The IMC Insider
Helping real people create wealth and freedom with Internet businesses since 1996 |
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November 18, 2008
Issue #217
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Five Tips For Writing Email Subject Lines That Can DOUBLE Your Open Rat es
By Derek Gehl
In the last issue of "The IMC Insider," I gave you ten tips
on how to get your emails into your subscribers' mailboxes.
And that's a big step in building those all-important relationships
-- the ones that turn your subscribers into buyers... and
your buyers into REPEAT buyers.
But getting into the mailbox is pretty much the same as knocking
on the door. You're not in there yet!
It seems that one of the biggest problems people are having is
getting their readers to OPEN the emails in the first place!
Truth is, you can be promoting the best product in the WORLD,
and have the most enticing email copy possible, but if you're
not writing compelling subject lines that get the emails opened,
all your hard work is lost...
So today I'd like to give you FIVE tips for writing effective
email subject lines that can easily DOUBLE the open (and
click-through) rates on your next email.
Tip #1: Use personalization for added attention
Ever been in a large crowd, and you suddenly hear your name being
called?
Even if you're hundreds of miles away from home and it couldn't
possibly be someone calling you, you still look up automatically,
without even thinking, right?
Hearing your name instantly gets your attention!
Now imagine how much more powerful your emails could be if your
customers could "hear" their names right in the subject line.
Sending out an email with a personalized subject line is the
equivalent of calling someone's name in a crowd: it has that same
power to grab their attention.
So instead of a subject line that says something like:
"I have the information you're looking for"
... you could try something like this:
"Dave, I have the information you're looking for"
Pretty simple, right? But it really works!
In fact, according to a recent report by MarketingSherpa,
by writing personalized subject lines that include the first
name of your customers, you can get almost TWICE as many people
to open the email and click through to your offer.
And if you wanted to take personalization one step
further, consider adding another personal detail to the subject
line, like the city your customers live in (you'd need to collect
that data from them, of course).
Start with a subject line that looks like this:
"Want to get out of the city this weekend?"
... and then make it really compelling by adding
personal details:
"Janet, want to get out of Tucson this weekend?"
And the great thing is that, as long as you're collecting your
visitors' first names (and any other data you think is useful),
there are plenty of tools out there you can use to automatically
merge their names and personal details into your emails.
To see the one we like, check out http://www.marketingtips.com/icontact
Tip #2: Keep your subject lines SHORT
Here's a test: open up your email program, and take a look at the
subject lines in your inbox.
Are there any that stand out more than others? Any that you read
first, or get you interested in learning more?
Chances are it's the shorter subject lines that grab you, right?
It's actually been proven that subject lines that are less than
35 characters had HIGHER opening and click-through rates than those
with subject lines longer than 35 characters.
So keep it short and sweet! You don't need to explain in detail
what the email is about in the subject line, you just need to give
enough information to make people want to open the email to read
more.
And if you REALLY want to increase your open and click-through
rates, make sure you put your benefit, offer, or most important
element right at the beginning of the subject line.
That way, if someone's email program cuts off the end of the
subject line (which is pretty common) you'll still get your main
point across.
Tip #3: Keep the formatting simple and understated
If you sent an email to a friend, asking her if she wanted to
shopping, would you type your subject line like this:
Would You Like To Go Shopping On Saturday?
Or how about like this:
WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO SHOPPING ON SATURDAY?
It's pretty unlikely, right?
So why would your emails to your customers and subscribers have
subject lines that were formatted like that?
The more your subject lines look like personal emails from
friends, family members, or business associates, the more likely it
is that they'll be opened. The more they look like spam, the less
effective they'll be.
So avoid capitalizing each word (or the entire subject line), and
avoid exclamation marks and dollar signs, which can increase your
chances of having your messages flagged as spam, and will be sure to
set off warning bells with your recipients.
Tip #4: Use a compelling "angle" to get your readers
interested
Of course, getting your readers to open your emails requires more
than personalization and formatting. You'll still need to come up
with an interesting angle that grabs your customers' attention, and
makes them WANT to open the email.
Here are some ideas for subject lines that we've had success with
in the past:
- Make an announcement or share news: People
want to be the first to find out new things, especially
if your site covers a specific industry.
- Make your reader curious: Make your reader
curious about what's in your email by suggesting they are
missing out on an important offer or piece of information.
When you use this
technique, make sure you leave something to the imagination. For
example: Paul, are you making this common mistake?
- Create a sense of urgency: Consider creating
a sense of urgency in your subject line by limiting time
(Frank, only three days left) or quantity (Mary, only
250 copies available).
- Emphasize benefits: Another powerful
approach for your subject line is to state how your readers
will benefit from your email. If you can tell them how they're
going to save money, save time, make their lives easier,
etc, by opening and reading your message, you'll have the
most success.
Tip #5: Make sure your subject line relates to the
content of the email
Nobody likes to be fooled or tricked, and deception is the WRONG
way to earn your customers' trust and respect, so make sure your
subject line is related to your actual messages.
(In fact, it's a legal requirement under the CAN-SPAM Act that
the subject line be authentic and not misleading).
So if your subject line says Mary, three ways to save money, you
need to make sure you actually are talking about that, and
preferably within the first few paragraphs. Otherwise, your visitors
will feel cheated, and that will hurt your credibility.
By following these simple tips for writing and formatting
the subject lines for your emails, you should be able to increase
your open rates and click-through rates by up to 50%. And
considering your opt-in list is where you'll find your most
valuable customers, think how that could crank up your bottom
line.
To your success,
Derek Gehl |
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Take your email message to the TOP (or it won't get seen)!
By Kate Morrison
So you've just finished proofreading your brilliant promotional
email -- it's got an irresistible subject line and an offer
no one in their right mind could refuse...
Now look at it in the preview pane. A whole
lot of your readers will!
A preview pane allows recipients to view the top two to four
inches of your e-mail without actually opening it. Statistics
from MarketingSherpa show that 26.6% of consumers read emails
that way. And 69% of people reading email at work do so with
the preview pane turned on.
Nearly half (49%) read only the first few lines in the preview pane to decide if they want to continue reading
the message. And an impatient 19% immediately delete
messages if insufficient information is displayed.
So if you don't grab people's attention in the top couple of
inches of your email, your message could be lost.
Here are five tips you can follow to make sure that you make
the most of that critical top two to four inches of every e-mail
you send:
- Write a "teaser" paragraph or attention-grabbing
headline at the top of your e-mail that compels recipients
to continue reading it.
- Include a table of contents or a brief contents summary.
If your e-mail talks about more than one topic, include a
breakdown of what you plan to cover. For example, if you're
sending a newsletter, you may want to include an "In
this issue…" section at the top of your e-mail.
- Include the benefits that are most important to your target
audience in the top section of your e-mail. Answer the question
"What's in it for me" as quickly as possible.
- Avoid placing a large image or banner at the top of your
e-mail. Banners and images take up far too much space that
should be spent getting your message across and encouraging
readers to read the rest of your e-mail!
- If you are including images, remember 59% of consumers
and 90% of business email users view some or all of their
email with images turned off! So include enough text that
your message will make sense to them, too!
People are busy and impatient, and the delete button is right
there waiting. So don't tempt them!
Take your message to the top of your email where it will be
seen and read. |
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Do you have a question or comment for me and my team?
Drop us a line at questionsforderek@marketingtips.com -- and you may see your question answered in an upcoming issue of The IMC Insider!
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