The art of the correction message

What to say when what you said wasn’t what you meant to say.

Here at Emma, we like to talk about how your email marketing strategy is a constantly evolving conversation with your customers and clients. And, as is the way of all conversations, it’s likely that someone will eventually misspeak. When that someone is you, it can be a bad feeling — few things are more humbling than making a public mistake. Fortunately, the conversational nature of email is on your side, and you can correct yourself as soon as you realize your error. A prompt correction and apology lets you not only set something right but also to show a nice flicker of personality. If done with a touch of class and maybe even a little humor, an apology can even strengthen the bond between you and your subscribers.

Now, because nobody’s really jockeying for the nickname, “The Joe Biden of Email,” be sure to get your message in front of fresh proofreaders before you send it. But since even the most careful vetting process can miss an error, it’s comforting to know that your proofreaders aren’t your last line of defense — your audience is.

Listen to your readers. The RSVP name and email address you associate with your email marketing strategy isn’t just there to let your readers know who they’re hearing from — it’s also there so they can get in touch with you. If your loyal readers spot a mistake in your email, an email reply is the handiest way for them to let you know about it, so use an active email address and keep a close eye on your inbox.

Nashville’s Belcourt Theater boasts a devoted audience of film buffs, so when the beloved movie house recently misidentified a showtime for one of their upcoming films, a diligent reader was happy to let them know. A strong communication channel with their audience meant that the Belcourt was able to promptly issue a correction message. As a bonus, they turned a typographical error into an opportunity to show appreciation for their readers. What should you do if you find yourself in a similar position? The same thing you would do if you misspoke at a dinner party: Correct yourself, apologize for the error and give credit to anyone who may have helped you see it.

(Note: This apology format does not apply to dinner parties where a game of charades is involved. For charades-related gaffes, the universally accepted apology is an exaggerated shrugging motion coupled with a bashful smile.)

Be prompt. You’ll probably see one of the highest spikes in activity in the two hours immediately after you send your campaign. The sooner you send a correction message, the more likely these early respondents are to connect with your correction rather than your error.

Be specific. You don’t always have to craft a completely new message to address a mistake — sometimes it’s better to correct your original content and send it out again. If you send a revised version of your original message, be clear about the correction you’re making, starting with the subject line. If your audience clearly sees “correction” there, they’ll probably skip the first message and go directly to the follow-up. In the introduction to your email, it’s a good idea to specifically address the error, just in case some folks were puzzled by your earlier message.

Be courteous. Anne Holland’s website, whichtestwon.com, offers readers a fun opportunity to play armchair web consultant to a new split test every week and then test their guesses against real-life results. Her weekly email notifications are critical to her operation, so when she misidentified a guest speaker she’d invited to host a webinar, she quickly realized her faux pas and issued a humble but humorous apology. Then, in a show of solidarity, she deliberately misspelled her own name. The correction message addressed an earlier mistake and showcased her own graciousness.

Be accommodating. If your error affected the audience’s experience — say, for example, a broken link to a limited-time offer — you may want to take an extra step, like extending the deadline on the offer to accommodate your readers.

Remember, email is one of the more personal communication channels available to you, and if someone has invited you to share information with them regularly, they’re likely to be forgiving of the occasional mistake. Careful proofing will keep your message consistent and your apologies rare, but everyone makes mistakes from time to time. (Hey, we’ve had to correct ourselves before, and email is kind of our thing.) A prompt correction and apology will go a long way toward showing your customers the human side of your business.