The "Shoulder-Tap" Litmus Test: Is Your Email Worth the Interruption?
We spend hours obsessing over open rates and CTRs, but we often forget that an email is, at its core, an interruption. To write better content, stop looking at your monitor. Instead, close your eyes and try this psychological writing aid.
The Scenario
Imagine you walk into a buzzing, high-pressure office. You walk up to a desk where someone is deep in "the zone" - typing furiously, phone ringing, dual monitors glowing.
You sit down right next to them, lean in, and say your Subject Line out loud.
1. The Subject Line (The "Wait, What?" Moment)
If you say your subject line and they just keep typing, you’ve failed. If they give you a polite "Mhm" without looking up, you’ve failed.
The Goal: They stop typing, turn their head, and say: "Hang on, what was that? Can you say that again?"
If your subject line can’t break the flow of a busy person’s internal monologue, it won't break the clutter of a crowded inbox.
2. The Content (The Elevator Pitch)
Now, imagine you have their attention for exactly 15 seconds before their phone rings again. You start "reading" your email body to them.
- Are you clearing your throat with "I hope this finds you well"? (They’ve already turned back to their screen.)
- Are you rambling about your company’s 20-year history? (They’re looking for their headphones.)
The Test: If you can’t speak your email content naturally to a human being without feeling like a robot, don't send it. The length of your text should be exactly as long as you could hold that busy person’s gaze before they feel the urge to get back to work.
3. The Call to Action (The Handshake)
Finally, you deliver your CTA.
If your request is: "I'd love to hop on a discovery call to synergize our potential verticals," that person is going to ask security to escort you out.
The Test: Your CTA should be a natural "ask" between two people.
- "Can I send you that PDF?" * "Does Tuesday at 10:00 work for a quick chat?" ### The Bottom Line
If you can’t imagine yourself saying it to a real person in a real room, why are you sending it to their digital workspace?
Next time you’re stuck, get out of your head and into that "busy office." If you can’t make them say "Wait, tell me more," it’s back to the drawing board.
Final thoughts
Open rates don’t start with tools, templates, or tactics.
They start with whether your message deserves to interrupt someone’s day.
Before your next campaign, try this:
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Say the subject line out loud
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Read the email body in one breath
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Ask yourself if the CTA sounds like something a real person would say
If it fails any of those, it’s back to the drawing board.
Want us to apply the Shoulder-Tap test to one of your emails? Send it over - we’re happy to take a look.
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