It’s apparent, subject lines can make all the difference between someone opening your email, deleting it or marking it as spam. Like the two actual examples above, creative lines tend to stand out more in the inbox. But trust in the sender also matters — sometimes even more — when deciding whether to open or delete an email.
Consider the following three suggestions to help you increase your email open rate:
1. Earn trust from your audience first — then get creative.
Well, the fact is the subject line of an email is clearly important. As this is the only reason behind your audience opening your email, the sender’s identity is often more significant. If you receive an email from an individual or company that you recognize and trust, you are probably more likely to open it.
According to the Obama campaign team, the “Hey” subject line was one of the most effective in generating online donation because of its personal feel. But had that email been from a company or person you didn’t know or trust, you might have deleted it or marked it as spam without even opening it.
Indeed, when content marketing site Copyblogger sent a message a few months ago with the subject line “Hey”, one person commented on the blog post in the email: “Loved the subject line, but…ONLY opened it because I know and trust you and all Copyblogger associated businesses.”
To create that level of trust, send only useful and timely emails and make sure the same sender name is used every time. This is not to say that you can’t test different “from” names, but figure out what works best for you (try best Email Marketing Automation which enables you for A/B testing). If your audience is confident that your emails deliver value, they should open them regardless of the subject line
2. Play to your audience.
The best subject line is often the one that resonates most with your audience. As Email Marketing Experts at Sales-Push.com reminds us we certainly aren’t the audience. So, you shouldn’t necessarily choose subject lines that appeal to you, put yourself in the shoes of your audience.
3. Don’t guess. Test.
Consider split testing (A/B testing, one of the advanced feature of Email Marketing Automation Service) your subject lines. Sales-Push.com give senders the ability to test one subject line versus another to a small portion of their list. Instead of guessing which subject line is better for your audience, you can use data to inform your decision.
So, when crafting your next email subject line, think about your audience and consider the level of trust you’ve earned with them. Will they recognize whom the email is from? Will they open it based on your name alone? Or will you have to draw them in through a creative and compelling subject line?
