I’m sure our heading got just a teeny bit more of your attention that the mundane ‘buy my stuff’ ‘here’s another newsletter’ subject lines you’re used to scrolling past?
So, with that in mind, here are our top 5 tips to creating catchy subject lines for your next campaign…
Short is better than long
Yes, really 😉
The majority of people are bombarded by emails all day and night and just don’t have the time (or screen size) to read those long poetical subject lines (as lovely as they may be). If you keep it short, snappy and to the point you’re more likely to be the one that is easiest to digest.
Although there is no hard and fast rule for email length, there are a few throwaway stats on the subject.
For instance, shorter emails (1 – 20 characters) generate a higher open rate, higher unique click through rate, and higher click to open rate (See Kulea bible, Smart Insights’s take on it here), but… interesting, funny, relevant, urgent subject lines get better results time and time again, so if you can achieve all that in 20 characters or less, you’re soon to a winner!
Personal touch
As well as a punchy subject line, adding personal touches like a customer’s first name does make your email stand out even more! Because let’s face it, they you know that you know their name… so take the time to use it! Simply adding a recipients forename into the subject line can increase open rates by up to 20%.
Not only that, personalisation subliminally suggests that there is a pre-built rapport between you and the recipient, which can help when a customer is choosing who to trust. That said, simply leaving it [[insert forename here]] is a touch passé darling. We always recommend spicing things up by including other relevant, personal touches, such as job title, company name, and even gender.
Make them feel special
‘We only have eyes for you Carol’
‘Steven we have a treat for loyal customers like you’
Can you see where I’m going here? That short and sweet personalised subject line now makes Carol/Steven feel special and are even more encouraged to open your delightful email!
There’s a reason why funny friends get more action!
Let’s face it, work days are long and our email inboxes get filled with more and more urgent emails.
A humorous subject line brightens someone’s afternoon and provides much needed light relief. Frankly, you’re providing a much needed service by sending out your email, and, 50% of European and American consumers prefer humour in marketing over any other messaging theme.
Humour cuts through the noise, and entices customers to open your email and find out more about your awesome company and content – that’s got to be better than hitting a shark in the face. Right?
Test!
Now for the boring bit….. Test what works for you (yay, thank you for creating more work for me Czara)
Seriously, the only true way to see what your customers/prospects prefer is to test a few different ‘tones’ of subject line and check the results in your campaign report.
… don’t have a campaign report? Maybe you need Kulea! Here’s our contact page.
