The Most Common Email Mistakes (Real Examples from the History of Email Marketing)

I remember how a few years ago I made a sarcastic comment about our CEO’s recent policy change in an email that was meant only for my friend in the office. Minutes later, I realized that I hit the “Reply All” button in a team email chain, including the CEO himself. The realization hit me like a ton of bricks as panic set in. I felt my face flush with embarrassment, and a sense of dread washed over me.

I knew I had to address it immediately, so I sent a follow-up email apologizing for my inappropriate comment. The CEO called me into his office, and I feared the worst. To my relief, he just calmly discussed the importance of maintaining a professional tone in all company communications. While I was relieved not to be fired, I walked away with a heightened awareness of the impact of careless emailing.

This incident that happened in the early years of my career and the strong emotions of fear and embarrassment imprinted in my memory made me very careful with email communication ever since. 

In this article, we collected some of the most common email mistakes and tried to provide advice on how to avoid them. Read to know more about some email practices and stories of some of the worst email mistakes.

The Worst Email Mistakes in History

Making an email error often feels awkward and embarrassing, especially if the content is sensitive or we communicate with more than one person at a time. Here we collected some real-life stories that prove—email mistakes happen to everyone. 

The accidental teen spy 

In 2000, a schoolgirl from Devon named Claire McDonald found herself in a highly unusual situation. For six months, she received 11 emails a day from a classified source at the Pentagon in the United States. This happened because a Navy commander accidentally added her to a round-robin recipient list.

The emails she received were packed with sensitive information, including strategies on how the UK could protect its secrets from adversaries, detailed communication issues on British warships, and insights into New Zealand’s naval defense strategy. Realizing the gravity of the situation, 15-year-old Claire tried to alert the Navy in December 2000, but her warnings were ignored. By the end of this period, she had received a staggering 250 sensitive emails, marking a significant email error by the British Navy.

This story can be considered as one of the heavy email mistakes and nonetheless, the US Secret Service still functions, even with some secrets going public. 

Source: Medium

The April Fools’ Day save

Greg Antonelle, the managing director of MickeyTravels, LLC, often receives invitations to various events. As an entrepreneur, he needs to be selective about which ones are worth his company’s money and time. So, when a company proposed that he shell out a significant amount to attend a conference, he rolled his eyes. But he didn’t just stop there.

Thinking he was blind copied on the email, Greg tried to forward it to his wife but accidentally hit “Reply All.” His sarcastic response was along the lines of not wanting to pay a dollar for the seminar because he could probably run it himself and needed an excuse not to attend. The moment he hit “Send,” he realized his mistake.

Fortunately, it was April Fools’ Day. He quickly replied again, claiming it was an April Fools’ joke and that he was actually signing up for the event. Despite the initial awkwardness, this quick recovery worked out well. He attended the conference, built a strong relationship with the other company, and they still laugh about the incident to this day.

Source: Reader’s Digest

Welcome to UC San Diego…or not: The epic email blunder

The admissions team at UC San Diego made a significant error by mistakenly sending a welcome email to all 46,000 applicants for the freshman class, including around 28,000 who had already been rejected. In an extreme case of false hope, the email read:

“We’re thrilled that you’ve been admitted to UC San Diego, and we’re showcasing our beautiful campus on Admit Day.”

As a result, the entire admissions staff had to handle a flood of angry calls from disappointed applicants and their parents after the erroneous email was sent out.

Source: Los Angeles Times

The Most Common Email Mistakes and How to Avoid Them 

While email content is the cornerstone of every marketing campaign, how you write it is as important as what you write in your emails. Knowing your target audience is crucial for avoiding misunderstanding tone in emails. Go too formal with Gen X or too informal with a Baby Boomer and you might lose your clients.

To avoid this mistake, segment your audience and tailor your tone accordingly. Conduct surveys or use analytics tools to better understand your audience’s preferences and expectations. This way, you can strike the right balance and make your emails resonate with your readers.

Subject lines are the first thing your clients look at, so don’t mess this one up! Too long, too straightforward, too confusing, too spammy—there are many possibilities for an inadequate subject line. That’s why being clear, concise, and speaking your audience’s language is so important here. Also, avoid spam-like words and using Caps Lock.

Experiment with A/B testing to find the most effective subject lines. Use action-oriented language that prompts the reader to open the email, and always ensure that the subject line accurately reflects the content of the email.

Personalization is the key to your email success, and this cannot be repeated enough! Contemporary subscribers like being known by their favorite brands, so use it to your advantage. Research and analyze your audience, and then shape your offer in a way that feels personal.

By addressing your clients by name, you go one step further in making your clients feel like this one was made especially for them. What you get in return is increased involvement with your brand and loyalty. Use CRM tools to manage and segment your contacts effectively, allowing for more personalized and relevant greetings.

There’s a subtle difference between sounding enthusiastic about your offer and being overly intrusive. While emphasizing the advantages of your product is important, no doubt, screaming it to your customers’ faces with Caps Lock and exclamation marks might be a bad idea. It makes your customers feel not interested but rather pressed, which might cause the opposite reaction.

Instead, use bold or italic text sparingly to highlight key points and ensure that your enthusiasm is conveyed through compelling and well-structured content rather than through excessive punctuation.

If you wonder, “Why do some people fail to write clear and concise messages?” the answer might be: too much text in the email. Writing an email that’s too lengthy can deter readers and dilute the main message. Too lengthy emails can prevent even the most motivated and loyal clients from finishing your message. While being informative about your products and services is great, try to incorporate in your message also links or interactive elements. They will dilute a heavy-text email while making it more interactive at the same time.

Break up your text with bullet points, headings, and images to make it more digestible. Ensure that your key message is conveyed within the first few sentences.

Every psychologist will advise against making an important decision or having a meaningful conversation when you are angry. Every professional marketer will advise the same about sending emotional emails. Whatever the reason behind the excess of your emotions (even positive ones), wait an hour or two before getting your hands on any emails to avoid having confused or frustrated clients.

Draft your email, but do not send it immediately. Review it later with a clear mind, or ask a colleague to proofread it. This will help ensure that your message is professional and conveys the right tone.

While the content can be considered the king of your emails, formatting is definitely the queen. Even well-written and catchy content of the right length can lose its efficiency when poorly formatted. Proper formatting ensures that your email is easy to read and visually appealing.

Use headers, bullet points, and short paragraphs to break up the text. Include images and graphics where appropriate and organize them well. Always preview your email before sending it to ensure that it looks good on different devices and email clients. Consistent and clean formatting helps guide your readers through the email and highlights the most important information.

We’ve all been there: you write your email and promise that more information will be in the attachment, then you press the “Send” button only to realize that an attachment was forgotten. While not a mistake that is crucial for your reputation, it can nonetheless delay the communication process and necessitate follow-up emails.

To avoid this, develop the habit of attaching files before you start writing your email. Many email clients also offer reminder features that alert you when you mention an attachment but forget to include it. Double-check your email for attachments before hitting “Send” to ensure that your recipient has all the necessary information.

Drawing attention to your email by marking it with a red flag is a good idea…when it is really urgent. Nonetheless, when an email requires no immediate action, adding a red flag might create an unnecessary sense of urgency and put additional pressure on the recipient. This can lead to frustration and may cause recipients to overlook genuinely urgent emails in the future.

Reserve urgent flags for situations that truly require immediate attention. Communicate clearly in the subject line and body of your email about the urgency and reasons for it, so recipients understand why a prompt response is needed.

Ignoring email regulations and best practices can lead to legal and professional issues. Compliance with laws such as the GDPR and the CAN-SPAM Act is crucial for maintaining your reputation and avoiding hefty fines. Always ensure that you have the recipient’s permission to send them emails and provide an easy way for them to unsubscribe. Include your business’s physical address and contact information in every email.

Regularly review and stay updated on the latest regulations and best practices to ensure that your email marketing strategy remains compliant. This builds trust with your audience and protects your business from legal repercussions.

An email signature can be considered your email branding—it can be professional and appropriate, or it can be out of context. Considering that it stands at the very end of your email, it shapes the reader’s final impression. So, it is important to align your signature with your overall company’s branding.

Ensure that your email signature includes your name, title, company, and contact information. You can also add links to your social media profiles and a call to action. However, keep it simple and avoid including too many elements that could clutter the signature. In the case of private emails, keep your signature in the style of the overall context, ensuring it remains professional and appropriate.

Consider whether all recipients need to see your response to avoid overloading inboxes and sharing information unnecessarily. Misusing the “Reply All” function can annoy recipients and lead to information overload, reducing the effectiveness of your communication.

Before hitting “Reply All,” think about whether your response is relevant to everyone on the recipient list. If not, reply only to the necessary individuals. Educate your team about the appropriate use of “Reply All” to maintain efficient and effective communication. This not only respects the recipients’ time but also helps in keeping email threads clean and focused.

To Sum Up

Email mistakes are numerous and diverse. While many of them are awkward and embarrassing and make us feel very uncomfortable at times, only a few have potentially devastating consequences (like the Pentagon case). Nonetheless, if you want to upkeep your reputation, be it a private or professional one, it is always a good idea to keep in mind some of the best email practices we described here.

By double-checking recipients, proofreading your messages, and keeping a professional tone, you can avoid most of the common pitfalls and ensure your emails reflect the best of your intentions and professionalism. And remember: a moment of caution can save you from a lifetime of regret.