We all know the difference between receiving a bill in the mail, and a fun letter or a birthday card. We’re normally a bit more hesitant to open a bank statement, whereas a colorful invitation gets opened right away. Why should our emails be any different?
Fun and humor are great ways to make sure that our messages get read.
A good comedian knows their audience…
Before sending a funny email, ask yourself if the message you’re sending is in line with your brand. Will humor strengthen your brand’s image or would it damage it? If your product needs to be taken seriously, then perhaps humor is best left alone. Take a look at your target demographic and their likes and dislikes, habits, age etc. If you’re aiming a campaign at baby boomers, will they appreciate a fun meme?
Are you trying too hard?
If the humor works naturally and organically with your brand or the topic at hand, then go for it! However, if the joke needs to be overly explained, or if someone just doesn’t “get it”, then perhaps you need to take a different approach. Test out the campaign with a few colleagues to get some (honest!) feedback before you hit “Send”.
For the day that’s in it…
Barking mad! April Fool’s Day is a great day to test the waters with a new campaign. One of our favorite joke campaigns was run by Warby Parker. To celebrate the day, they launched a website with glasses for dogs. It was a great way to highlight their actual products, and if a customer tried to add a pair of glasses to their cart, they were redirected to the real website (for two-legged customers!) and were also encouraged to visit their local Humane Society and make a donation there.
A dog-walking drone and a cat poop catapult! While we’re on the topic of pet pranks, in 2019, ThumbsUp released their “pet-tech” range which included a drone that would take your dog for walks, a cat-flap with pawprint recognition and a catapult for flinging cat poop. If a customer tried to add the product to their cart, they were greeted with an April Fool’s greeting and a prompt to sign up for their newsletter. It’s a great way to get people talking about your site, and a nice way to grow your mailing list.
Make the most of emojis…
If you want your emails to stand out from the crowd, try using an emoji in your subject line. ReturnPath found that the use of emojis tends to increase email open rates. Not sure which one to use? Surprisingly, the study reported that the smiling poop emoji got the highest open rate! Just make sure that it’s relevant to your brand! We’re not sure random poops will get the result that you’re looking for. 💩
Why did the woman dump her marketer boyfriend? Lack of engagement. 💍
Everyone loves a good pun. If your brand’s tone of voice can support them, then go for it! However, make sure to keep the pun on target. If it doesn’t make your brand pop, just let it go. Check out this clever play on words from IKEA. 
Feeling inspired?
Check out our past blog posts on interactive emails, and creating the best subject lines for your emails.
