Don’t know about you, but when I open my email, my main mission is
Search and Destroy.
Yes indeed. My main goal while looking at my email is to get my in-box down to a manageable size. So, out goes:
- The obscure. A subject line which doesn’t say much, for example Special Savings…versus what this emailer was REALLY offering which was Thursday, Friday and Saturday 30% off your purchase… which is MUCH more motivating, don’t you think?
- The ones who can’t bother to telegraph their intent to me: what would possibly make me intrigued enough to open Something we think you’ll “Like”? To be quite blunt, what YOU think…doesn’t interest me. Remember the WIIFM! How about…You asked for it, We Heard!
- The boring. Ho hum so what, 50% sale extended thru Sat? I mean, all that tells me is that the sending business is DESPERATE…and goodness knows, I am not so pitiful that I have to shop at a desperate shop, do I? How about…The Sale for Busy Folk?
- Stuff that doesn’t tell me anything I find useful today. If an email subject line focuses solely on a topic of interest to only a segment of your shoppers, expect the non-targeted to ignore it. New M&D in doesn’t interest those who don’t want M&D (and those who don’t know what M&D is) How about… New M&D and Great Books Too! which offers a wider interest?
Email is not a medium to wax eloquent in.
Say it fast, say it plain, say it so it will either be memorable or so intriguing that the recipient will come back to it. Your goal is to have your recipients read your email. Second best, to have them save it for another, more leisurely day. Worst-case-scenario? You don’t want them to mark you as spam. So make your emails worth their attention.
Auntie Kate The Resale Expert 
Best open rate we got was from an email with the subject line “Letter from the Owners” – the change in open rate was unbelievable. You can really only do that once or twice a year though. We did write a thank you letter & included other info as well. Can’t claim credit – stole it from a spa who said it was their highest open rate as well. It works – but put your best stuff in it & INCLUDE A LETTER!
Interesting, Katie. I wouldn’t have thought that subject line would be effective. I’ll have to try it on my next email to TGtbT.com viewers!
And your point about living UP to the subject line by actually HAVING a “letter” as promised, and making the opening of the email rewarding (“put your best stuff in it”) is a good point… we certainly don’t want to make our customers feel they’ve been “tricked” into opening something with little value to them.
[…] How vital is your subject line? More vital than your content. […]
Excellent article! I do the same thing when I go through my emails…but when I ask to be on someone’s email list, I don’t mark their emails as spam. Which is what happened to me. And completely confused me, as I have the woman’s name & email (on a list that I keep on the counter, for new customers, etc.), in her handwriting! 😦
Which just goes to show, Tracy, that what we do (in our email boxes or ANYwhere on the web) is not always ruled by common sense. (Come to think of it, anyWHERE in the real world too.)
Now THERE’s a life lesson!
Amazing! This is exactly the first thing I do when I open my email but had not thought about it really as a process. Thank you, Kate 😉
Love this! Search and destroy is so true…didn’t destroy this one…guess your advice is right on the mark 🙂
Thanks for your site… I love it!