How Syntax Tweaks Can Skyrocket Your CTR
How Syntax Tweaks Can Skyrocket Your CTR
Found a cool tool to help you turn bland emails into captivating messages that drive action
Writing sales copy for emails isn't easy. Anyone who thinks so is a bit ... uninformed. It takes practice, yes. It also takes research. Not only about your audience but also about the underlying reasons why people react and respond to words ... phrases ... colors ... and more.
Syntax = /ˈsinˌtaks/ noun
the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language.
"the syntax of English"
I came across some fascinating research titled by “Creating Effective Marketing Messages Through Moderately Surprising Syntax”, Journal of Marketing that will help me and you inject a bit of fun and pizzazz into our copy. The key lies in the art of 'syntax surprise'!
Researchers A. Selin Atalay, Siham El Kihal, and Florian Ellsaesser discovered that playing with the order and structure of words in your copy can significantly increase engagement.
And it is significant - about 127.5% increase in click-through rates!
This isn't just a random number, either. It's backed by science. It's especially exciting for those of us who prefer snappy and unconventional writing over the usual, predictable stuff.
So what is this about?
It's all about striking the perfect balance. Your copy should be surprising, but not so outlandish that it becomes confusing. It's like adding a twist to your sentences, making them a bit more intriguing and engaging.
Here's an example for you...
Instead of this:
"Your brow liner won't wear off in the pool or gym"
say this:
"Gym or pool, your eyebrows stay put – no worries!"?
This kind of wording scores between 1.9 and 2.3 on the Syntactic Surprise Calculator developed by the researchers, hitting that sweet spot of engagement. (Oh, did you see that cool tool I mentioned? Click here to see The Syntactic Surprise Calculator in action.)
Through a series of experiments and analysis of thousands of online reviews, it was clear that moderately surprising syntax can make your message much more effective.
For example, a fashion brand saw a 74% higher CTR on a Facebook ad by simply tweaking the sentence structure to be slightly more surprising. I swear - this makes my researcher’s heart so happy to see! Research backed effectiveness…sorry…I digress.
Want to know why this works? It’s because our brains are wired to process sentences in expected ways. It happened as we learned language in our homes and then in school. When you break this pattern by even a little bit...you grab attention. It's like a mental double-take that makes people pay more attention to your message.
So, how can you harness this power in your own copy?
Start by playing around with different sentence structures. Use the Syntactic Surprise Calculator to gauge the surprise level of your sentences. Aim for a range of 1.9 to 2.3.
Here's the fun part - the research is from 2023 so that means it's a fresh perspective in the marketing world. And it's exciting. And like all science, more will be discovered. This doesn't mean you can't test it with your own email copy, though, right? Right! Test it. Then test it again.
So - are you ready to sprinkle some syntax surprises into your next campaign? Let's shake things up and see those engagement rates soar!
Got thoughts or experiences with this approach? I'm all ears! Leave a comment and let's discuss.
Talk soon -
Charlene Burke
PS Have you been sending emails to your list? Have you changed the emails you’ve been sending to your prospects? Yes? GREAT! No? Uh oh - we should talk. Happy to answer questions via email or you can get on my calendar for a virtual coffee chat - just click here: Coffee with Charlene
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Great stuff, Charlene! Thanks!