Email marketing subject line - the tips for success
Subject lines are a core part of email marketing - get these right and you can massively increase your open rate and overall success of the campaign. Here are some excellent hints and tips produced by our friends at Smart Focus to get you going...
2 - When it comes to writing Subject lines, nobody knows my customers better than I do. Don't trust your gut - check the metrics. What emails are they opening? What does your data tell you about who the audience is and what their needs are? How will your email deal with this and how will this be carried in the Subject line?
3 - Use any trick to get the Subject line engaging with readers so they open the email. Beware! If a Subject line promises something that the body copy doesn't delivery, you're messing with customer trust.
4 - The Subject line always gets across the main purpose of the email. A good Subject line should give people useful information about what's inside but isn't a good place to put actions such as: 'Place your order now' or 'Reserve your place today'.
5 - The only Subject line metric that matters is the open rate. When reviewing results look not only at the open rate but also the click to open rate. It's great getting a high open but if the people engaged by the Subject line aren't clicking on the content, you need to review your strategy.
Subject line types
Subject lines can be divided into distinct types:
Personalised - using a person or a company's name. Always test this approach as it doesn't work for all emails. Or better personalise with particular product, service or item which is known to have high relevance.
Questioning - ask a question that readers will be intrigued by but make sure you answer it in the email.
Benefiting - what will the reader get out of opening the email. Details of deals and discounts, a new product offering... What is it and how will they benefit?
Intriguing or teasing - this approach needs to be used with care as it can confuse, given the speed with which people deal with their email inboxes. You need to know your audience well. And test.
Urgency - time limited special offers and expiring memberships are 2 examples of this type of email.
Facts & figures - '10 simple ways to improve...', '12 experts agree on...', '30% increase in ROI by doing XYZ'. Keep it simple and clear. Don't make exaggerated claims.
