Email Marketing News and Tips

Your subject line will determine whether a recipient will open your email, delete it immediately, ignore it, file it for future access, report it and/or filter it as spam.  A poorly written subject line may not only go un-opened, it may not even reach the recipient’s inbox or worse, ruin your reputation.

Track which subject line types work best for you: Which subject lines have produced the best open and click-through rates in the past?  Open rates are the best way to measure the success of subject lines, but click-through rates are also an important measure. 

Notice what subject lines are effective in your inbox: You may not need to look any farther than your own inbox.  Which subject lines do you open immediately? Which emails do you delete and why?

Create the subject line before writing the email:  Start thinking about the subject line after your previous email goes and the results are in.  Write down potential subject lines for your next campaign as you pull together your email content rather than waiting until the last minute.

Avoid generic and boring:  Many marketers make the mistake of using generic subject lines, such as “August 2007 Newsletter”.  Try subject lines that are more creative and aggressive than what you’re currently using. Try some new styles and test them via split tests. Monitor the results across all metrics: open rates, click-through rates, spam complaints, bounce rates and unsubscribes.

Segment and Personalize: If you are segmenting your list each segment should receive appropriate subject lines. If you’re not creating separate versions of your email but have relevant information on your subscribers, tailor the subject line to their interests to improve open and click-through rates.

“Brand” Your Subject Line: Include the name of your company or newsletter/promotion in the subject line, usually at the beginning and enclose in brackets. An example would be: {Boomerang} Tips to Improve Subject Lines. This practice reinforces the from-line, assuring recipients that it’s coming from a trusted source.

Be Consistent: While subject lines should be different each time, the from and subject line should be recognized by recipients. Learn what style works best for your recipients and stick with it, whether it be amusing, provoking, incentive-based, tip oriented, etc.

Try a different version for AOL Subscribers: If you have a high number of AOL subscribers, we recommend using shorter and more conservative subject lines and include your company or newsletter name, as the AOL client displays the from email address in the inbox, not the from name.

Run your email through a Spam Content Checker: It’s important to be provocative but if you’re too outrageous your subject line may trigger a spam filter.  Always send proof messages to your AOL, Yahoo, Hotmail and other test accounts to ensure that your content doesn’t trigger a content filter.  BlastWizard now has a built in Content Checker that will score your email for you and give you a breakdown on how the score was compiled so changes can easily be made.

Test, Test and Test: Subject lines are the easiest component of email marketing to test. Split your list in half, thirds or even quarters and test a different type of subject line in each group. Test a few times to make sure your findings are correct.

Subject lines of less than 50 characters achieve higher open rates than those of 50 or more characters (Boomerang will allow up to 105 characters). Test various styles and lengths to see which looks best in different test accounts and which generates the best results with your recipients.  

ALWAYS get a second opinion!  For obvious reasons.  Boomerang offers Proof Reading and Copywriting Services if you ever find yourself in need.  Call 800-779-7792 for more information.