Subject Lines: Do I Care?
Once you’re fairly certain your recipients are going to recognize who you are, you have to give them a good reason to care enough about what you are sending to open and read your email. The first step to getting them to care is writing a great Subject line.
Great Subject lines capture the attention of your recipients and encourage them to open and read your email. They are engaging, informative, and set the stage for the benefit the recipient will gain by taking the time to read your content . . . all in fifty characters.
Writing a great Subject line is no small challenge. You only have a few words to make it compelling, urgent, and specific, without sounding overly “salesy” or misleading your readers. Here are some tips that will help you think about the types of Subject lines that get great results.
1. Keep it short and sweet. Do your best to keep your Subject lines under fifty characters, including spaces, as most email clients display fifty characters or less. A recent study done by email monitoring company Return Path showed that Subject lines with forty-nine or fewer characters had open rates 12.5 percent higher than for those with fifty or more and that click-through rates for Subject lines with forty-nine or fewer characters were 75 percent higher than for those with fifty or more. Want to have better open and click-through rates? Keep it short and sweet!
2. Be specific. A vague Subject line is a waste of real estate. A great example of this that I see often is monthly newsletters with Subject lines such as “June Newsletter.” This tells the receiver nothing about what he will find when he opens the email and gives them very little reason to do so. A better approach for a newsletter like this is, “June Gardening: Three Tips.”
3. Write it last. Many email marketing services (including Constant Contact) prompt you to write your Subject line first, as you are building your email. I encourage you to come back to it when you are done with your email content. It’s important to determine all the elements of your email first and then look for the most compelling topic to highlight in the Subject line. When you are done with the body of your email, read it over and pick the “nugget” that will entice your readers to learn more by opening.
4. Take some time. Don’t just dash off your Subject lines. Considering how important they are, take some time to think about them and write several before choosing which one to use. Once you have a few Subject lines you like, run them by a friend or colleague and see which she thinks is most compelling.
5. Test it! When you have two strong, yet different, Subject lines, test them. Split your list in half and use a different Subject line for each group. After a number of tests like this, you will have a very good idea of what works for those on your list. And as always, the better you know your audience, the more effectively you can communicate with them.
To write a great Subject line, start with what is unique about the content contained within your message. What is the reader going to get out of reading your content? Craft your Subject line around that point. Here are several examples of subject lines that tell you what you are going to get:
• Three tips that will straighten your slice
• Food donations needed for local families
• This weekend’s openings—25% off
• How to dress for an interview
Each of these Subject lines provides the recipient with the ability to immediately determine what the benefit is for them if he opens the communication. In contrast, here are a few examples from my mailbox of Subject lines that miss the mark:
• Hello, Dear Friend!
• ARE YOU THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THIS?
• Be aware of this
• ABJ February 7
• Monthly Newsletter
You can also make your Subject lines more engaging by injecting a little humor into them. For example, a catchy subject line for a Certified Public Accountant’s newsletter could be “Two tips to get an IRS audit.” If you are having fun and being creative with your content, it is likely that your readers will enjoy it too.
Signals like “Three tips” in the Subject line also provide your recipients with an indication that the content is short and to the point. This can be a useful trick to grab the attention of your readers.
Here is a great tip that I use in my inbox. Create two mail folders in your inbox and label them “Subject lines—good” and “Subject lines—bad.” Then go through your inbox, deleted, and spam folders and try to identify Subject lines that stand out as exceptions at either end of the spectrum. Put your top picks for both categories in your folders and continue to feed these folders over time. This will become a great resource for you as it fills up with the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Now that you have some of the best practices for writing great Subject lines in mind, here are some approaches you can take to make them even more powerful and compelling.
• Ask a question. One of the best ways to get a reader’s attention is to ask a question. It’s like a trial lawyer questioning a witness on the stand—make sure you get the response you are looking for. “What’s the best way to grow your business?” is a great Subject line for business owners. After all, what business owner wouldn’t want to grow his or her business? Or let’s say you run a health club. An email with the subject line, “How can you lose 5 pounds in one month?” would certainly be compelling. It’s important that your question be relevant to your audience.
• Be a tease. A clever Subject line can be enticing. When it’s done right, readers’ curiosity is piqued. They want to know more—and they open your email. Writing a “teaser” style Subject line requires some creativity, and the content needs to deliver on the teaser. A company that sells high-definition televisions could use the Subject line, “You’re not going to believe your eyes” as a teaser to introduce a new addition to its product line.
• Tell it like it is. Often, what works best is to say exactly what you want your reader to know. Examples of this straightforward approach are, “Sale on all sweaters this weekend,” “Master jazz pianist plays live this Friday” and “The seven secrets of a profitable business.” This “just the facts” approach works especially well when you can appeal directly to your audience’s interests. It also is the best approach to use when you send a newsletter.
• Remember “WIIFM”. When a person gets your email, the first thing she considers is “what’s in it for me?” (WIIFM). She has a decision to make. Does she open your email, leave it for later, or delete it? If there isn’t something about the Subject line that lets her know why it’s worth her precious time to see what’s inside, then the choice will be clear. Delete. Keep WIIFM in mind when creating every aspect of your emails, including the offer, content, images—and most definitely the Subject line. It’s all about them. They know that. Just make sure you know it, too!
• Get personal. The more you can make each contact feel that you are speaking directly to him or her, the more effective your communication will be. Whatever style of Subject line you use, you can make it personal by using the word “you.” Professional copywriters know the secret of using this powerful little word. Look around at advertisements, mail, and email you receive, and you will see it’s true. Incorporate this copywriting secret when you write your Subject lines and you’ll understand why the pros do it—it gets results. A few examples are “Find the right swimsuit for you”, “You can save 50% on travel”, and “You’d look phenomenal in a custom-tailored suit.” (Note: “You” is ideal, but “your” works too!)
Not sure which approach is right for you? Try them all, then show a friend or colleague to get his feedback. Pick the one you believe will be most effective for your audience. Whichever approach you choose, it’s always worth spending the time and effort required to write a great Subject line. Because if your readers don’t open your email, they’ll never have the chance to read the important message you’ve created for them inside.
You should also spend some time paying attention to your own email junk folder to avoid copying the techniques that spammers use to gain attention for their emails (see Figure 10.2).
Here are the top five ways to look like a spammer:
Figure 10.2 Avoid spam Subject lines and From lines.
1. Words that come across “spammy” such as free, guaranteed, act now, credit card etc.
2. ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. Looks like you are screaming!
3. Excessive punctuation !!!, ???
4. Excessive use of “click here,” $$, and other symbols
5. Misleading Subject lines like “Be aware of this” or “Hello”
Keep in mind that some people save your emails. If you use a descriptive Subject line, you also make it easier for your recipients to find your campaigns in the future. A great email marketing campaign is something that your recipients will want to save. In fact, we suggest in our seminars that nirvana in email marketing is when your recipients create a folder in their inbox just for the emails you send to them. If you can accomplish this and you have great Subject lines, then you will be a resource that they will turn to whenever they need what you provide.
Generic subject lines such as “Monthly Newsletter” make it impossible for the reader to track down a specific article, since the Subject lines all look the same. Be sure to also use descriptive names for your campaigns on your email archive.
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