I\u2019ve lost count of the marketing campaigns I\u2019ve seen where all the communications have been meticulously planned, written and designed, only to hear a last-minute shout of \u201chey, what do you want the subject line to be on this one?\u201d<\/p>\n
But subject lines shouldn\u2019t be an afterthought. In my experience they\u2019re actually more important than the body copy. After all, your email could contain the most enticing offer in history, written by the best copywriter on the planet, but this will count for precisely nothing unless the recipient clicks on it.<\/p>\n
Without a good subject line, your email simply won\u2019t get read. It\u2019s your chance to make a great first impression and really grab the reader\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n
In the world of internal comms, it\u2019s easy to think that because you\u2019re their employer, people will automatically read what you send them. But given the number of emails people deal with each day, this is far from a given. It\u2019s still really important to stand out in a crowded inbox.<\/p>\n
At RewardPointZero we believe the details matter. Getting the small details right is what adds up to a successful campaign. Below we share half a dozen quick tips for getting the subject line right.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s usually a good idea to avoid unnecessary words. But there are specific reasons for being especially careful with subject lines.<\/p>\n
Today around half of emails will get read on a mobile phone. With most email apps, there\u2019s a cut-off of around 47 characters. So anything which comes after this won\u2019t be visible.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s of plenty of research to suggest short is sweet. The subject lines with the best click-to-open rate are those with just seven words, so we suggest adopting that as a rough target.<\/p>\n
You\u2019re sharing something of value here. Tell the reader straight away in the subject line. That way they\u2019ll understand what they\u2019re going to get after opening your email.<\/p>\n
Subject lines are a bit like calls to action \u2013 the language needs to inspire people to click. To transform bland into attention-grabbing, use a lively verb at the beginning.<\/p>\n
If you can, using the recipient\u2019s name in the subject line can be a winner. If not, any specific information you have about them is good too.<\/p>\n
If you can\u2019t fully personalise, could you segment your list, for example by age or location. A millennial and a baby boomer are likely to have their interest piqued by different aspects of your offer.<\/p>\n
Once you\u2019ve narrowed your list of potential subject lines to a handful, don\u2019t be afraid to test them on a small portion of your recipients before rolling out the winner to the remainder.<\/p>\n
Remember to store your results somewhere too, otherwise it might be more \u2018test and forget\u2019 than \u2018test and learn\u2019.<\/p>\n