You can spend hours working on a compelling, attractive e-mail design. But the reality is, before anyone will even see it, they must first choose to open your e-mail. That is the reason why your e-mail subject line is absolutely critical.
This of course leads to that all-encompassing question: How do you write the perfect e-mail subject line? As you might have guessed, there’s no easy answer. Instead, there are some general rules to follow when tackling this crucial element of your e-mail marketing.
Aim for informative and attention grabbing. The best subject lines are a balance of informative and engaging enough to capture the reader’s attention. Look at examples of read e-mails in your inbox. Why did you open some e-mails and leave others unread?
Create a sense of urgency. You want to compel users to open your e-mail before it gets buried in their inbox. The best way to do this is through creating a sense of urgency by referencing an immediate action that needs to take place. Is there a special offer that is ending soon? Are there limited seats left at an event or few products left in stock? Call out a time sensitive element in your subject line that will prompt users to open the e-mail now, instead of waiting.
Review your open rates. Your e-mail provider should allow you to view open rates for previously sent e-mail campaigns. Take a look at which e-mails had higher open rates than others. Are there certain commonalities among the e-mails that were opened at a high or low rate? While there are other factors, such as the time of day the message was sent, that can affect your open rates, try to learn from your previous open rates.
Take a risk. If your open rates are consistently low, it might be time to take a risk. Try something different–while staying true to your brand voice–and see if it generates a response. If not, send your e-mail again in a few days with a new subject line. There are no “rules” when it comes to this process of trial and error and sometimes a fresh approach can lead to a high open rate.
Write it last. Create the content of the e-mail before you attempt to write the subject line. This ensures that your subject line is relevant to the content.
Stop wasting time sending e-mails that are not being opened or read by prospective customers. Instead, build an e-mail marketing campaign that will generate leads for your business. Call Company 119 today to speak to a member of our digital strategy team.
