Email subject lines: Are yours a big yawn?
Would you open this e-newsletter?
E-Newsletter 1.12.09
It’s from an organization I know and trust, but really, how boring is this?
E-Newsletter 1.09.09
E-Newsletter 12.11.08
E-Newsletter 12.04.08
E-Newsletter 11.20.08
E-Newsletter 11.12.08
My inbox is full of these — unopened. Suppose I had opened one, and found something I wanted to refer to later. The chronological labeling doesn’t help me in the least.
Other similar examples:
AIGA Minnesota Distiller January 2009
AIGA Minnesota Distiller December 2008
AIGA Minnesota Distiller November 2008
AIGA Minnesota Distiller October 2008
These AIGA e-newsletters are gorgeous and full of interesting content. Why are they hiding behind such a dreary door? In my inbox, the “From” line is also AIGIA Minnesota, so I really don’t need the branding repeated in the subject line.
Entice me with real content! C’mon, you only have about 50-60 characters in an email subject line. Don’t waste them on your name (I can read it in the “From” line), the month (which I already know), and the year (which I also know).
Here’s another set, with a slightly different style:
AIGA Communique Vol 8 Issue 10
AIGA Communique Vol 8 Issue 9
AIGA Communique Vol 8 Issue 8
AIGA Communique Vol 8 Issue 7
Quick fix: Put AIGA Communique in the “From” line, save the Vol 8 Issue 9 information for the masthead, and give me a delicious taste of what’s inside with a subject line like this:
Design leaders see stronger design economy coming
This is what Chad White calls a one-interest trigger subject line. Use it if your story is compelling. Or use multiple interest triggers, as in this example:
Design for Democracy, Winterhouse Writing Awards, AIGA Fellows
Here are some other unopened e-newsletters languishing in my inbox. Would you be willing to click?
Your January/February issue of I.D. Magazine is here.
Reminder – Your January/February issue of I.D. Magazine is here.
Your November/December issue of I.D. Magazine is here.
Reminder – Your November/December issue of I.D. Magazine is here.
I’m getting the “Reminder” email because I didn’t open the first email. Maybe it had something to do with the subject line?
Here’s yet another set:
Gwyn, Your January Issue of Interface Has Arrived!
Gwyn, Your January Issue of Gate-Way Has Arrived!
Gwyn, Your December Issue of Interface Has Arrived!
Gwyn, Your December Issue of Gate-Way Has Arrived!
I appreciate the personalization (although my name is Gwyneth), and I do rather like the breathless, we’re-so-proud-to-present-this-to-you enthusiasm. But really it’s better left to a personal message: Our New Baby Has Arrived!
And, please, let’s watch that Title Case. Because Everything In The Subject Line Isn’t Really That Important!
I don’t know about you, but my inbox is full of intriguing, urgent messages that grab my attention far faster than a ho-hum label and a date. A few examples:
From the ubiquitous Jared M. Spool:
UIE Tips: Failure is Not an Option — It’s a Requirement
UIE Tips: Four Essential Skills for Information Architects
UIE Tips: How to Innovate Right Now
From MarketingProfs Today:
5 Tips For Developing a Corporate Blogging Policy
What Not To Do on Facebook, How to Create a Successful Video Blog, Nurturing the Right Leads
How Obama Did It, How a Good Bistro is Like a Good Web Business
The MarketingProfs emails are really pushing the character-count limit. But they can because they’re interesting, intriguing, informative.
Here are some subject lines from Larsen inSights, the email newsletter I edit. Do these capture your attention? Our open rates say “yes.”
Color: 5 trends important to your business
Presentations: 8 Mistakes Everyone Makes
Brand identity: When should you refresh?
Finally, here’s an email subject line I couldn’t resist:
Did you click? You should. It’s a great article.
P.S. See you at the upcoming MIMA event: Inbox Insanity: The Future of Email Marketing. Perhaps Jeff Rohrs will share the boring, the bewildering, and the best from his inbox.
