What’s the point of sending out an email newsletter if no-one reads it?
I blogged about how to read and interpret your email reports last week – one of the first things to look at was the open rate.
A fundamental part of creating a successful email marketing campaign is ensuring that your subscribers actually OPEN the messages. But, how do you encourage recipients to open and then read through your newsletters? A good newsletter works like a finely tuned instrument—each element works in conjunction with each other.
Think about what subscribers when they open their inbox: The only part of your email they can see is the From name, subject line, and in most cases, the pre-header. First impressions count! For your emails to have any kind of impact, you have to make sure they’re opened! The first viewable pieces of your email should be related and intriguing, but at the same time straightforward.
Perhaps the easiest piece of your email to create is the From line. I find that, usually, simply using the name of your organisation works quite well. Consistently using your brand name helps build customer loyalty; customers connect your brand name with a quality email newsletter. For that reason, keeping the From line consistent from one newsletter to the next is generally a good practice.
Try to stay away from using personal names unless there is a person that is inherently connected with the company, for example, Bill Gates with Microsoft. Do not try to trick customers into an opening with a personal name that they think might be from an acquaintance! You get annoyed when someone tries to deceive you, so why would your subscribers respond well to tricks?
Now, consider the subject line—arguably the most crucial piece of the email open puzzle. Subject lines can be tricky; you want to be enticing but not misleading. Give subscribers a delicious little morsel of what’s to come if they open the message. One-liners can be creative, fun or just plain informative, but regardless there are many things to consider when crafting an efficient subject. (We actually recently published a press release on the topic of subject lines – you can read it here for more tips.) Always put the essential information first, but don’t repeat what you may want to contain in your pre-header (we’ll get to that soon enough). Consider what your line will look like when it’s inevitably shortened (for the techies, truncated) by the email client. It’s also always a good idea to test your subject lines. Take advantage of our testing tools!. A/B split tests are designed specifically to measure the success rates of different pieces of your email, like subject lines. Put it to good use to find the most efficient subject lines for your sends.
After the From and subject line, comes the preheader. The email preview is the first few lines of text within the email, so design your message with this in mind. It’s similar to the subject in that it’s a little taste of what’s in the message, but with the preheader you have a bit more freedom. They contain more characters, so there is more space, and thus more opportunity, to hook readers. I think it works well when the preheader contains important information, such as the call-to-action of the email. Recipients who have already read the From and subject lines then read the preheader to get an even better idea of the email’s contents.
So let’s recap. Three prominent elements to consider when concocting an HTML email newsletter: the From and subject lines and the preheader. These elements work as a trifecta, joining forces to encourage email newsletter opens. When building these snippets, try not to repeat the same words, rather use the space wisely to share as much information as possible.
Even though all the above factors affect your open rates, the number one factor in open-rate success is the relationship you build with your customer. Recipients open emails from businesses they feel a certain loyalty to. So, as always, the key to building a solid email marketing strategy is to keep in mind that you’re building a relationship with the person on the receiving end. So give them something they’ll find relevant, interesting, funny or exciting and you’re bound to get a higher open rate.
