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Ideas from Campaign 08: Keep your email subject lines more brief than this blog post title (is "more brief" good grammar anyway?) |
Many an online marketing expert has discussed the importance of the email subject line. I don’t need to belabor this point, but I will encourage you to take a page from Senator Obama's team and use brevity in your subjects. Here are just a few of his recent subject lines: "Something extraordinary", "A beginning", "You have to see this", "Results", "In his own words". Each of these catchy subjects is a teaser, encouraging me to open the email. Had the February 9th message subject been “We won all three stats today”, I probably would not have opened it. But “Results” piqued my interest.
Not only do brief subject lines tease your reader, they help to avoid the pitfalls of spam filters and the growing challenge of various email application readers. Here are a few fictitious examples to consider, you be the judge which subject would illicit a higher open rate.
| Long version | Short version |
| Polar bears in crisis | In crisis |
| Devastating Earthquake kills thousands | Total devastation |
| On the path to a cure for cancer | There is a cure |
| Our children are our future | Our future |
The right subject line for your message will depend on the timing, the issue and your desired outcomes, but the next time you’re struggling to pick the best phrase, consider an A/B test with one version no more than four words and analyze the results.
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