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Email Marketing Subject Line Comparison

Wednesday, 30 Jul, 2007 0
Study of Best and Worst Open Rates on MailChimp
People who are new to email marketing often ask us, “How should I  write my subject lines so that more recipients will open my emails?”  In order to answer that question, we recently analyzed over 40  million emails sent from customers through MailChimp, and found the  ones with the highest  open rates and the ones with the lowest open  rates. Then we pulled 20 from each pile and put their subject lines in  a side-by-side comparison. The “highest” open rates were in the  range of 60%-87%, while the “lowest” performers fell in the dismal  1%-14% range. Do you see a pattern below?
Best Open Rates (60%-87%) Worst Open Rates (1%-14%)
1. [COMPANYNAME] Sales &   Marketing Newsletter 1. Last Minute Gift – We Have The  Answer
2. Eye on the [COMPANYNAME]  Update (Oct 31 – Nov 4) 2. Valentines – Shop Early & Save  10%
3. [COMPANYNAME] Staff Shirts &  Photos 3. Give a Gift Certificate this  Holiday
4. # [COMPANYNAME] May 2005  News Bulletin! 4. Valentine’s Day Salon and Spa  Specials!
5. [COMPANYNAME] Newsletter –  February 2006 5. Gift Certificates – Easy &  Elegant Giving – Let Them  Choose
6. [COMPANYNAME] Newsletter –  January 2006 [ *|FNAME|*  *|LNAME|* ] 6. Need More Advertising Value  From Your Marketing Partner?
7. [COMPANYNAME] and  [COMPANYNAME] Invites You! 7. [COMPANYNAME] Pioneers in  Banana Technology
8. Happy Holidays from  [COMPANYNAME] 8. [COMPANYNAME] Moves You  Home for the Holidays
9. ATTENTION [COMPANYNAME]  Staff! 9. Renewal
10. ATTENTION [COMPANYNAME]  West Staff!! 10. Technology Company Works  with [COMPANYNAME] on  Bananas Efforts
11. Invitation from  [COMPANYNAME] 11. [COMPANYNAME] Update – A  Summary of Security and  Emergency Preparedness News
12. [COMPANYNAME] Jan/Feb 2006  Newsletter 12. Now Offering Banana Services!
13. Website news – Issue 3 13. It’s still summer in Tahoe!
14. # Upcoming Events at  [COMPANYNAME] 14. [COMPANYNAME] endorses  [COMPANYNAME] as successor
15. [COMPANYNAME] Councils:  Letter of Interest 15. [COMPANYNAME] Holiday Sales  Event
16. [COMPANYNAME] Coffee  Exchange – Post-Katrina  Update 16. The Future of International  Trade
17. We’re Throwing a Party 17. [COMPANYNAME] for your next  dream home.
18. # October 2005 Newsletter 18. True automation of your  Banana Research
19. [COMPANYNAME]: 02.10.06 19. [COMPANYNAME] Resort –  Spring into May Savings
20. [COMPANYNAME] Racing  Newsletter 20. You Asked For More…
* Study only included campaigns sent to at least 100 recipients.
Observations
On the “best” side, you’ll notice the subject lines are pretty straightforward.  They’re not very “salesy” or “pushy” at all. Heck, some people might even  say they’re “boring.” On the “worst” side however, notice how the subject  lines read like headlines from advertisements you’d see in the Sunday  paper. They might look more “creative,” but their open rates are horrible.  It’s as if those email marketers assumed that subject lines have to jump off  the screen and “GRAB THE READER’S ATTENTION!” or something.  Unfortunately, most people get so much junk mail in their inbox, anything  that even hints of spam gets thrown away immediately.
Setting Expectations
So does that mean your subject lines should be really stale and un-creative  to get high open rates? We don’t think so. In our study, we actually saw  some campaigns that used more “creative” subject lines (like the ones on  the “bad” side of our table) but they had pretty decent open rates. The  difference seemed to be in the expectations that were set for the emails.

 For example, email “newsletters” are for “soft-selling.” They build  relationships with your customers, and they’re great if your products have a  very long sales cycle. Use them to slowly soften your customers for the  sale, or to make them feel really good about your brand. If your recipients  signed up for these kinds of emails, don’t expect them to be very  enthusiastic when, out of the blue, you send an email with a subject line  like, “10% Discount! Open Now!” For newsletters, keep your subject lines  simple, straightforward, and consistent.

 On the other hand, if your subscribers specifically opted-in to receive  “special offers and promotions” from your company, there’s nothing wrong  with saying there’s a “10% off e-coupon inside.” They’ll be expecting a  “hard sell” from you. It’s when marketers send promotional emails to their  entire “newsletter” list when things go wrong. The idea is to create a totally  separate opt-in list for those who want to receive promotional emails.  Furthermore, segment your promotions list into smaller, more focused  groups before you send your campaign (don’t send an offer for purses and  high-heel shoes to the men on your list).

 
The Secret Formula for Subject-Lines
So what’s our advice for email subject lines? This is going to sound “stupid  simple” to a lot of people, but here goes: Your subject line should (drum roll  please): Describe the subject of your email. Yep, that’s it.

 Always set your subscribers’ expectations during the opt-in process about  what kinds of emails they’ll be receiving. Don’t confuse newsletters with  promotions. If your email is a  newsletter, put the name and issue of the  newsletter in your subject line. Because that’s what’s inside. If your email is  a special promotion, tell them what’s inside. Either way, just don’t write  your subject lines like advertisements.

 When it comes to email marketing, the best subject lines tell what’s inside,  and the worst subject lines sell what’s inside.

Complements of: http://www.mailchimp.com/


TravelMole B2B eMarketing specialists and partners can help you refine and/or develop marketing strategies which really leverage online marketing beyond the standard banner ads and email promotions to generate qualified leads,orders,to build relationships,establish your foothold in your industry sector,etc. Click here to contact us for consultations.

 



 



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