How to write great subject lines

Transcription

1 Small Business Learning Suite How to write great subject lines

2 Welcome to Marin Media Suite. We re glad you found us. We help small and enterprise size businesses market themselves locally through a mix of print and digital media. We know there are a lot of tips out there but our experience in working with small businesses helps us see first hand what works and what doesn t when it comes to marketing for our retail and service B2C customers. This booklet should provide you with some useful tips, presented in a straightforward way, to help you write effective subject lines. More opens. More clicks. More business.

3 MAKE IT TO THE INBOX The first rule of writing good subject lines for a small business is to avoid using language that triggers spam filters. Make sure you avoid these doozies while writing your subject lines. Some of the worst red flags include: Free Help Buy now Cash Percent off Click Here Call now Subscribe Earn $ Discount Donate Eliminate Debt Double your income You're a Winner! Amazing Opportunity Reminder Credit *Other big red flags for spam filters are using all capitals and exclamation marks. Also avoid super short subject headings. MAKE IT LOCAL As a small business, your customers will be more likely to open an that mentions a town, region or local landmark. If you can make your subject line relevant to a local issue or topic while associating your brand, you can improve your relevancy and increase your open rate. For example: From: Dave s Plumbing Subject: 3 simple ways to beat Marin s high water rates

4 BE CONCISE s are opened more often when the subject heading gives a good indication of the content being intentionally vague doesn t work. Provide some intrigue, but don't make people guess too much otherwise they probably won t bother. For example: "Five Tips for Beautiful Wedding Photography" is much better than: "Important message! Open now!" If you decide you must be mysterious, the 'mystery' subject heading should be part of a launch campaign or a series of s, so that people already have a general idea of who you are and what you are doing. But most of the time it's best to inform readers up front on how the will benefit them. USE LISTS AND NUMBERS For some reason people just love a subject line that contains a numbered list. They know it will be a quick read and folks are always looking for easy answers. Some examples of this would be: "7 Tips.." "5 Essentials " "10 Things to Love USE CATCHY PHRASES People are more likely to read s that sound like they are going to be exciting. How do you make an sound exciting? You use punchy adjectives then make them relevant to your business. "essential" "powerful" "high octane" "cutting edge" Put numbered lists and catchy phrases together and you get and irresistible subject line. 6 high octane strategies for increasing your home s value 5 cutting edge secrets to buying a car 7 Essential tips for finding the right contractor Three powerful questions to ask your financial advisor

5 CREATE A SENSE OF URGENCY People don t like to miss out. So if your offer is of interest and it s about to expire, readers are more likely to act. Try using terms like: Limited Quantity or Your coupon expires in 5 days! KEEP IT SHORT Rule of thumb: Subject lines should be 50 characters or less including spaces. The only exception is if your list highly targeted and the reader would appreciate the additional information. TIMING IS EVERYTHING Everyone is a little different when it comes to reading habits but there is enough data that shows what days of the week yield the best results. Rules of thumb: Mondays are duds Weekends are weak Mid week is best Time of day, or day parting is also a consideration. For example, if you are a lunch restaurant, send your mid-morning when lunch plans are being made at the office. We hope you find these tips helpful. For more information on marketing, please contact us at us at