By Toni Harris
As an email marketer, it is important to focus your attention on your email subject lines to increase your open rate. Whenever I speak, I ask the audience which is more important, the subject line or the from line? Which do you think? Most of my audiences say it’s the subject line. While statistically it is actually the from line, I agree with the audience. When I’m looking at my Inbox, I look first at the from information and then the subject. Even when I know who the email is from, the subject has to capture my attention.
Here is a simple method for writing more powerful subject and headlines. It’s called the 2-2-2 principle.
Let’s walk through it quickly.
- The first 2 is for the 2 seconds you typically have to compel them to pay attention.
- The second 2 is for the first 2 words of your subject line or headline. That’s really all they read before making a decision, and not a decision about whether to read your message, but as to whether or not they will bother to read the rest of the subject line.
- The third 2 is for “why does this email or message matter today.” Today – that’s the third 2. If you can answer that question in your subject line or headline, as close to the first two words as possible, more people will stop and at least open your message.
Here are a couple of tips to get your emails opened right away:
Short, Simple, and Surprise – Use the three S’s of subject lines. Keep your subject lines short and simple. You can also use the element of surprise. Here are some good and not so good subject lines:
No – November Monthly Newsletter Yes – (Tell them the benefit of your newsletter)
No – Joe’s Pet Store Newsletter Yes – 3 Tips to Help Your Dog Beat the Heat
No – Marketing Training Class Yes – 10 seats left for the marketing training class!
Use Limits – Have you ever noticed that subject lines sometimes begin with something like “12 seats left for tomorrow” or “ten seats open tomorrow”? First, let me tell you that it’s always true; and you should always be honest in your messages as well. But the reason I start with that is because it expresses very quickly why the message matters today. Seats are running out for an upcoming session. Limits imply urgency and get people to act right away. It also implies that there is a short demand and that if the person doesn’t take action right away, they may miss out. Limits definitely work.
Create Urgency – Create a need for the reader to open your email now by creating urgency in your subject. Using words like Today Only, Last Day, and Sale Ends will surely pique your audience’s curiosity and cause them to want to open your email right away. It’s important to point out that you don’t need to go to the “urgency well” all the time; meaning you don’t always have to put a time stamp on it or say things like “today only” or “by close of business” or like that. It’s more about making it very clear to people that your message is relevant and timely in order to win that now, later, or never battle.
Effective subject lines are very important to determining whether an email is going to get opened now, later, or never. Spend a little time making sure that the subjects are interesting, thought-provoking, and attention grabbing and your email marketing campaign will be a success!
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Toni Harris, who is also known as the Turnaround Queen®, is a Speaker/Trainer, Business Coach, Author, and an Authorized Local Expert with Constant Contact. Email Toni at [email protected] or join her mailing list at www.toni-harris.com.
