Ok, even if you’re not currently reading this, I know you were tempted. I wrote this subject line for two reasons; first, because humans tend to want to do something they’re told not to, and second, to illustrate the fact that subject lines are a major factor in open rates of email marketing campaigns.
Subject lines don’t always have to be clever or cute, but they do have to grab the attention of your audience immediately in order to entice them into opening the campaign. The following tips,(in no specific order), are meant to give you something to think about when creating a subject line for your next email campaign:
- Make it short and to the point. Try to keep your subject line to no more than 45 characters. Short and sweet beats long and boring every time.
- Use A/B testing if available. Sample two different subject lines and send the balance using the subject line that created the most opens.
- Create urgency right out of the box. Use words that make the recipient feel like they may miss out on something by not opening, like “limited time”, or “till the end of the month”.
- Make sure your send from address is personal. Nobody gets excited about getting an email from sales@mycompany.com. Even though they may know they are one of many receiving your message, make it from you.
- DON’T YELL AT THEM!! Over use of capitalization is not only unnecessary but annoying. You can create excitement without VOLUME.
This isn’t rocket science, but some of the simplest details overlooked can make or break an otherwise brilliant marketing campaign. Good luck!!
Joel Byford, Business Director, GreenMail inc.
