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How To Create The Perfect Subject Line

The Opening Line Crafting The Subject Line That Gets Your Email Read With email as a primary method of communication, the average working professional receives more than 100 messages a day. How can you make your email stand out from the sea of others in your subscribers' inboxes? That's where the subject line comes in. Craft a great one to get your subscribers' attention ... and your emails opened! SUBJECT-LINE MYTHBUSTING It's an old wives' tale that certain practices will get you immediately marked as spam. Spam filters can be triggered for a variety of reasons, but specific words alone rarely are the culprit. Don't be afraid to use the following: ALL CAPS 2 THE ULTIMATE FOUR-LETTER WORD: FREE ADD CO ADD BCC SUBJECT FINAL HOURS: 20% off 1 item + FREE standard shipping! ATTACH A FILE 3 EXCLAMATION POINTS How Content Filtering Actually Works Spam filters assign points to "spam" words in the subject line and body of an email. If the points exceed a certain threshold, then the email is considered spam. However, using any one (or two or three) of these words won't automatically mean a trip to the junk folder. While content filtering plays a part in spam scores, your sender reputation and engagement metrics are much more important. WHAT WORKS? A recent MailChimp study analyzed the open rates for more than 200 million emails to determine which types of subject lines trigger recipient opening. Here are some of the strategies that worked, as well as others that fell flat. LEVERAGING LOCALIZATION Collecting (and using) geolocation information can improve open rates by being personal and relevant. Nautica in Rutland SUBJECT Opens Soon! Subject lines framed as questions perform better. Consider your audience's needs, interests, or the types of questions your content might answer. ASK AWAY SUBJECT What's your dream adventure? KEEP IT SHORT AND SWEET Email marketing company MailerMailer found longer subject lines had lower open and click rates than those that were shorter. Try to say it all in 50 characters or less. TOO LONG 98 CHARACTERS Final reminder for complimentary entry to attend the West Freelands BCI Cluster Conference 2006 SUBJECT Emails with 28-39 GET TO THE POINT! 24 CHARACTERS characters in the subject line had the highest click rates. SUBJECT Your April Website Stats 20% 15.2% 11.6% 12.2% 11.9% 10.4% 10% 3.1% 3.8% 4% 2.8% 1.8% 51+ CHARACTERS 4-15 16-27 28-39 40-50 CHARACTERS CHARACTERS CHARACTERS CHARACTERS OPEN RATE BY SUBJECT LINE LENGTH CLICK RATE BY SUBJECT LINE LENGTH PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK The following strategies might drive quick opens but aren't long term-solutions for improving your marketing. FUD: FW: Get Connected at our B2B Networking Mixer SUBJECT it? Get it at 40% off! SUBJECT Symbols and Special Characters: Hearts, airplanes and coffee cups might get your email opened, but the jury's out on their effect on clicks, Using "Re:" and "Fwd:" to imply that your message is from a trusted colleague or friend borders on deception and might damage subscriber trust. S.0.S. Help us create the ideal college experience SALE ends soon - Up to 50% off! SUBJECT SUBJECT Fear of being scammed has left many consumers skeptical of emails with pleas for assistance or Using numbers can help quantify your message, but constant sales and promotions can lead to subscriber fatigue and general loss of interest. requests for help. Matthew, SNAZZY SHOES wants you back In a July 2012 study, MailerMailer saw significantly lower CTR and open rates for personalized subject lines compared SUBJECT to non-personalized ones. Including the recipient's first or last name does not significantly improve open rates. GET THE OPEN IN 6 STEPS When writing the subject line for your next email, consider the following techniques. STEP STEP Identify yourself: Is it crystal clear to your subscribers Useful and ultra-specific: Make sure it is relevant, valuable, and the message is clear to your subscribers. who your email is from? Mention your most recognizable 1 brand product in your subject line, or prefix your subject lines with a consistent identifier. SUBJECT [BCPL Happenings] Nationally Renowned Author to Speak Be visually different: In order to make your email stand out, try to make your subject line stand out visually: Consider using brackets, variations on capitalization, phone numbers, quotes, etc. Use timely topics and urgency: Hit home on a point that is top of mind for your subscribers, such as something in the news or a popular topic. Urgency works for real deadlines, but can be overdone. STEP STEP 4 The MailerMailer study found words that are used to convey relevance (news, newsletter), or to persuade (free, party, sale), and indicate time sensitivity of the message (night, weekend) were most popular. Call to action: People respond well when you ask (or tell) them to do something. What do you want your recipients to do? Test it out: Test which subject lines resonate best with your audience, so you can repeat success. STEP STEP In a nutshell: what are the dos and don’ts of subject lines? Do set your subscribers' expectations and clearly state what's inside the email. Don't write your subject lines like advertisements. The folks at MailChimp say it perfectly: "When it comes to email marketing, the best subject lines tell what's inside, and the worst subject lines sell what's inside." SOURCES: MAILERMAILER.COM | MAILCHIMP.COM litmus

How To Create The Perfect Subject Line

shared by Litmus on Dec 05
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Writing subject lines is hard. Most of us leave it until the last minute. It seems like the entire world is riding on your email’s subject line (What will get more opens? More clicks? More conversio...

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