Speak to the Reader
You may send out hundreds of emails in one go but remember that they will be read by individuals. Make the reader want to open the email rather than just have them skim over the subject lines in their inbox. Personalising the subject line is one option but you should also know your market and know what they want. A subject line that the teenage market will open will be very different to subject line that appeals to the retired market.
Research Others' Subject Lines
Do some research into which subject lines are appealing and which are not. Look in your own inbox - what sort of subject line makes you want to instantly open the email and what turns you off opening it? Ask others within your company their feelings on what makes a subject line stand out in their inbox.
Most people believe that if the subject line is ALL IN CAPITALS or it appears confusing, most will believe it to be spam.
Be Creative
You do not need to play it safe with the subject line, be creative - there is no need to be boring. Try being creative, funny, appealing or unusual and see if you get more response because of this. But remember to respect your market and do not offend (it may be funny to you but others may not see it this way).
You should not leave writing the subject line to the last minute before you send out the email. Think about it before and during writing the email to allow yourself time to be . Think of a subject line relevant to the content of the email.
Create a Sense of UrgencyMake the reader want ro open the email as soon as possible, rather than waiting until later. Your subject line can do this by making it seem that later on will be too late to benefit from the offer the email has, e.g. "50% {insert company name} - While Stocks Last". |
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Build a BrandTry to link your company name into the subject line. This will make the email recognisable to the recipient and will also help build a brand. A subject such as "New Products for 2009" could easily be dismissed as junk mail but "New YOUR BUSINESS Products for 2009" is more interesting to your subscriber. If you continuously include your company name the reader will know what to expect and is more likely to read your new email.
The recipient will grow to recognise your subject lines and each time they see them in their inbox they want to open it to learn more about your company.
Consider Context
Make your email appear current by considering context when writing your subject line. What is happening in the news? Are there any upcoming holidays or events which you can play upon to make the subject stand out or catch the reader's eye.
Consider Email Filters - Test It Out!Certain words or phrases could be filtered by major email servers. The best way to avoid this is to send a test to yourself (as you always should) before sending it to all your subscribers. Check to make sure all the email server inboxes receive the email.
By including your company name in the subject line as well as being recognisable you will be offering your subscribers a keyword to add to their filters' white list and this will make sure the emails do not get sent to the spam box.
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