As an Email Strategist, I spend a lot of time analyzing all of the emails that I receive. I sign up for just about every email marketing program that I can find. I get ideas from retailers and email marketers from around the globe. The inspiration for this post actually came from my own neighborhood.
The president of my neighborhood association communicates with me and my neighbors via email. I realize that this isn't really email marketing, but many of the principals and best practices are the same. One of the recent targeted emails that she sent had the subject line "Community breakfast meeting scheduled and rabid racoon found in White Oak." Instead of locking my doors or double-checking my dog's vaccination records, I decided to critique the subject line and come up with some new subject line best practices:
1. First things first. While I'm sure the community breakfast meeting is important, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that most people are probably more interested in the rabid raccoon that is on the loose. Most people are going to read your subject line from left to right, so I'd lead with the rabid raccoon.
2. Spell check = Good. I'll cut the association president a little slack here, as I'm sure that her mind was racing with the thought of the rabid raccoon. That said, there are two c's and two o's in raccoon. Whether it's a diseased mammal or a fast-approaching deadline, we all face pressures that lead to careless mistakes. Take the time to spell check both your email content and your subject line before you send your message.
3. Length Matters. While there's no true standardization among ISPs and email clients, a good rule of thumb is to keep your subject line under 50 characters in length. If I was reading the neighborhood association subject line on a blackberry or in my Hotmail account, the subject line would've been cut off before the rabid raccoon. I would have just deleted the email, thinking it was entirely about a community breakfast meeting.
Following these three basic subject line best practices can really help your email program. Good luck with your subject lines, and be on the lookout for rabid raccoons.
The president of my neighborhood association communicates with me and my neighbors via email. I realize that this isn't really email marketing, but many of the principals and best practices are the same. One of the recent targeted emails that she sent had the subject line "Community breakfast meeting scheduled and rabid racoon found in White Oak." Instead of locking my doors or double-checking my dog's vaccination records, I decided to critique the subject line and come up with some new subject line best practices:
1. First things first. While I'm sure the community breakfast meeting is important, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that most people are probably more interested in the rabid raccoon that is on the loose. Most people are going to read your subject line from left to right, so I'd lead with the rabid raccoon.
2. Spell check = Good. I'll cut the association president a little slack here, as I'm sure that her mind was racing with the thought of the rabid raccoon. That said, there are two c's and two o's in raccoon. Whether it's a diseased mammal or a fast-approaching deadline, we all face pressures that lead to careless mistakes. Take the time to spell check both your email content and your subject line before you send your message.
3. Length Matters. While there's no true standardization among ISPs and email clients, a good rule of thumb is to keep your subject line under 50 characters in length. If I was reading the neighborhood association subject line on a blackberry or in my Hotmail account, the subject line would've been cut off before the rabid raccoon. I would have just deleted the email, thinking it was entirely about a community breakfast meeting.
Following these three basic subject line best practices can really help your email program. Good luck with your subject lines, and be on the lookout for rabid raccoons.
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