It’s rare that I receive any kind of new or noteworthy email. Most of them all look and sound the same. I imagine your inbox looks the same as mine.
That’s why one of the biggest challenges in email marketing (just like direct mail) is figuring out
How to Get Your Email Opened!
You have two snippets of text to work with: your name and your subject line.
Personally, I believe the most valuable of the two is your name.
Here’s why…
If you deliver valuable content to your readers… and you develop a relationship with them… they will actually WANT to read everything you send them.
They will open your emails and read them because they know you, like you, and trust you. And they trust you will continue to deliver the kinds of content you’ve developed a REPUTATION for delivering.
Now, a name can be an asset or a liability. If you abuse your reader’s trust… and you abuse it repeatedly… she will unsubscribe. Or worse, she will bad-mouth you in public forums whenever the subject of email marketing comes up!
So, as much as possible, build trust. Become known for delivering value. Treat your name as an asset. Build relationship equity. If you are in this for the long-term (and you’re not just “churning and burning” your prospects), then this strategy will be very effective for you.
And this brings me to
Email Subject Lines
What subject lines work best? What should you avoid?
Well, I can’t speak for all markets, but I can tell you some things that have worked well for me.
1. Be provocative.
Whenever I put some emotion into my subject lines or write something unexpected, my emails get more attention.
Example: “3 Signs You Should NOT Be a Copywriter”
Since I am a copywriter… and I have an ebook about how to get clients as a copywriter… this is definitely an unexpected subject line. As a result, it got a high open rate.
2. Make it look personal.
A quick caveat: Deceptive subject lines are illegal. So do not try to trick your readers. That’s a no-no.
Still, I think making email look personal is a good strategy for getting emails opened — so long as the strategy is not over-used.
Example: “re: copywriting clients”
When I used this subject line, a reader told me re: means “reply,” and as such was deceptive because the email wasn’t a reply.
I’d never heard this before. I always thought re: meant “regarding.” It is used all the time in print letters. “Re: Your Recent Purchase” or whatever.
No matter whether you choose to use Re: or not, the principle still holds. Personal emails get opened more often. You could just use lower case letters and that might be enough. Or you might say something like “hey, need your advice” if you’re conducting a survey.
3. Use the word “Download.”
This may sound weird, but in test after test, anytime I start a subject line with the word “Download,” I get a ton of opens.
Example: “Download Ben Settle & Ryan Healy Interview”
If you have a PDF report, audio recording, or video to offer your list, use the word Download. If your experience is anything like mine, it will improve your open rates.
4. Mix things up.
In #2, I suggest making your emails look personal. The trick is to avoid over-using this strategy.
Most of the time, I like to use clear subject lines with Initial Caps.
Example: “How to Write with Authority”
Simple. Straightforward. And it works.
But over time using the same subject line format can cause your readers to become blinded by familiarity. Which is why I like to change things up every now and again.
That’s when I will use lower case letters or ask a question or throw in some symbols.
Example: “am I crazy for doing this?”
If I’ve been sending out emails such as the first example (How to…) and then I send out something like this, it will get much more attention.
5. Issue a command.
Instead of trying to gain your reader’s interest, it’s good to occasionally issue a command. Again, this works well only if you don’t over-use it.
Example: “urgent message (open immediately)”
Obviously, I can only say something like this a few times a year. Not everything is urgent. But when something is genuinely urgent, issuing a command is often better than using a promise-based subject line.
And if you don’t have something urgent, you can still issue a command. For instance, one of my most-read blog posts simply said, “You Have to Read This Now.”
I gave no indication as to WHY my reader needed to read this… or even WHAT he was going to read about. And yet it still commands (demands?) the reader to take the action you request.
6. Tell a story about yourself.
Anytime I use a story about myself, I get higher open rates. Of course, it has to be interesting and relevant to my readers.
Example 1: “33 Things I Learned in 2006″
Example 2: “How I Achieved a 7.14% Conversion Rate”
Everybody loves a good story.
By inserting yourself into the subject line with the word “I” you naturally tap into your reader’s curiosity — and his desire to read a good story.
Notice that there are two things at work here. I’m promising a story and a learning opporunity at the same time.
7. Make a compelling offer.
Back in May 2008, I ran a special offer centered around my birthday. I sold a copy of a physical book for $7. And that price included shipping.
This offer sold 85 books and generated a couple upsells on the back end. The two subject lines I used were:
Example 1: “My Birthday Is This Week — Here’s a Gift for You”
Example 2: “Save a Back: Buy a Book”
The trick is to make your offer compelling. That’s the first goal. Then, if possible, make it fun. Give a reason WHY you’re making the offer (i.e., it’s your birthday).
Win 1,000 Gallons of Gas?
Now, most corporate email is boring and completely fails as a direct response medium. But today I was pleasantly surprised by an email USAA sent to me.
Subject: Enter the 1,000 Gallons of Gas Sweepstakes.
Here they have combined two of the elements I discussed above. They are issuing a command (”Enter”) and making a compelling offer (a chance to win 1,000 gallons of gas).
Here’s a screenshot of the email:
As far as corporate emails go, this one is really good.
They’ve got a clear, compelling offer. They’ve got a deadline. And they’ve got a call to action.
What’s more, they’re tapping into the internal conversation many Americans have had about high gas prices.
Not bad!
The bottom line: Email marketing can be both powerful and profitable if you do it right.
What tips and advice do you have?
-Ryan M. Healy
Popularity: 22% [?]
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I love writing emails that engage the curiosity of the reader.
A great way to do that is using questions they can’t answer.
For example, this email got a 36% open rate…
“Are You Willing To Sacrifice For This?”
When someone reads that, they think…sacrifice for what? And it makes them want to see what they may or may not be willing to sacrifice for.
Actually Ryan, I was promoting your ebook on getting copywriting clients when I sent that, and was talking about the “copywriters” lifestyle.
Jeremy Reeves
http://www.controlbeatingcopy.com
Some good tips in there Ryan. I would add one more:
Make your email unique
I’m sure you’re on a bunch of the lists as well and get a pile of emails every time there’s a big product launch in the “internet marketing” space.
I always laugh when I see the same email come from numerous people, with absolutely no changes (and sometimes talking about something they supposedly did personally) to promote some product or another.
If you’re promoting something, the least you can do is spend 5 or 10 minutes crafting your own message.
I also got a kick out of your example in #5:
Example: “urgent message (open immediately)”
This reminds me of CNN’s “Breaking News” banner that seems to have a permanent place on the screen these days. If I’ve already heard them talk about the story several hours or days earlier, it’s no longer breaking news. Suddenly that “breaking news” notice seems a lot less important the next time I see it.
The same thing happens when I get an “urgent” email that’s telling me the same thing I’ve already seen a dozen times. I’m a lot less likely to open the next one I get from that person.
I agree with your friend about the Re: prefix. If someone uses that and it’s not referring to previous correspondence, that mailer is OFF my buy list.
BTW, I did a four-part series in Monthly Frugal Marketing Tips on writing e-mails that get opened. Covered not only from and subject (on which you and I share some insights but I also talked about some different stuff) but also two other factors: how to get past filtering software and whether to use HTML. They are the bottom four articles at http://www.frugalmarketing.com/marketingtips.shtml#email
I can’t believe I’ve been publishing that tipsheet for 11-1/2 years!
Solid ideas Ryan.
I especially like the story one.
You know who else is infatuated with the story driven email?
Matthew Furey.
Love him or hate him, Matt Furey is someone you might want to look to for learning how to make money with email.
Michael Masterson loves him and as a by product of being his #1 fan, he had Matt host a seminar for AWAI. I think he called it “The Furey Formula For Making A Fortune With Email”. Something like that.
I own it and I vouch for it.
What was interesting about this seminar was that he had the people actually writing emails there in the room in 15 minute chunks of time.
He put the student under the gun and then…
…he pulled about 5 or 6 of em up on stage and had them read what they wrote.
Yeah some people were stifled and nervous and their copy sounded that way but there were some good ones in there too.
What was beneficial was hearing Matt play doctor on the peoples emails that needed help.
Ryan has a great handle on this subject and using what he showed you today will definitely help and if you’re looking for more support I’d recommend picking up that Furey seminar.
Note Taking Nerd Numba 2
http://www.mynotetakingnerd.wordpress.com
Hey Ryan,
As a subscriber to numerous lists, I know for a fact that “name” can make a big difference in getting emails opened.
Actually, I made a post on my blog a couple of days ago about how I had 4,342 unopened emails in 4 of my email accounts combined. :-)
See, I am subscribed to more lists than I can remember. Most of these emails I delete without reading. Some others stay unopened in my account for ever.
But some specific emails, I make sure I do not miss even a single issue.
One of them is John Forde’s Copywriter Roundtable newsletter.
The content in this email is simply amazing. So I make it a point to open it…regardless of what the subject line is.
So I think “your name” is eventually the bigger factor in deciding whether your emails get opened or not in the long-term.
Dean Dhuli.
http://HighPowerCopy.com/
I highly recommend Matt Furey too.
As Matt says, marketing is ultimately about connecting with people. A marketer’s emails are a reflection of his/her ability, or inability, to connect with people. Most marketers can’t do it with email alone like Matt can and need a blog and Twitter as well.
A client recently asked me to put together a 4 day email campaign based on Frank Kern’s 4 Day Cash Machine. I used his templates and 3 days into it the campaign was a flop. So I rewrote email #4; I wrote it straight from the client’s heart and changed the offer and said to heck with piling on bonuses and the other things in the original template and left all that out. That email saved the day and overall the campaign ended with a good response rate. It was yet another reminder to focus on connecting with people when marketing.
One thing more internet marketers should do is use HTML email. You don’t have to use as many words. This recent email from Col. Littleton is a perfect example:
http://www.anitaashland.com/littleton.html
@Jeremy – Curiosity is one of the most powerful triggers for getting a person’s attention. The trick is to get the RIGHT KIND of attention… the kind that leads to action.
@John – Making your email unique is very important. Whenever I’m writing copy for affiliates, I always add a phrase in the affiliate resource area that says something like, “Here are some emails you can use to promote _____. Feel free to cut, paste, and send. Of course, the best affiliates modify these emails or write their own.”
@Note Taking Nerd – Thanks for mentioning Matt Furey. Love him or hate him, the guy knows how to use emails to generate sales.
@Dean – You should probably unsubscribe from a list or two. Just a hunch. ;-)
@Anita – Interesting experience you had with 4-Day Cash Machine. Thanks for sharing. And thanks for the link to the Colonel Littleton email. (By the way, I live right next to Littleton, Colorado… and I thought that’s what you were referring to at first!)