That's why short, snappy pitches pull better than long-winded appeals that tell a story, paint a picture, tug at heart strings, or describe your product's amazing bells and whistles in exhaustive detail. If your message exceeds one screen of text, go back and edit it until it fits. Internet users are busy people who receive dozens or even hundreds of email messages a day. They barely have time to click on your message to open it, much less waste valuable time figuring out what you're trying to sell. If you can't come up with a three-word subject line that sums up your pitch, hit the Delete key and start over.
Internet users tend to be surfers with short attention spans.
If you want to inspire them to action, you need to give them a compelling reason to buy today. Discounts, free samples, and limited-time offers are all powerful incentives to get people to respond. A mailing that generates 100 inquiries for additional information is ultimately going to be far more successful than a mailing that produces one or two quick sales. It's not enough to tell recipients to visit your home page. You need to tell them exactly what you want them to do.