Should emails be short or long?

Here's the honest answer: there's no magic word count. An email should be as long as it needs to be and as short as it possibly can be.

A flash sale? Keep it brief. Your subscribers don't need the history of your product line; they need to know what's on sale and when it ends. A detailed product launch with technical specs? That'll take more space, and your engaged readers will stick with you. A founder's letter about company values? Length doesn't kill it if it's genuine and worth their time.

But The real question isn't length. It's whether every sentence pulls its weight. Does it move your reader closer to understanding or action? If yes, keep it. If you're padding to hit a target word count, cut it.

Some signals that favor shorter emails: you're announcing something simple, your audience is primarily mobile readers, you're sending to new subscribers who don't know you yet, or this is a promotional email competing for attention. Signals that favor longer emails: your readers are genuinely engaged (they've opened your last five emails), you're sharing real editorial value, you're explaining something complex, or you're building a relationship with an audience that trusts you.

The best way to know what works for your list is to test. Try both. Watch your open and click rates to see what your audience prefers. Short emails might perform better for some audiences; longer ones for others.

So Start with this: trim every unnecessary phrase. Then decide if you need more. That's your real length.

Related: engaged audience.