How To Write Subject Lines That Get Opened
Did that subject line get your attention? Great! Keep reading and you will find out exactly how to improve your email marketing success rate. Too many Internet marketers take email marketing for granted and send out boring emails that read like a template for the world’s worst email. From overused power words to stuffing the word “free”, your emails deserve better subject lines and you can learn how to write them.
Question: What is the national average email open rate in the U.S.?
Answer: 23.8 percent
WTF! What a lousy number. No Internet marketer wants to hear that when a majority of our business depends on email marketing success. There has to be a secret to improve the email open rate percentage for niche email marketing campaigns. There is a way. It’s called “Write Better Email Subject Lines.”
Consider the following email subject lines:
- “Five Reasons Why You’re Not a Millionaire Yet”
- “Here’s Our Special Gift to You”
There is a big difference between these two subject lines. The first one gets right to the point and is trying to solve a real problem that any non-millionaire might have. The second one sounds like a virus just waiting to attack your computer.
The trick to writing better subject lines is taking yourself out of your current position and becoming your customer for a few moments. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What Would Get Me to Open This Email?
- Is the Sender My Friend or Someone That Wants My Money?
- What Headline Could Solve a Current Problem I Have?
When you think like your customers, you can write directly to your customers and increase your email open percentage. Customers appreciate when you keep your emails personal but still business appropriate.
What Not to Include in Your Subject Lines
When you know what not to do, you will not make the mistakes that so many Internet marketers make when blasting out emails to current or future customers.
• Too Many Power Words Like “Free”, “Buy Now”, “Discount” and “Limited Time”
• The Content of Your Email
• More Than 50 Characters
What to Include for Guaranteed Email Openings
For some strange reason, more people open emails that include numbers than any other textual element. Numbers like “6 Things to Know About _____” or “12 Secrets to _____” work like a charm.
Subject lines that ask questions do as equally well as numbers. Remember that your customers have problems. They look to you to solve these problems. Questions like “Why Would You Turn Down a Price Like This?” evoke emotion and make your customers act on habit instead of thinking too much. When your customers think too much, it can hurt your chance of making a sale.
Learning to write great headlines takes a little practice, but you will get better at it and maybe even great. Just keep in mind that mobile email use is on the rise and the open rate national average is 51 percent. Great subject lines help you sleep well at night.
