Email marketing is booming: last year, 52% of marketers said their campaign return on investment (ROI) doubled, while 5.7% of marketers experienced a four-fold ROI compared to 2022, shows a Statista report.

How can you create similar results for your business this year?

The effectiveness of email marketing comes down to a few key factors:

• Knowing your audience and their pain points and desires.
• Creating emails that respond to those specific needs.
• Getting yours emails in the inboxwhere your subscribers can interact with them.

As a CEO of a B2B email marketing company, I often hear from clients about their top challenges. A big one? Creating emails that truly engage and drive results. It is difficult to properly define the content, length and audience.

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Most of your customers prefer shorter emails

If you're struggling to make your emails more engaging, here's one aspect you might want to keep in mind: just make them shorter. Latest data from a The ZeroBounce report shows that 66% of consumers prefer short emails and only 6% prefer longer emails.

But keep this caveat in mind: for 28% of people, email length becomes irrelevant if the content is well-tailored to their needs and interests.

It's no wonder people prefer shorter marketing emails. When inboxes are clogged with messages, why would you choose a long message over a quick note? Concise and direct emails respect your customers' time and have a higher chance of getting their attention. But while most people prefer brevity, the quality and relevance of your emails is what really captures and maintains interest.

The message is clear for the 28% who don't mind length: When an email resonates well with their needs or interests, they're willing to invest more time, regardless of word count. This segment of your audience is open to more in-depth content that speaks directly to their challenges.

How to determine the right email length

So how do you strike the right balance between brevity and substance? The key is to start with understanding your audience. Segment your email list based on past behaviors, preferences, and interactions. This segmentation allows you to tailor your messages more precisely. Also, you probably send different types of e-mail. This aspect alone should guide your approach:

• Newsletters it can be longer and cover some pieces of information in more depth.
• Drip campaigns can consist of a series of emails that gently nudge your prospects toward a purchase. These emails can be short – sometimes, a few lines followed by a call to action (CTA) it's enough.
• Targeted campaigns, such as a discount or free offer, can have an attractive image accompanied by a few sentences and an attractive CTA button.

If you're still not sure if your email is too long, here are some tips to save you time and make things easier.

Start with a clear goal

Every email should have a clear purpose. Whether to inform, increase engagement or drive sales, your purpose will dictate the length needed. Don't add fluff just to make an email longer; keep it as long as necessary to fulfill its purpose.

Choose simplicity and clarity

Use plain language and clear CTAs. Marketing emails rarely benefit from any metaphors. Your email should lead readers smoothly from the opening line to the desired action without unnecessary distractions.

Customize it down to the last detail

Use what you know about your customers to tailor your emails. When marketing emails feel personal, people care more about the message and less about the length.

Try and adapt to what your audience likes

Research can point you in the right direction in terms of consumer preferences, but only you can determine what your audience responds to most. Before you send your next email, consider A/B testing different lengths. Then, analyze your metrics to see what performed best.

Improve your appearance

Sometimes, the way information is presented can affect how we perceive the length of an email. Breaking up text with relevant images or using bullet points can make longer emails seem more digestible and engaging.

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Ask your subscribers

Asking for opinions shows that you care about serving your audience better, so why not include a survey in your next newsletter? Let your subscribers tell you how long they want your emails to be. Nothing is straightforward customer feedback helping you create more effective campaigns.

Bonus tips to increase email engagement

Here are some additional tips to help your future emails get more clicks:

• Try to keep your subject lines between 30 and 50 characters. Not only will yours subscribers render them faster, but keeping your subject lines short ensures they display well on all devices.
• Check the health of your email list to avoid bounces and the possibility of landing in the spam folder.
• Rate your spam complaint rate – it should be below 0.1% to be compliant Yahoo and Google's new rules for sending emails.

Also, remember that your goal is to genuinely connect with your audience, no matter how many words it takes to get there. If your email ends up taking longer than you planned, but it covers a topic that many of your subscribers are interested in, don't worry. Engaging content can often justify a longer read.