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The Ten Crispest Email Subject Headings
0 Comments | Posted by Jonathan in Fresh Bait/News, Marketing Buzz
November | 18 | 2009
It’s Monday morning, and your inbox is a veritable mix of belly fat loss secrets, Barnes & Nobles coupons, and overdue Mint budgets for shopping, restaurants,and fuel (viva la weekend.) Amongst these quotidian messagings, you long for that pithy one-liner, a lush zinger, that one punch-packing ice breaker that makes your roar laughing, spit coffee in fiery outrage, or furiously press the forward key, fueled by an intense emotion even you can’t name (but apparently experienced by mother-in-laws everywhere at least once a day).
As email marketers, it is our job to incite intrigue, emotion, and awesome open rates in 55 characters or less (depending on who you’re talking to.) So without further ado, Marketfish introduces the ten best email subject headings to inspire emails opening everywhere!
Top Ten Email Subject Headings
1) Limited Time Offer (LTO). It’s not sexy, but it’s so effective I’ve started wickedly using it in personal emails to friends when I want them to respond quickly. Any variation: “Offer ends soon, Only two more days, hurry! etc” also works.
2) The magic of three. From Google Analytics tagline “smarter, friendlier and free” to Kellog’s “Snap, Crackle and Pop”, advertising has long capitalized on the hypnotic magic of the number 3. Try this: next time you’re writing out a long email subject heading, see if it can be condensed to three strong verbs instead.
3) We’re throwing a party. This one works, but don’t you dare send it if you’re not prepared to spring for the DJ and taco bar. That’s just cruel. And if you aren’t prepared to throw a party for your fine subscribers well….let’s just say, scholars have long asserted the connection between open bars and open rates. Haha, we kid, we kid!
4) Localization. Including someone’s name in the subject heading may creep them out, but localization, aka including a city, neighborhood, or street name makes the news feel relevant, and community-oriented. Cozy, even. Try something like “Your fellow Haight Condo members wanted you to know….” or “Hyde Pride: Help put Hyde Park on the map nationwide!” If you don’t live in a neighborhood that lends itself to clever rhymes and witty alliteration, our advice is to move immediately.
5) Specifics. “Advice for Brides” is a not a great subject heading. “Advice for Jewish Brides” is a little better. “10 ten tips for Cynical Jewish Brides to Deal with their Meddling Mother-in-Laws” is best. Specifics are the best way to eradicate that form letter “Dear Subscriber,” shtick and make the reader feel like they are really receiving something insightful from someone who knows their needs and interests (which you do, right?!)
6) “Important.” Email subject headings that include “Important News” or “Important Information” do work. “Important opportunity” to communicate a sale or credit card sign-up works once-until the customer figures out your shenanigans and unsubscribes. Don’t over-use this one, save it for when you really want people to sit up and pay attention.
7) Benefit-driven. You’ve heard it a million times, but for some reason it’s hard to remember. No matter how many fancy technological features, exotic herbal components, or scientific advances you’re product offers, don’t forget to begin with a benefit. “More RAM than ever”=bad. “Save more Fringe episodes with more RAM.”=good.
8) A question. Questions make any subject heading more provocative because they draw the reader into the conversation. Questions work best when paired with a human interest element. “Looking for a work time burglar?” “Isn’t it lunchtime yet?” or “Where have all the good email subject lines gone?” are all examples of subject headings which pique a reader’s interest. Another good idea is to think of a question people ask themselves all the time, and work that into the subject heading to create an instant rapport, i.e. “Ever wondered why the afternoon commute has to be so tear-jerkingly boring? KOMO News brightens your drive…”
9) Invent a word. Invented words is a little-used, highly effective formula. Since invented words are so rare, it causes readers to look twice instead of deleting it along with the sea of blah “Free,” “Sale” and “Secret,” emails. Sometimes a little silliness is just what a reader needs, and an invented word subject headline hints at just such a diversion. Offer your readers a “Mintsplosion!” or a “Dance-a-palooza”and watch those open rates soar. Another reason this approach is good is because it’s not popular with spammers…yet.
10) Humorous News Headline Parodies. Another fresh take on the subject heading is a headline parody. The key to the subject heading is that it contains real news, but the less dramatic nature of the marketing material makes it feel humorous, ie “Sources report there is 100% chance of direct mail in your area this fall!” or “This just in! Nine out of ten dentists are dying to fill out this fascinating survey!” This is a tongue-in-cheek way to acknowledge, yes, you want something, but you aren’t going to be a total robot about it, so hey, why not open the email and help out an amusing, cheeky marketer such as yourself? Note: This approach only works if the headline is a CLEAR parody. Falsifying statistics or imitating the grave urgency of newscasters to promote your acai berry supplements is a violation of all this list holds dear. Don’t do it or we will personally subscribe you to every “This is why you’re fat” mailing list!
If you’re a marketer, what has worked for you in a subject heading? Sarcasm? Sex? Statistics? A witty blend of all three? Let us know in the comments below!
