Subject lines are a critical element of e-mail marketing since they are a key determinant in getting your e-mails opened. No matter how terrific your message or offer is, if your e-mail does not get opened you have accomplished nothing. The subject line’s job is to get the reader to open the e-mail, no more and no less.
You don’t have to be Shakespeare to write effective subject lines; instead it takes some common sense along with an understanding of what the spam filters look for and what your recipients view as relevant, tantalizing, or interesting.
Your subject needs to be short. A good rule of thumb it to keep it less than 50 characters and I personally prefer them shorter than that—write five to seven well chosen words and leave it at that. Be a drinking fountain and not a fire hose. Also, be advised that long subject lines can get automatically truncated by the internet service providers, so shorter is always better.
The words written must include the reader or must be about the reader. Remember it is all about them and not about you or your offering. Never tease or mislead the recipient. The subject line should always be specific, direct, and honest.
Normally you want to include the benefits of your offering. For example, the subject line “Learn Spanish in Just Six Weeks” delivers a powerful benefit about how you can master Spanish quickly and easily. How will they do this? You have to open the e-mail to find out.
Avoid spam words or spam terms. Spam campaigns can change rapidly. According to the McAfee website (http://www.mcafee.com/us/threat_center/anti_spam/spam_top10.html), here are the top ten spam subject lines from the last 24 hours:
1. Can you tell me what’s wrong, and how we can fix it?
2. Please help!
3. Legal software sales
4. Popping out when we do it.
5. Our new product!
6. Do u like good
7. New Bostitch Pencil Sharpener
8. No surgeries!
9. [University news]
10. Conquering Your Acne – A Few Helpful Tips
Consider writing the subject line after you have written the body of your e-mail. Finish the body copy and then brainstorm subject lines that are compelling and relevant. It could be argued that you should spend more time writing the subject line than the body since the subject line is so important. Narrow down your subject line candidates to two of your favorites.
If this is a large campaign, consider testing the subject lines with a sample. You could do an internal test at your company or with friends to determine which is better. A simple test might be to split your list in half to see which works best. Track your success and learn from your failures.
John Bradley Jackson
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