Ever since the days of Aladdin, we’ve been trying to find that secret word or phrase that will open the magic door to reach our treasure: how do we get a reader to open our email campaign?
It’s tricky, but it can be achieved if you follow guidelines. Like Goldilocks, you have to try a few different tactics for your Subject Line and figure out what is just right. The best strategy is to split your contact list in half, send your email campaign with Subject Line A to half the list, and with Subject Line B to the other half of your list. Wait two weeks, then check your open rates.
What subject lines are best? Here are some recommendations to get you started.
Stay away from these boring words (had to keep from yawning just typing these)
- Monthly Newsletter
- News from [your company name]
- January News
- News You Can Use
- [company name] Updates
You get the drift. There are 2 things wrong here: (1) “news” sounds like it’s going to be a long item to read, so the audience’s inclination is to hit the delete key or file “to read later”, which is essentially giving it a death sentence anyway. (2) you’re not giving your audience any idea of the material to come. With no hint of what lies ahead, the email is most likely going to be read “later” (Later=Delete).
Always give your audience an idea of what they’ll get out of it. This is crucial, as most of us only read something if we’re going to benefit from it.
Avoid splashy salesy hype talk.
- Six Secrets You Won’t Want to Miss
- You’re Invited to the Best Sale Ever (ps, I hate being “invited” to buy from you)
- Four Free Tips Worth $2000
- Five Ways to Achieve Success
If it reads like junk, people will assume it is, and will “file” it as such. The popular method of using a number as part of a title, supposedly because people sense it will be a short article, is SO overdone and tired, it’s now downright embarrassing. Even if you don’t make it into someone’s spam filter, people know spam when they see it and they won’t bother to read what you wrote.
What to do?
- Subject lines need to be brief, so that all of it appears in the reader’s email program properly.
- Wording should contain a clue as to the topic and how they will benefit from your material.
- They should be simple and conversational, with an interesting twist. Yep, that’s the hard part.
There’s no magic formula, no Open Sesame. It’s trial and error with a strong dose of knowing your audience.
Some tips to remember:
- Reflect your content – don’t hint at one thing but write about another.
- Be true to your brand – if you use humor in your business, keep your subject lines light as well.
- Stay on track with professionalism: don’t try to come off too “cool” at the risk of sounding foolish.
- Be vigilant about spelling and grammar. Proofread and send a test to a friend, so they can spot-check as well.