid cramming multiple offers into a single email. One or two related offers should be the focus of your message. Add more than that, and it can lead to confusion and fatigue. Besides, giving each offer its own email gives you more opportunities to make contact with your subscribers.

#5: Target Your Offers

When you make an offer, it’s tempting to send it to your entire mailing list, but sometimes that’s not a good idea.

A better approach is to create relevant offers for customers who have shown interest in what you’re offering or similar products or services. This way you avoid wasting the reader’s time with offers for things that he can’t or won’t use.

#6: Lure Them in with Anticipation

If you have a big product launch coming up, it’s important to build anticipation and lure your subscribers in beforehand. The same is true for your best email offers. Let your subscribers know that something big is coming up, and they will pay attention. You can start out by simply telling them to be on the lookout for a great offer in the coming weeks. As the time draws near, you can let out more details. This will keep them interested and give them a reason to open every email you send to learn more.

#7: Make it Exclusive

Making exclusive offers is a great way to boost sales. An offer that isn’t available to just anyone has a way of making the recipient feel special and making him want to take advantage of grab it while it’s available. And if you make the offer available to subscribers only, it can also boost new opt-ins. Alternatively, you could make exclusive offers to subscribers who signed up for a specific course or bought a particular product.

#8: Tell a Story

While you don’t want to get too wordy in an offer email, telling a story is a good way to draw the reader in and avoid special offer fatigue.

You could tell how you came to create the product you’re offering or why you decided to put it on sale. You can even tell a funny story from your personal life if you can find a way to connect it to your offer.

 #9: Focus on the Click

You put a lot of work into your sales page. It’s designed to tell the reader what your product can do for him or her and make him want to buy it. That means that there’s no need to try to make the sale in your offer email. Its purpose should be to capture the reader’s interest and make him want to visit your sales page.

That’s where the money is, after all.

 #10: Follow Up

One of the most common mistakes marketers make when making an offer is failing to follow up. While it’s important not to wear an offer out, you’ll want to remind subscribers about the offer before it expires. That way, those who have put off making a purchase for one reason or another will have a chance to take advantage of the deal while it’s still good. And it’s just as important to follow up for those who did buy.

Sending them a simple thank-you email or asking for feedback will let them know that you appreciate their business and make them more likely to become repeat customers.

Email is an excellent medium for making special offers.