Most e-mail marketing is doomed from the start, in that over 90% of e-mails sent will never be read. Why is that?

1. Poor subject line - screw this up and the rest of your message is irrelevant.

Your subject line announces your e-mail and tells the reader if the message is important to them or not. Your subject line should do one thing and one only - get your reader to open the message and read the first sentence. Simply stating "You can make $30,000 in the next 30 days" just won't cut it. In fact, a line like this will increase the chance that it will be considered spam. The more hyped your subject is, the less chance of getting a response. How do you attract the reader's attention without hype? There's no magic formula, but personalizing the subject line with your prospects name almost guarantees a second look. But name alone won't get you great results; you still need to craft the rest of your subject line without the hype. Don't write all the subject with capital letters.

2. Don't confuse the prospect in the first paragraph

Now that the prospect has opened up your message, another 90% or more of your prospects will not make it past the first sentence. Your goal is to get them to read the first sentence, which leads to the second and so on. Don't state in the first sentence why you sent the e-mail message, how to opt-out, apologize for your message and for sure don't state that this message is not spam! Every sentence should contribute toward moving your prospect towards your objective what ever that objective is. If your subject gets the prospects' attention, the first paragraph should lead them into the rest of you message. You should always keep one thing in mind; your prospect only cares about one thing - what is in it for them.

Provide your prospects with something of value and they will take you up on your offer. What do you have that can help them in making a decision? What can you give away that will be an asset to them? If you become a resource to your prospects you will see the quality and quantity of responses change for the better.