April 2007
7 Ways to Compel Users to Open Your E-mail
7 Ways to Compel Users to Open Your E-mail
Your subject line has two hurdles to jump through before a reader can open your message. First, it has to get past an e-mail client's spam filter before it ever ends up in your target audiences' inbox. Then, it has to be compelling enough to get people to open the e-mail. The way you write your subject lines affects both.
Subject lines should not be an after thought. We spend so much time and effort creating the perfect e-mail messages that we easily forget about the subject lines. If your subject line is less than stellar, few people will ever read your e-mail. Why? Because people either won't receive it or they won't notice it. Either way, they won't open it.
- Use 35 characters or less. To ensure your recipients see your entire subject line, keep it to 35 characters or less, including spaces. Each e-mail client displays a different number of characters in their subject lines. This 35-character rule is a common denominator among all of them. Additionally, since readers see the first two words in the subject line more than any other, "front load" your subject line with the important words first.
- Avoid caps and exclamation points. Words in all caps trigger spam filters. That goes for individual words as well entire subject lines. Also, exclamation points, especially multiple (!!!) trigger spam filters. Avoid all caps and exclamation points in subject lines to make sure your e-mail reaches your audience's inbox.
- Apply 'Free' only in the right place. The word "free," of course, is a powerful motivator. Often times, it will work well in a subject line to engage readers' interest in your offer. But using "free" as the first word in the subject line increases the chances of your e-mail getting caught in the spam net. Consider using it later in your subject line.
- Make quantifiable claims. Subject lines with a specific (often numerical) offer, such as "$10 Off" or "Save 67%", generally have better open rates than those with a general claim, such as "deeply discounted." These quantifiable claims are specific to the offer and let readers know exactly what the offer is. If the reader is interested enough, you're more likely to get them to open your e-mail than if you use a generic subject line, such as "closing sale".
- Tease your audience to pique their interest. Quantifiable claims are perfect for offer-oriented e-mails. However, not every message you send out contains an offer. Newsletters, for example, usually don't include offers. Your subject line should tease the audience into opening the e-mail. Ask a question. Be mysterious and intriguing. Reveal only a piece of what's behind the 'curtain'. The point is to generate curiosity among your audience. When they're curious, they'll want to learn more.
- Leverage your brand. Most experts agree that a recognizable, trusted brand name used either in the subject line or in the 'from' line lifts open rates. Using your brand name in the 'from' line may work best so that you can free up space in your subject line for more offer-oriented words.
- Test your subject lines. If your message goes to a large audience—say 20,000 people—a small difference in open rate has a big impact on your bottom line. Using a different word can mean a 5% lift in open rates. In the 20,000 audience scenario, that means 1,000 more people have opened your e-mail that wouldn't have normally done so, that's a ton of traffic. Consider testing your subject lines against a small audience prior to a general rollout to see which subject lines are more effective.
Consider all of these elements when crafting the perfect subject line. Taking your time with this task can mean the difference between an e-mail that gets opened and an e-mail that gets deleted. Good Luck!
Next: 3 Design Strategies to Increase Your Response Rate
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