Remember the first time you crossed paths with the person of your dreams? You were walking down the boulevard on your way to class when a miraculous, misty glow seemed to appear out of the blue through which the most beautiful person in the world was floating through. You embraced. You kissed. And you lived happily ever after.
Okay, maybe it didn’t happen exactly like that, but the point is first impressions are sudden instances. It takes no more than a split second to fall in love or to decide unequivocally that a particular work of art is ugly, or to ignore an email. Let’s say you’ve already collected a wonderful little list of emails. You have a group of leads, and along with that, all the hope in the world. So where do you go from there? Those email leads will amount to nothing if you’re not able to get them to opt in.
In order to turn a lead into a customer you need to draw them in and, at the very least, get them interested in what you have to offer. In the case of emails, subject headings may be the single most important factor in triggering attention. Take-home lesson of the day: Compose solid subject lines for your emails.
Know Your Clientele
You want to establish some semblance of trust. Extending a token of familiarity is one way to get a lead to buy in. “I know you. You know me. We’re a happy family.” And all that jazz.
One key tactic is personalizing emails. A study conducted by the Science of Email Marketing found that email subjects with the addressee’s first name had a significantly higher clickthrough rate than those that didn’t. You can use their actual name or just a common sender name instead of your company’s, and certainly not a generic no-reply email ID.
If names are too close to creepiness for you, consider tailoring headings according to the product. Whether it be specific to a particular city, type of good, or preferred style. Using “you” is also a suitable substitute.
Down to Brass Tacks
Simplicity trumps all. Be concise. Be clear. Get to the point.
Stand Out King
Set yourself apart by being witty. Put those evening improv classes to use for once and include a quick joke or a clever pun in your subject line. Be careful not to overdo it, of course. And whatever you do, try not to talk down to anyone. Stay clear of ALL CAPS and exclamation points altogether.
Another way to stand out is to use numbers. A thought-provoking statistic could do the trick for some people. Asking an interesting question is yet another way to catch an eye. Lastly, make your readers feel good about themselves, special even. They could be receiving a unique offer just for them or maybe even being asked to complete an important task. The proper phrasing can hit the sweet spot and win over any stone-cold email user.
Think about your email subject line as the one chance you have to win someone over. Go ahead. Hit them with your best shot. Fire away.
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