There's a lot of writing about how to create better emails for lead generation or sales conversion. But many of us also produce emails to inform readers. And that's a different animal.

After a weekend of Winter Storm Jonas updates from the towns where we live and work, I got to do a sort-of A-B test for informational emails. Each municipality sent multiple updates on weather conditions, services impacted and even tips for staying safe. One did it really well and the other....not so much.

What we want when we receive this information is news we can use, presented in an easy to consume way and delivered in a knowledgeable but approachable way. Especially during times of distress, like bad weather, product recalls, etc.

A Tale of 2 Emails

Here are the results of my A-B testing. Evaluate your informational emails against these criteria to see which side of the ledger you come down on. Then use these traits to write more effective informational emails to your customers, prospects, stakeholders, etc.

Criteria for informational emails