Refining Your Subject Line
Posted on February 17th, 2010 by JadenThe Art and Science of Email Marketing
In a nutshell, the subject line can make or break your email. It is the first thing the reader sees before they open it to read further. There are also multiple ways that readers choose to be alerted about incoming email. Depending on which email client they are using this could be a variety of pop-up windows on the readers desktop.
Catching the readers attention is an important part of email marketing, it is the best way to draw them to what you have to say or offer. How can we do so without saying “Hey you! Read this now, it’s important information.” There are a few simple steps to follow to ensure you’ve got a subject line that will deliver a great open rate.
- Be relevant and relate to your customer. What is your message trying to say and how does it appeal to your target audience. Narrow it down to something simple that makes sense to the reader and they are sure to open it for further reading, or remember it and come back to it later.
- Offer them the world in 50 characters or less. If you can provide your reader with a fantastic special offer in one short phrase they are most likely to jump on that email and open it to find out more.
- Try to personalize your subject line with the use of demographic information. If your list database includes your readers first and or last names then adding that personalization will make them feel more a part of what is inside.
- Don’t give away the entire message in the subject line and use urgency depending on the topic. An anticipating phrase can increase interest in the offer available inside the message.
These are only just a few suggestions to optimize your subject line. Keeping your readers in mind is the best bet for a successful open rate.
Checking For Spam
Email subject lines can often be flagged as spam if the correct guidelines are not applied. Capitol letters, exclamation points, and some keywords such as “free, save $, buy now, prescriptions”.
Additional Ideas
Gmail displays subject lines as well as the first line of text in the email message. By adding a brief catch phrase in your email message header you could increase your open rate. It’s a chance to provide readers with a tiny bit more information about what they have just received. There is also the possibility of including a link to “Register Now!” or “Get Yours Today!” in the same phrase to increase click through rate.
A subject line from Threadless
Threadless uses a 1x1px .gif image with alt text containing the first line of the email which is then displayed in the column next to the subject line in Gmail.
Other email clients such as Hotmail do not have this additional feature but recent tests results have proven successful in generating click throughs with the use of a short phrase with a link in the header.
An email heading from BCAIM
Email messages take time to increase readership and refine details for higher success rates. Test and test again is the best approach to hitting your target audience in the right spot at the right time.
Check out these great resources for Email Marketing:
Beautiful Email Newsletters Gallery
Rock Solid HTML Emails by 24 Ways
Subject Lines: 15 Rules To Write Them Right – Lyris HQ
