Subject Lines can make or break you
The first thing your customer sees of your mailing is the subject line. It is what entices them to open or simply delete the email. The subject line can make or break the offer. A good one can build trust and loyalty with your clients and a misleading one can create a massive amount of un-subscriptions.
When you choose a subject line you want to choose one that will entice the customer to open and complete the offer. The goal of each mailing is to generate leads and the subject line is the first piece of funneling traffic to the completion stage. The best way to find the perfect subject line is to test a few. In some tests, you may want to have a subject line that is less specific and casts a huge net, and on others you want to try a more specific one that targets the consumer. A broad subject line will most likely generate a ton of clicks but have a lower conversion, while a more targeted subject line will have less clicks but a higher conversion .
Some things to avoid are:
- Misleading the Consumer, for instance it would be misleading to say Get Your Free Trial when the customer will have to pay. This will cause distrust with the customer and will essentially lead to many unsubs or create a less responsive list. It will also cause the conversions to be very low because they are not getting what they thought they were clicking on.
- Filtering can also be an issue with subject lines. Sometimes certain words can be filtered when used in the subject line and will automatically be sent to spam. Each domain will filter differently and the best way to find the word or phrase that triggers the filter is to test them. When testing the subject lines tweak them and send them to each domain for a test. What yahoo filters might not be what aol filters. If the word "credit" in one line triggers a filter pull it out and use something else. You will have to test and retest these with each domain to see what is getting through.
- Ultimately your deliverability is affected by how well you choose your subject lines for each offer. A subject like Get Your Free Olive Garden Gift Card will get very different results than a subject line like Get Your Free Olive Garden Gift Card After Participation.Use a broad subject line when you want tons of clicks and a more targeted when you want higher conversions. Test each subject and split test whenever you can to see what is working best with your data. Remember the more information you gather about the subject when testing the better the bottom line will be and the more money you will make.
By April Weber
Affiliate Strategist
Clickbooth.com
April has worked in the Affiliate Marketing industry for over eight years, holding roles such as Affiliate Relations Director and Director of Marketing. At Clickbooth, she works with all types of traffic, and is a specialist in email marketing
