![\"Email](\"https://mercurylabsmarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Email-Marketing.jpg\")
Does your email campaign\u2019s spam complaint number give you headaches? All that can be traced back to a single moment in 1978 when humanity made history by inventing spam email. Now, nearly 40 years on, there\u2019s plenty we can learn from this historic message. Today\u2019s post takes apart the first-ever spam email line by line and gives five practical lessons to make sure your emails reach the inbox and avoid landing in the dustbin of history.
\n\n\n\nBut first, a little backstory. The first known spam email was sent on May 1, 1978 to around 400 users on ARPANET (the Internet\u2019s precursor). Gary Thuerk, a marketing manager at Digital Equipment Corp., came up with the idea of using unsolicited mass email to promote their new product line\u2019s upcoming live presentation. While reactions to his cold emails were overwhelmingly negative, the campaign managed to generate between $14 million in revenues.
\n\n\n\nHere\u2019s Mr. Thuerk\u2019s email copy (exactly as written):
\n\n\n\nThis email really says a lot about how far spam has come in the past four decades or so. For one, spammers no longer rely on strict all caps all throughout. More importantly, though, the world\u2019s first-ever spam email teaches us some valuable lessons on keeping our campaign\u2019s spam complaint rate within the 0.1% sweet spot.
\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://mercurylabsmarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/01-Get-Right-to-the-Point.jpg\")
You\u2019ve got to hand it to Mr. Thuerk. He understands he only has a couple of seconds to capture the readers\u2019 interest. So, he opens the email by telling the recipient what the message is all about. To anyone pressed for time, that\u2019s a huge benefit.
But letting your readers know what to expect forms only part of an email\u2019s opening section. Email openings also need to grab the reader\u2019s attention and explain why the recipient should continue with the rest of the message. Here are several ways to do this:
\n\n\n\nRelated: Slaying Your (Mailer) Daemons and Reducing Email Bounce
\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://mercurylabsmarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/02-Know-Your-Readers-Well.jpg\")
Mr. Thuerk\u2019s email list consisted of ARPANET users, which means the campaign was targeting a highly technical audience. The text was clearly written for readers already familiar with earlier DEC products or computers in general (which were a relatively novel item during that time).
Of course, lumping your email audience into a single group (even though they share a common attribute) goes against the idea of segmentation. In fact, segmentation helps your messages avoid spam filters. To refine your campaign\u2019s focus, follow the below tips:
\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://mercurylabsmarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/03-Turn-Features-into-Benefits-and-Benefits-to-Value.jpg\")
The email copy devotes a huge part of the text pointing out the new product line\u2019s features and improvements. Reading the first two-thirds of the message feels like pouring over brochure excerpts.
\n\n\n\nWhile an unswerving emphasis on features may work for a highly technical audience, such as the 400 or so ARPANET users targeted in Mr. Thuerk\u2019s campaign, most other prospects today (even tech-savvy ones) will want to know the business impact of whatever it is you\u2019re offering.
\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://mercurylabsmarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/04-Balance-Tiny-Details-with-the-Big-Picture.jpg\")
At 203 words, the world\u2019s first spam email is a bit lengthy by today\u2019s standards. An analysis of 40 million emails in 2016 suggests keeping emails between 50 to 125 words long. Emails within that range tend to fetch response rates of up to 50%.
\n\n\n\nAlso, putting too much text in the email copy increases the risk of triggering spam filters. That\u2019s why emails need to be short and concise. There\u2019s a right time and place for going into the details of your offer, and email isn\u2019t where this needs to happen.
\n\n\n\nRelated: Sending Emails on Sunday? Are you Kidding me?!
\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https://mercurylabsmarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/05-Start-Strong-Finish-even-Stronger.jpg\")
That\u2019s a pithy piece of sales advice from Steli Efti over at the Close.io Blog. It works great for emails, too. When your email has already caught the recipient\u2019s attention and triggered their interest, you don\u2019t want to throw it all away with a weak closing line. Strong and clear closing lines drive action and eventually conversions.
\n\n\n\nThe closing line from Mr. Thuerk\u2019s history-making email finished somewhat on an equal intensity with the way it opened. If you recall our first point, the email\u2019s opening was straightforward but didn\u2019t do much when it came to nudging the recipient to read on.
\n\n\n\nThis closing could have been improved using some research-backed tips we talked about in a previous blog post:
\n\n\n\nRelated: Slaying Your (Mailer) Daemons and Reducing Email Bounces
\n\n\n\nWe took a look at the world\u2019s first spam email with the benefit of four decades of hindsight. As marketers and sales practices evolve, only time will tell how the spam emails of today (or even the legitimate ones) will be judged in the future. One thing remains the same, though. Spam goes beyond your copywriting tactics or your sender reputation. Spam includes all the things you do in your campaign that harms your relationship with prospects.
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