Email is the primary method of communication, with the average professional worker getting as many as 500 during a single work week. You need your email to stand out from the piles of others in your subscribers’ inboxes, and the easiest way to do that is with the subject line. As soon as their eyes fall on an effective subject line, you can be sure that email is the one they will open first.
MailChimp, an online email marketing service provider, analysed the open rates for more than 200 million emails. After compiling the information, they were better able to determine what types of subject heading strategies are more likely to result in an email being opened by its recipient. Here are some of the things that worked that can help your emails get opened, and which strategies you should avoid.
Top Strategies from an Expert Source
The first strategy is to use geographic information in the subject heading. When you collect and use geographic information about your subscribers, then it tells them that you care enough to know something about them. Subscribers are more likely to open emails from someone who seems to care about them than a stranger.
The next strategy is to ask something of your subscribers. People like to share their opinion. When you ask your subscribers something, then you are telling them that you care about what they think! When you form the question for your subject heading, think about the needs and interests of your subscribers so that you can increase your chances of grabbing their attention.
The final strategy is to keep the subject heading short and sweet. Condensing the subject heading of your email to 50 characters or less not only helps keep you out of the spam folder, but it also helps to increase click rates. Besides, if you say everything in the subject heading you will have nothing left to say in the body of your email!
Avoid Spam with These 3 Tips
While some practices will get your emails sent straight to your subscribers’ spam folders, you can easily avoid the things that trigger such alerts. That is because the factors that are more likely to trip up spam filters include things such as your sender reputation and engagement metrics. Here are some spam-free practices that you can safely use to create effective subject headings for emails.
1. ALL CAPS – Instead of using all caps for the entire subject heading, reserve it for key words and phrases such as FREE or FINAL OFFER.
2. FREE – While some businesses avoid use of the word “free” in a subject heading, used in moderation you can safely avoid being marked for spam.
3. EXCLAMATION POINTS!!! – There’s nothing wrong with ending your subject heading with an exclamation point. You’re excited about what you have to say to your subscribers, so let it show!
