The goal of subject lines is to encourage readers to open your email and take action. Don’t let the pressure of writing the perfect subject line get to you. Finding the right words isn’t as difficult as it seems.
Open rates depend on multiple factors like collection practices, list age and the industry. Average rate ranges from 10% to 25% (at the high end of the spectrum). The team at Mad Mimi analyzed thousands of subject lines to find those with the highest open rates and the most impact. Here’s what we learned:
1. Be Specific
The subject line should tell readers what they’re going to find inside.
Here’s an example that garnered an open rate of 37%:
Only Three Days Left for this Great Offer for [Company Name] Readers!
It’s totally clear what it’s about and the reader knows, when they open the email, they’ll get details about the special offer. Also, note the “call to action” and a sense of urgency. However, it’s worth avoiding overwrought proclamations.
It’s definitely not ok to say “This News Will Save Your Life!!!” They may be fun to write but if it’s not true to the email, you’ll turn off your readers.
2. Be True To The Purpose Of A Subject Line
The purpose of a subject line is a preview of the email; a handful of words that capture the essence of the subject matter.
Here’s a winner:
Boeing expanding footprint of S.C. facilities
That subject line got a 30% view rate! It taps directly into what that company’s readers are interested in.
3. Words With Friends
I’ve always found feedback to be extremely constructive and with subject lines, getting some outside perspective is vital.
Ask your friends and colleagues what they think the subject line should be or have them edit your subject lines. Better yet, come up with a few options and ask them to come up with some themselves. Then see which ones are best. You’ll be surprised at how often this results in the perfect subject line.
4. Split Second Impressions
The first words matter! When the email is being previewed, your first few words are the one’s that will be seen, so make ‘em count. Litmus has a neat tool to preview how your subject lines will appear across multiple email clients.
Here’s a subject line that grabbed my attention:
This Deal’s a Crime! The Murder Mystery Repeat Offender Deal!
For a business that deals with murder mysteries, that’s a super strong opening that netted them a 32% open rate.
5. Content Is King
Subject lines are a major factor in generating healthy open rates. It’s the first step to engagement and as such, it’s worth looking at how your content drives your subject line rather than viewing the subject line as an afterthought.
A compelling subject line can only be built on a strong foundation of content so make sure that your newsletter itself offers value. Thinking holistically, if you want to drive higher open rates, write content that generates great subject lines.
6. Who Are You?
While analyzing our top performing subject lines, I began to notice a trend. Of Mad Mimi emails that had the highest open rates, 76% of them had either their business name or the product name mentioned in their subject lines.
That’s more than a coincidence, that’s a pro tip: the top subject line writers use either their company name, the product name or both.
This one had a view rate of 44%:
Nursery Flannel from Cloud 9 Organics is Now Available at [Company Name]
7. Utilize Google Insights For Search
If you’re unsure of which words are best suited to your subject line, try comparing them with Google’s Insights For Search. While it’s technically a tool to help improve SEO optimization and help you understand what people are searching for on Google, the tool offers great insight (ahem) into online interests in general.
I find it’s most useful for my subject lines when I want to compare which words will be more powerful or whether to lead with a certain timely topic over another.
About Mad Mimi
Mad Mimi is the easiest way to create, send, share and track email newsletters online. Mad Mimi is for people who want email marketing to be simple. Every day, over 40 million emails are sent, shared and tracked using our delightful and powerful service. This article was originally published in Mad Mimi’s blog. Check out the original post here.