Email marketing is an important part of any digital campaign; and as time goes on, the stakes get higher. 35% of email recipients open their emails based on subject line alone, while 69% report an email as spam based simply on the subject line (Source: Convince and Convert). So how can your brand cut through the clutter that is filling up your customer’s inbox? Get their attention right from the start with engaging email subject lines.
At Active Web Group, we are constantly testing new and innovative ways to get the best results for our clients’ email campaigns. While trends are ever-evolving, there are some email subject line staples that we always make sure are in place before pressing send:
1.Keep it simple – Most email clients show 60 characters of an email subject line and crop off the rest, yet on a mobile device, character count can dwindle to as low as 30 characters. To get your whole message across, keep it short with six to eight words maximum.
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2. Stay away from common terms – One way to keep word count down is to eliminate filler words such as “hello,” “reminder,” or “newsletter.” Also, try to steer away from overly promotional phrases, or even saying things in ALL CAPS. Not only does this not engage users, but it may also trigger a spam filter.
3. Shake it up – While recurring emails such as newsletters and weekly digests have a high open rate with initial sign-up, there is usually a significant drop-off over time. To avoid having your messages fall into this rut, don’t repeat the same subject line within a campaign. Personalization is another way to break up the monotony, and when properly used, can increase open rates.
4. If it’s important, say so – Don’t leave your users guessing. Put your most important information at the beginning of the subject line to avoid being cut-off. Also, try to include your call to action. This will give your audience direction and pique their interest to learn more.
5. Test, test, test – Don’t get too comfortable with a subject line, even if it has tested well in the past. User trends are ever-changing and as mailbox filtering becomes more sophisticated, so should your email subject lines.
Know Your Audience
Ultimately, no matter what rules or tactics you employ, the most important factor with any email campaign is to keep your audience in mind. Researching who and what they are digitally interacting with before you send out your campaign will provide valuable insight that will narrow your testing and allow you to see stronger results from the start.
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