The importance of your email subject line
Friday 05 June 2009
TAGS: Email marketing | Subject lines
Following on from her “Top tips to get the most out of your email campaign” article, Louise James, Client Services Manager at Silverbean looks into the importance of your subject line in more detail.
It’s the smallest section of your email newsletter/communication – but the most important! Using around 35-40 characters you have to attract the attention of, engage and encourage your reader – a big ask! But if done in the right manner, and by following some key points, you can ensure your subject line achieves all of the above.
Look close to home
Perhaps a good place to start is your own inbox – take a look at the emails you have received and note which subject lines catch your eye, and those where the name of the company or brand who have sent you the email is immediately apparent …this is what you should be looking to replicate.
A key point is to show your company name/brand in the “From” address – not only will this ensue confidence in your reader, but will also leave extra room in your subject line field as you won’t need to mention this here.
Size matters?
You need to say as much as you can in order to encourage the reader to open you email – but make it too short and you risk not engaging the reader enough…too long and you could turn off your recipient.
So is there a correct length to stick to? Well, as mentioned around 35-40 characters is the accepted maximum length for a subject line. However, there is no “magic” law. Short and sweet may work for some (and indeed should be considered as some email clients limit the number of characters displayed in the subject line field). Whilst others find longer subject lines encourage more interaction. Try to keep to as few characters as possible, while still ensuring the subject line is doing its job – don’t compromise the message you are trying to get across for the sake of keeping to a regimented length.
The structure
When thinking about your subject line, try and put the most important words at the beginning…this will lift the engagement of the reader. Consider adding the name of the recipient to the subject line – a personalised email, including the subject line, adds confidence and boosts open rates.
Any pitfalls to avoid? Just think like a spammer! Don’t use the word “free” or use “£” signs in your subject line – these will more than likely be pulled into recipients junk or spam folders.
You want the reader to open and explore your email further – so, either include a short concise description of the contents of the email OR appeal to the emotions with a witty or intriguing sentence, all of which will encourage interaction.
But what will work best for you?
Test, test and test again
Split your database and run some subject line tests on your recipients…make sure what you send and when you send it is the same for all tests, to ensure the only variable is your actual subject line. If you have a large database, test several subject lines to see which performs the best. Then roll out to your entire database using the most successful subject line in terms of open and click through rates.
Louise James is Client Services Manager at Silverbean. If you have any questions or would like to discuss how Silverbean can help you achieve your marketing objectives through email marketing; please contact our resident email marketing services expert using one of the following.
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