If you publish an email newsletter, you know that writing a compelling subject line is often the hardest part.
So, what does it take to get people to open your email? Is there a formula you can use to up your open rates? What can you learn from your email marketing about how your community and the media will respond to your message?
MarketingSherpa analyzed a year’s worth of their email open rates and came up with four takeaways. Open access to the article runs through December 2.
MarketingSherpa’s Newsletter Subject Line Guide
Takeaway #1. Begin with value: Best Time, Simple Email
Takeaway #2. Find the right ‘trigger words’ within 41 spaces
Takeaway #3. Watch the hard sell, offer value instead
Takeaway #4. Hot brands work – mention Facebook, Wikipedia
Top Seven Email Subject Lines Based On Open Rates
Taking the MarketingSherpa lead, we went back and found our top seven 2008 email subject lines, based on the percentage of open rates.
What do they have in common? All are short. Starting with PR Tips or a personalized subject line with a first name merge field bumped up open rates. “Trigger words” appear to be community, social media, branding and rock star. Talking about value works; a soft-sell p.s. sums up the benefits with a relevant call to action at the end of the main message.
PR Tips | 20 Ways to Use LinkedIn as a PR Platform
Community PR : Keys to Creating Relationships
Getting Mini-Carded: Shrink for Big Impact
PR Tips | Making Sense of Social Media
PR Tips | Branding: It’s in Your DNA
To Firstname: Do you Look Like You?
To Firstname: What Kind of Rock Star Are You?
Want to read our email newsletters? Visit Wired PR Works’ email newsletter archive.
Share It
What’s your top email newsletter subject line? Why do you think so many subscribers opened it?
English