I’m from New York, so I’m going to give it to you straight. There are some schools of thought that I just don’t buy into when it comes to subject lines.
For example, I don’t believe that your subject line should be less than 55 characters or more than 67 or whatever the studies say. At the end of the day, you can write a long ineffective subject line or you can write a short ineffective subject line. It’s not the number of characters you use that matter, but what you say and how you say it.
Here are the only 4 subject line rules I truly follow:
1. Put the most important information at the beginning of the subject line.
WHY? You want that information to avoid being truncated in an email client or remain unseen if someone doesn’t read that far.
2. Be as concise as possible (unless testing proves otherwise).
WHY? You’ve got a couple of seconds of someone’s attention - if that.
3. Consider all the angles (direct call-to-action, benefit-oriented, specific vs. vague, etc).
WHY? Different approaches will resonate with readers differently and there are so many ways to communicate the importance of an email message. Check out Dean Rieck’s subject line tactics presented by Linda Bustos for inspiration.
4. Test, test, test.
WHY? None of us really know what’s best for sure. After you brainstorm the possibilities, narrow your choices down and do some a/b split testing for success. Testing opens the doors to learning and better outcomes.
And while subject lines are ENORMOUSLY important, don’t be afraid to:
- Try testing your subject line WITHOUT branding if you always do (as long as you have a recognizable from name)
- Use words like “free” and “x% off,” etc - I see these all over my inbox. If you’re concerned about a specific phrase, run your emails through a spam filter test and/or test to a smaller segment of your list before fully sending.
- Disagree with other members of your staff - let your subject lines ideas battle it out in an a/b split.
- Take risks!
What do you think about my golden rules? Are there others that you believe in and want to share?
Kristen Gregory
Email Marketing Strategist at Bronto
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree with your golden rules, particularly #4. I have seen some crazy stuff with subject line tests, and they certainly do not always turn out as you expected. I think alot of marketers (myself included) forget that, in most cases, we are not the target audience. Great post Kristen.
Thank you Frances! It’s great to hear from you.
Yes, I’ve definitely been surprised by a/b split results before and that’s why you can’t always just go with someone’s gut reaction as to what would be effective. It can be tough to challenge management when they want to go a particular route (whether that’s on a subject line or creative approach, etc) and I suggest offering up an a/b split as the compromise. Let the people choose!
I agree with Kristen’s article, and testing is really important. I think what I struggle with is that if you setup an A/B split test you need to have a strong statistical sample pool to use. So I find the reverse issue, fighting about why an A/B split won’t give us enough info to make any more of a valid decision. It creates an inefficient use of resources in manhours used to review the data, while still making a judgement call.
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for writing! I recommend that marketers are generous with their test sizes if they have small lists to make their results more meaningful. I also always suggest trying certain approaches more than once.
For example, a client recently saw some significantly higher success with a subject line that touted a “Members-Only Event” versus “Member News: Yada Yada and Fall Events.” I thought the feeling of exclusivity may have driven higher opens for that subject line, but the client should test this theory more before making that call. Of course, winning approaches get stale too, so always challenge what you currently do.
Additionally, when you use functionality that optimizes campaigns as they send (determining a winning subject line based on a set criteria and then sending that subject line to the rest of the list), you can save some review time. Certainly, it’s worth reviewing afterward for future sends if you are able.