July 15, 2009

Subject Lines: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Posted by Alicia Bonnington

Email blast subject lines can often times become an afterthought. You’ve worked hard on all the other components of your email campaign, including compelling copy, well thought-out graphics and list and then a subject line is thrown together at the last minute and the email is blasted. 

Like a personalized party invitation, the subject line sets the mood of your email. I think that the subject line is one of the most important components of an email campaign. The subject line determines whether the recipient will open the email, delete it, ignore it or mark it as spam.

I have a couple of suggestions that will strengthen your subject lines:
•    Write it early and continue drafting your subject lines throughout the campaign
•    Have someone else write, edit and review your subject lines
•    Have your team weigh in on subject line options
•    Send subject lines to yourself and colleagues, then see what kind of a response they produce
•    Test, test, and then test some more.

Remember to avoid the mundane and boring. Have Fun! Don’t be afraid to try fun, creative and intriguing subject lines. Try some new styles and test them through split tests to see what works best for your audience.

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