We’ve tackled the subject of email marketing and the words you should avoid in order to boost open rates, but it’s still no easy task to craft the perfect subject line. We referred to data from our pals at MailChimp to help us figure out what elements are necessary to create the perfect subject line. When crafting your next email blast, keep these guidelines in mind.
Make it personal
Subject lines with a personal touch tend to have high open rates. Although this can involve including the recipient’s name somewhere in the subject line, it doesn’t need to. A retargeting campaign that makes reference to items the recipient previously browsed but didn’t purchase is an excellent example of this. A personal touch can go a long way.
Make it useful
Chances are, you’re not just sending this email to keep in touch with your audience — you’re sending it because the email contains some kind of information that the recipient will probably find useful. Communicate that usefulness in the subject line. Does the email contain a promo for a product they like? Communicate that. One of the subject lines highlighted by MailChimp for having an excellent open rate simply contained the line “Your April Website Stats.” No exclamation points, no emoticons — just a statement that highlights the useful information within the email.
Keep it short
Although there are exceptions to every rule, it’s generally best to stick to as few characters as possible. The general rule of thumb is 50 characters or less, so make your subject line as short and sweet as possible. Once again, take a look at the “Your April Website Stats” subject line — just four words, but it has an open rate of over 92%.
Up your email marketing game in 2013. Learn how to optimize your email headers in with our email marketing guides.
