SUBJECT LINES THAT ARE 100% FREE, FREE, FREE!!!
It’s likely that this title got your attention. While it may have effectively drawn you into the article, using the same techniques in the subject line of your next marketing email would be a bad idea. Why? Because using ALL CAPS and repeated exclamation points is a quick way to ensure that your email will be quarantined by spam blockers. Using the word “free” can be okay in moderation, as long as it isn’t ALL CAPS or paired with an exclamation point. Here are some other helpful tips to help you get the most out of the subject line of your next marketing email:
Read the newspaper for inspiration: Just as your email subject lines face a tight character limit, journalists must craft an attention-getting headline in a limited space. Read through your local paper to find effective headlines. Why do particular headlines catch your attention? How do they incorporate the highlights of the story? Answering these questions helps you take the best elements from the newspaper and apply it to your emails.
Read other emails for inspiration: Go through your inbox and look for the subject lines which catch your attention. More importantly, look through your spam folder for the subjects that catch your eye. Take note of the effective subject lines you receive on a daily basis and apply these same elements to your own work.
Use name recognition: If the people on your email list opted to receive your emails, remind them who you are in the subject line. Name recognition is one of the most powerful elements you can include because it separates you from the unsolicited content they are flooded with each day.
Be aware of spam filters: In order to reach your users, an email must pass through a series of spam filters. While you want to use catchy words in your subject line, avoid the elements that the filters search for. This includes ALL CAPS and multiple exclamation points!!! Subject lines with this kind of writing never look professional anyway, so the spam filters are mainly just picking up on amateurish efforts. It’s always a good idea to run your email through a spam checker before you send it, just to make sure there aren’t any potential problems.
Test it repeatedly: Before sending an email, conduct a subject line test. Come up with four different subject lines for your email and send these four different versions out to a small portion of your contact list. For example, if you have 5,000 names on your list, you could separate four groups of 50 names and send each group a different subject line. Wait at least a day and then analyze your statistics to find out which one got the best open rate. You may be surprised by what you see!
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