Does Your Subject Line Do the Job?
Many ezine (email newsletter) publishers seem to consider their subject lines as afterthoughts, which is a bad idea.
Example: Suppose you get an e-mail with the subject line, "Get Rid of Your Debt Today."
I don't know about you, but my right pinkie is already poised over the delete key!
However, this could be an e-zine I've subscribed to that just isn't announcing itself properly.
Now, what if the subject line instead read:
"[Frank's Financial Tips] Get Rid of Your Debt Today"
See the difference? By listing the title of your e-zine, it reinforces your brand, it allows your readers to filter your e-zine into a separate folder in their e-mail inbox, and most important, it lets your recipient knows your message is NOT spam.
Now I do see some e-zines that ONLY list the e-zine name. For the example above it could just say, "Frank's Financial Tips." That's okay, but it doesn't tell me what's in the issue or why I should open it. Remember you're competing with dozens of other e-mail subject lines in your readers' inboxes, so give them a reason to open yours.
Studies show that also using the reader's NAME in the subject line can dramatically increase open rates, but I reserve this tactic for special promotions I send out that are time-sensitive and I want great response to (such as announcing an upcoming teleseminar). Example: "Jennifer, join me next Tuesday?"
This helps get the reader's attention and builds curiosity so she opens it right away. If you want to use this tactic, you'll need a list service that supports "personalization."
No matter what subject line you write, keep it short and sweet, because many e-mail programs cut off long subject lines. Here are the maximum subject line lengths (including spaces) in some popular e-mail programs:
AOL: 52 characters
Hotmail: 45 characters
Outlook Express: 64 characters
Yahoo: 80 characters
Don't go crazy counting spaces, but just keep in mind that shorter is better. (This sentence here contains 60 characters, including spaces.)
[EDITOR'S NOTE: For my list of 87 proven subject lines that you're welcome to outright *STEAL* and use for yourself, see my program, "Email Promotions That Really Rack up Sales"!]