Email marketing, while not as fashionable as social media, is still the mainstay for many publishers and event organisers, with better sales conversion than many other channels. But amid the deluge of customer inboxes and growing tendency for mobile triage, how on earth do you stand out?
Email marketing experts Adestra have analysed over 2 billion emails to identify the key words in subject lines that lead to more opens and clicks. Their latest findings show that some traditionally strong keywords for events and publishing are now worn out. Here’s my top 12 insights…
- Your subject line provides branding even when it’s not opened. If your audience are busy they may not open your email but if your subject line matches your brand values and promises good content, then it still has a value. And a consistent strategy means recipients know what to expect.
- Testing is still essential – last year’s winning words can stop working this year, so it is crucial to keep testing.
- The “Newsletter” is tired – in this realtime world, you will do better with “Alert”, “Bulletin”, “Breaking” or simply “New” or “Latest.”
- Be specific, not generic – the best performing newsletter subject lines are a list of topics or headlines, separated by commas or vertical “pipes.”
- Video is a click magnet – if you can create and promote video content, not only does it enhance open rates, it also fuels more clicks.
- Content Marketing is flooding people with “reports” and “webinars”; “intelligence” and “forecasts” so these generic terms are less likely to get emails opened. But “editor” and “update” still work so there is a place for original, independent content.
- Consumers are evasive when you ask for money – it’s harder for publishers to get opens using keywords like “subscription”, “discount”, “last chance” and “trial” But contests can work – so using words like “win” and “iPad” can boost opens.
- Personalisation in subject lines still works – maybe as it grabs attention in a busy in-box.
- Generic event terms are worn out – using “Agenda”, “Keynote”, “Speakers” or “Conference” will kill your open rates – so it’s important to be specific to your industry.
- Money talks in B2B – benefits around “ROI” are more likely to generate opens than “Learn.” Although “CPD” works well in those industries where it is important.
- Calls to action that mimic transactional emails still work well: such as “Badge”, “Download”, “Invitation” or “Registration” but use these sparingly.
- Regular frequencies build a habit – if you can provide good content on a “Daily” or “Weekly” basis and use those words in subject lines then it does enhance open rates.
So this at least should provide some new ideas on subject lines to test, test and test again.
You can download Adestra’s full subject line report here
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Carolyn Morgan has launched, acquired, grown & sold specialist media businesses in print, web and events. She launched the Specialist Media Show in 2010 and grew a community of ambitious publishers keen to grow their digital activity. SIIA acquired the Specialist Media Show in 2013 and Carolyn is now Programme Director for SIIA UK. Follow Carolyn on twitter at @siiauk.