The post How To Craft Email Subject Lines Your Audience Will Click? appeared first on DELEG8TE.
]]>92% of online adults use email in some form.
Before you get too excited, Mailchimp has reported that the average open rate of emails, across all industries, is a measly 20.81%.
Yikes.
So what does that mean for you as a business owner?
While email marketing should be a core strategy for any business selling something, it’s not enough to write great emails.
It all begins with the email subject line.
Think about your morning.
When you woke up, you grabbed your phone and checked your inbox (even though you keep swearing that you won’t obsessively check your email).
You checked for emails from customers or clients first. Maybe an email or two from a personal friend.
Then you tackled the mountain of newsletters you’re subscribed to, ignoring most of them but tapping on the ones that catch your eye.
Those are the lone emails that compelled you to click on them and read, while the other emails get sent off to the trash box or exiled to permanent “unread.”
Now, you don’t want that type of fate for the emails you spend countless hours writing to your own audience.
Today, we’re going to look at what makes a compelling email subject line that inspires readers to click and read.
First, let’s go over a few tips while you’re writing your email subject lines.
Email subject lines are like tweets. You only have so many characters to say something to capture the attention of your audience.
So let’s make that email subject line count.
The worst type of subject line (and this applies to blog posts or articles too) is the kind that misleads its audience.
Some people call this “clickbait.”
You’ve probably seen it before.
Now, if you really have a cure for extreme weight loss, terminal illness, and being broke, by all means, use these headlines and back it up with great content.
But if you can’t prove your headline true, don’t use it.
Titan Web Marketing Solutions says that clickbait is such an issue with major publications such as Buzzfeed and Huffpost that people are rallying to get them blocked from Facebook and Twitter.
Compelling readers to click on your subject line because it’s interesting and outlandish might work the first two times you do it, but readers will eventually catch on. To make it worse, if you continue to be dishonest about the content within your emails, your readers will unsubscribe.
Those are potential customers you just lost.
So when you’re writing your subject lines, please be honest.
Ever receive a text message where someone asks, “How ya doing?”
Sure, they might be truly curious about what you’re up to.
But if it’s from someone you haven’t heard from in a while, there’s a good chance that they’re about to ask you for something.
They’ll start with a little bit of small talk and then go for the ask when they feel like you’re warmed up enough.
When it comes to email subject lines, you want to do the complete opposite.
Don’t say hey.
Don’t ask them how their day is.
Get straight to the point, right in the email subject line.
Here are some great examples:
The first one from Digital Marketer shows that the email is about a sale that they’re about to end. You’ve likely received several emails about the sale already so this email is targeted specifically to their hot leads. If you’ve been on the fence about buying, this is the email you need to click on before the doors close.
The second email subject line is from Jamie Jensen, a copywriter. Again, this is an email from hot leads who know who Jamie Jensen is and wants to work with her. Right in this email subject line, she tells you that you’re going to learn exactly how to work with her.
Lastly, we have an informational newsletter from Daily Stoic. From the email subject line itself, you can tell that the Daily Stoic is going to tell you about living with simplicity. The email subject line is short, concise, and direct. (Seriously, they held nothing back with this subject line).
When you’re writing your email subject lines, remember that there’s a human being on the other end deciding whether to ignore your email or read it.
So when you’re writing your email subject line, ask yourself whether you’d click on it.
Chances are if you write something dry, boring, or stuffy, you wouldn’t be interested in the email and neither would your audience.
(And that’s a waste of all the great content you’re putting inside).
Here are some examples of great email subject lines that humanize their audience:
Lifesum is a fitness app that customizes your macros and caloric goals according to a survey that you take. After you sign up, you get access to a selection of different ways to go about your goals. Fitness goals are tough and make you a little vulnerable. I love that they sent an email asking if you’d “Want extra help?” because it shows that they understand how hard it is to take that first step.
Papa John’s email subject line is another great one. Obviously, if you’re subscribed to Papa John’s newsletter, you’re a pizza fan. They’re addressing their audience directly by using this subject line. As a bonus, the email itself was a promotional sale they were running so it was definitely relevant to the subject line.
The last one is by Joe Vitale, a manifestation coach. He made the email subject line a question, phrasing it in a way that’s polite, to the point, and pressure-free. It also piques your curiosity in what exactly that suggestion is.
With the best practices in mind, let’s explore the different types of email subject lines you can use.
When choosing an email subject line, it should be in line with your business’s branding.
Also, remember your audience. You might love a subject line because it’s quirky and clever, but if your audience prefers a more serious tone, you might not get the open rates you’re looking for.
The scarcity email subject line is the one playing on your audience’s fear of missing out.
More often than not, people make an impulsive purchase not because they genuinely need the product, but because they’re scared of missing out.
There are two different types of scarcity email subject lines.
Here are two examples that put great use of scarcity into practice:
The email subject line by Estee Lauder dangles a free gift in front of you, saying that you’ll lose the free gift worth $210 if you don’t open this email and check out what’s inside. This encourages Estee Lauder’s customers to open the email and see what they could possibly get for free.
The second email subject line by Jersey Mike’s Subs is clear and to the point. You can earn double points today only so the reader can’t hold off on clicking the email for too long. The reader needs to open the email ASAP and see the details of the double points deal before it’s gone.
We both love and hate surprises.
The anticipation of wondering what the surprise is can be exhilarating, which is something we can replicate in an email subject line.
Write an email subject line that creates anticipation and sparks curiosity in the reader.
Tease out the content inside the email itself.
The first email subject line, by Eat This Not That, definitely piques my curiosity because I have no idea what 9 disgusting facts about Thanksgiving could be… but now I want to know!
The second email subject line, by Digital Marketer, uses the low price point of $3.50 to entice the reader to open the email. What’s $3.50 per session? How do I get in on that? You’ll only know if you open the email.
We constantly want to better ourselves.
That’s why self-interest email subject lines are effective. It encourages us to read an email or sign up for a product that promises to help us be a better version of ourselves.
A popular way to start a self-interest email subject line is with the words “How to.”
It seems simple and generic but it’s effective because you are telling your reader you’re teaching them something inside the email.
As a bonus, self-interest email subject lines qualify your reader for the content inside. If they’re interested in the subject line, they’re more likely to engage with the email body.
The first email, from J.Crew FACTORY is about teaching you, the reader, about style. The email subject line itself tells you exactly what you’ll get – if you open this email, you’ll be inspired. For those that have been struggling in the style department lately, this email is perfect.
The JetBlue email tells you what you’re getting if you open this promotion. That’s 1,750 points that you can use for a future flight. For travelers, this is definitely an email that serves self-interest. The flowers and extras are bonuses.
You’ll often hear that the best practice when it comes to writing content is writing for your audience and about them.
But sometimes, you need to talk about yourself a little bit.
Show off your credibility.
That’s where authority email subject lines come into play.
If you’ve done something amazing recently, write about it, and then break it down for your audience to follow.
An alternative is to give your audience a command, such as “buy now” or “be there.” Note, this mostly works with hot leads and an audience you have nurtured already. Newbie readers might be put off by your authoritative approach so segment your list accordingly.
This Estee Lauder email subject line gently tells the reader to “shop now.” As a bonus, they also play on the scarcity mindset by calling the gifts “limited edition.”
Manicube does almost a reverse-authority by saying “Don’t open this email” instead of “open this email.” It plays on the curiosity aspect of an email subject line while still maintaining an authoritative voice.
Keep it concise and to the point.
Your email subject line has one goal: to get your reader to click on the email and read the content inside.
So the answer to this question isn’t necessarily about how long the email subject line is but how effective it is.
Use as few or as many words as it takes to keep your reader’s attention and compel them to click on the email subject line.
The Reynolds Journalism Institute tested personalized email subject lines.
The outcome?
Personalized email subject lines nearly doubled the open rate of the email and more than tripled the click rate of the content inside.
Most newsletter services offer a way for you to personalize the emails you send. For example, it’s [First Name] for Ontraport.
The downside to personalizing the email subject line is if the person receiving the email misspelled their name or put it in all caps. However, don’t let that hold you back from using personalization in your emails.
I once worked with a client who asked that I put emojis in her email subject lines. She swore that it raised conversion rates, although I didn’t see a huge difference between the emojis and non-emojis.
However, it doesn’t mean that emojis don’t have a place in your email subject lines.
The key is to remember your message and your audience.
Does the emoji enhance the email subject line or is it only there for vanity?
Would your audience react well to an emoji or would they find it immature?
The same goes with adding caps lock, exclamation points, and other changes to your email subject line.
Make sure that it serves a purpose and your audience will respond positively to it.
Do you have an email subject line that converted well with your audience? Share it with us in the comments below.
The post How To Craft Email Subject Lines Your Audience Will Click? appeared first on DELEG8TE.
]]>The post Why Start With Content Before Anything Else? appeared first on DELEG8TE.
]]>We’re starting this blog a little backward. We’re not selling anything. There’s barely a website. No logo. No service or product. Also, the idea of a blog might seem somewhat outdated.
Why am I doing this again?
This was the first question I was going to ask him on our next call.
“Why are we creating blog content before we do anything else?”
There’s no logo. The website is barely touched. No social media accounts.
What’s the point of starting this blog?
He credits this wild idea to a podcast called Mixergy. Mixergy is the podcast that taught him golden tidbits about being an entrepreneur. It also opened him up to hiring from Upwork.
There was an episode on Mixery about creating content first.
It would be best if you wrote for a year, then build your audience, then start the business.
This way, when you are ready to sell, you have an audience to sell it to.
With one of his previous businesses, he felt he was too impatient. He wanted to “growth hack” or take shortcuts. If he didn’t see instant results, he would jump through different business models to try to find something else.
However, the strategy of creating content first made sense to him.
After all, if you’re going to sell something, you need people to sell it to. There are different ways you can go about that, including buying ads, but the results may not be as consistent as audience building.
Also, creating content is free.
Trust and credibility are essential when starting a website. It would help if you had a relationship with someone before you try selling to them. The purpose of having a blog first is to build that relationship.
Let’s consider the alternative. Instead of trying to start with content, you go a more traditional route.
You pay for a logo, business cards, website, the works. However, all of those things cost money upfront. You’ll eventually run out of money to funnel into a business that’s not making money yet.
With content, the efforts will eventually pay off because of the relationship building.
Let’s say this blog reaches a subscriber goal of 1,000 e-mail subscribers. 10 of those subscribers turn into customers. That’s ten leads that you have to work with and validation that your business idea is working.
You can then launch your business starting with those ten people, as a means of validating your business idea.
You have customers for your business from day 1, using this method.
However, in this day and age, I’m also curious about another way to get subscribers. Social media is everywhere. Major businesses all have social media accounts. Even humble Upwork freelancers like me are turning to social media as a way to reach out to potential clients.
So why didn’t we start with social media first? Surely social media is way more comfortable than beginning with a blog.
“I don’t like feeling like all eyes are on me,” he explains.
He goes on to tell me that he hates not having something to say on social media. When he starts a social media account, he wants it backed by the content of this blog. He didn’t want to post random things for the sake of posting.
Fair enough.
I did have to wonder if this type of marketing is dead. How many times have I seen, from gurus, that “blogging is dead.”
He didn’t seem to think so.
When he is looking up information, he always turns to Google to scan the information, rather than trying to browse YouTube or podcasts. Also, search engines can’t examine the content of videos or audio files. It’s easier to work with the written material. Search engines and asking questions aren’t going to be outdated anytime soon.
Plus, blog content can always be repurposed. These blog posts may eventually be turned into YouTube videos or podcasts. Without any background knowledge, blogging is the easiest to start with. You don’t have to worry about a production team, like with YouTube or podcasts.
To finish the meeting, I ask him what type of reaction he hopes for, regarding his audience. Content should have a purpose, and my writing should match his goal.
“I hope that the audience finds this content to be useful,” he says.
He wants entrepreneurs who are where he used to be, to find value in these blog posts. That way, more business owners can find balance in their time management, which will help them get to the next level of business. The readers should walk away with more business strategies and feel like they learned something useful.
The post Why Start With Content Before Anything Else? appeared first on DELEG8TE.
]]>