You’ve got mail… but do you want to read it?

07/05/2010

That’s the question you should be asking yourself every time you send an email to customers – existing or potential. You see, the most important factor of successful email marketing is to get people to read your emails in the first place.

So put yourself in their shoes, and ask ‘would I open this email?’

And the answer, of course, is determined by the very first element of the email; the subject line.

Ah, the humble subject line. This small, simple, unassuming collection of characters has the power to get people to engage with your brand and open the email. Similarly, it has the power to get your message ignored or worse, trashed. So it’s fair to say it’s pretty powerful then.

But as commanding as the subject line is, it doesn’t have to be intimidating if you bear a few simple points in mind:

You’re off to a good start

Don’t forget, people like to receive emails. It appeals to our instinctive craving for popularity. Think back to the last time you logged into your email account and saw no new emails. None. Zilch. A big fat 0. Were you not just slightly disappointed? Of course you were. So remember that when you’re next crafting a subject line. People will be receptive to your email at the start – now just don’t do anything stupid to mess it up!

Talking trash

Don’t use too many words that will trigger SPAM filters. These include, but are not limited to:

Cash, Free, Income, Credit Rating/Approval, Money, Income, Sex, Viagra, Win, Hidden, No fees, Promise, Amazing, Click here to…, Claims, As seen on…

You get the idea – you’ve probably seen all these on Spam emails yourself.

If you really must use one of these words, (for instance ‘free’ can be very attractive to your customers as part of a great offer), don’t use it at the start of the subject line.

Move the reader

I’m not saying make them cry (actually, that would be one hell of a subject line!), but motivate them to do something. Start your line with a verb, urging them to discover, improve, experience, find out, learn – anything that makes them act. You’ll find this is a handy way of getting them to go that one step further and open your email. Similarly, if you pose an engaging question in the subject line, there’s a good chance your reader will be moved to read your email for the answer.

THERE’S NO NEED TO SHOUT!!!!

Seriously. No one wants to read something in full capitals and with a hundred exclamation marks. Not least someone who has no commitment to opening your email.

The long and short of it

So which is it? Do you go for a long or short subject line? Well, the debate rages on, but the truth is probably closer to the fact that it doesn’t really matter as long as the subject line is interesting or intriguing to your audience, focused on a benefit for them and easy to scan and read. It’s generally thought that around 50 characters is a good length to aim for, but that’s by no means a strict rule.

Think more about your target market too. Are they just as likely to read their emails on an iPhone or Blackberry as they are a home computer? Then a shorter subject line might be the better option here.

Oh you tease…

Don’t lay yourself completely bare right from the start. If you reveal all in your subject line, what incentive has the reader got to open the email and read on? Try and work out the right balance of saying enough to grab the reader’s attention without saying so much that they can immediately decide they’re not interested. Even if you have an offer that needs shouting about, by all means get it in the subject line, but if you can, keep enough back to get them to read the rest of what you’ve got to say. And use an ellipsis…

…it makes people read on.

Create urgency – now!

By our very nature, we hate to miss out on things. So if you can put a timescale on what you’re saying in your subject line – do it. Is your offer for one week only? Are you telling people something that might be of particular interest this weekend? They’ll soon be getting their mouse all in a twist just to click through to your email before it’s too late.

Do you know who I am?

Don’t forget, people may have subscribed to your emails. And believe it or not that means they want to read them. So don’t be shy about who you are.

I receive monthly emails from The Cool Hunter. So what are their subject lines?

“UK Cool Hunter Newsletter (April)”
 
Perfect. I know what it is and I know I want to read it. Even if you haven’t got subscribers, your subject lines (and your ‘From’ field for that matter) may benefit from stating who you are.

W.I.I.F.M

And finally, the golden rule of marketing applies as much to your email’s subject line as it does all other sales tools you produce…

What’s In It For Me?

That’s all your reader is interested in really. Anything else is a waste of their time. So if you can get the customer benefits upfront in your subject line, there’s a good chance your customer will want to read your email. And you can’t ask much more from your little subject line than that.

So there we go, a few useful hints for your next email campaign. Of course, there is no set formula for your subject lines; this is just a little guidance. Wherever possible, test, test and test again, and you’ll soon start to figure out what’s right for you.

And if you want your own knock-out email campaign creating by people who know what it’s all about, or just a few more tips on what might work best for your business, CLICK HERE to get in touch with Boxed Red.

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