The Lunch Pail

Email marketing is only as strong as its open rates. And the subject line is bait on the hook for people to bite – to click and access your message sent. No matter how brilliant your email may be, campaign success hinges on a short string of words with enough zing to inspire an open.

1. Compelling Your subject line should be compelling, with an immediate benefit, giving the reader a sense of urgency to open now instead of later. For example, “Early Bird Savings Ends Feb. 4” The wording motivates them to action – not to miss out or be left behind. (Hint: See if your subject line answers the “Why now?” in its wording.)
2. Creative Be unique! There’s some serious clutter in most people’s inboxes. Your message shouldn’t sound like all the others. It should stand out as different, unusual — something you just won’t find anywhere else. Use real terms, but give it a different spin, preferably from the client’s point of view, or in a way that will pique the reader’s interest.
   You may have to dig deeper to bring out benefits the others don’t talk about. Or find that unique angle. For instance, a tax-saving software promo could use: “Legal Ways to Annoy the Government.” A historic approach may work: “The Aztecs Prized This More Than Gold.” When appropriate, you can pull in current events or pop culture: “Which one is Dwight in your office?” Have fun with it. (Hint: It’s better to hone in on one unique benefit or idea and promote it than it is to be vague and ordinary.)
3. Clear Be specific about your offer and explain what you can do for them. Instead of “Save time and money,” tell them they’ll save “4 hours a week” and “$368 a month.” Spell out the benefits with clear, honest details. That said, be sure your details actually hold up. Never mislead the reader. Bend the truth and you risk losing them forever.
4. Capable Show that you can deliver something the prospect wants… something of value that addresses their needs and solves their problems. This can be as simple as stating what they should expect in the email (“New White Paper on Email Marketing” or “ Get a Trial Gloss to tame your winter frizz”). In other words, what do they get if they open the email? Give them the reason. (Hint: If you make a promise, make it one that the prospect wants to hear.)
5. Compassionate Address the concerns of the reader. What keeps them up at night? Are they worried about something your brand can resolve… spending too much money… being left behind their peers…? Tap into those deeper concerns – and provide them with a solution to ease their pain – to be more effective. (Hint: Take a tone in your writing that shows compassion, that you relate to the prospect in an authentic way. Speak their language and “feel their pain” to help further attract them to what you have to offer.)

There you have it, the Five Cs of great subject lines –Compelling… Creative… Clear… Capable… Compassionate. Next time you create a subject line for your email, see how your words address these five criteria. When in doubt, test. Then build on the results.

A few other tips:

• Keep it short – The fewer words the better.
• Avoid redundancy in “From” and “Subject” – If your From line includes your business name, your subject line doesn’t need to repeat it.
• Use any acronyms or jargon thoughtfully – Don’t make the reader have to figure out what you’re trying to say, unless you’re using the language to zero in on a specific readership segment.
• Mobile matters – The number of people who read their email on their smartphone is growing, which means subject lines must be even more compelling to capture the attention of the on-the-go reader.

What tips would you add?