First Impressions

How many times have you heard someone say (or have said yourself): "This food is terrible. Try it."?

Well, that's the impression we got when we came across a recent call for abstracts that included 25 pages of instructions explaining how to use their online submission system.

Think about the message that sends to potential submitters. How many are going to look forward to submitting an abstract when they're being told—quite clearly—that not only is the first bite going to be hard to swallow, but that if they're selected, the rest of the process is probably going to be just as bad?

No submission process should require reams of instructions. But that's beside the point. The real point is this: Your call is often your first impression with potential submitters. Don't waste it turning people off.

4 Tips for Getting Announcement Emails Noticed

The most important part of any email is the subject line. Think of it as the "packaging" for your message. Not only should it summarize the contents, it must also pique the recipient's interest enough to make him want to open the message to find out more.

So why do so many conferences send out call notices with uninteresting subject lines like "Annual Meeting Call for Speakers Now Open" or "Call for Speakers - Annual Meeting"? Are call announcements an exception to the rule? Of course not. While it may be easy to get people who are already excited about speaking at your conference to open up an email from you, those aren't the people you need to worry about. They've already committed to action. Instead, you should be focused on people who don't know about your conference or who might be on the fence about responding to your call.

Here are some tips for engaging those people:

• Keep it short. The more words you use, the more likely your message will be muddled. Keep the details for the body of the message.
• Define value. Tell the recipient up front what he gets out of opening the message.
• Convey urgency. People are far more likely to act when there's a deadline.
• Personalize. Keep the focus on the recipient.