“When it comes to email marketing, the best subject lines tell what’s inside, and the worst subject lines sell what’s inside.” – MailChimp

There are days when I swear at least half of my new emails are marketing messages or SPAM. Filters have helped, but our email inboxes are fuller than ever. Because of “inbox overload” and skepticism caused by SPAM and phishing, email marketing open rates are declining. So, how does an email marketer cut through inbox clutter? Effective subject lines are the first step and here are a few tips for writing them:

• Keep it simple. Straightforward, concise subject lines work best. Anything overly salesy or kitschy will likely turn off the consumer, resulting in an immediate delete.
• Subject lines don’t need to grab attention with ALL CAPS or exclamation points – they need to appear legitimate. You want your email to look like something a consumer asked for – not advertising or SPAM. Anything overly promotional will spark skepticism.
• Don’t nag or beg.
• Personalization/customization can work, but not always. If possible, make the subject line relevant and timely, relating to something happening currently – holidays, sporting events, economy, housing market.
• Test, test, and test again. The surefire way to find out what works for your particular product or service is to test. Guidelines are not absolute and something that didn’t work for one retailer, might just work for you.

Filed under: Email Marketing on Friday, May 30th, 2008 by Koren Henderson | 1 Comment
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