Fine-Tuning your E-Mail Subject Line

By Claire Thayer, June 25, 2013

Managing our daily email volumes is a growing task and something tells me yours is too! A report published by The Radicati Group earlier this year estimates that in 2013, the typical corporate user sends and receives about 219 messages daily, up from 167 in 2009. This study confirms a McKinsey Global Institute report that  finds employees spend more than a quarter of their workday (28%) each week reading and answering e-mails. 

Well, if you’re in the advertising business or trying to market your message, it’s more important now than ever to start thinking about creative ways to fine-tune and tweak your email subject line so that your message gets read! Here are a few tips:

• Keep it short. The less the better, many recommending 70 characters or less, and we’ve seen some recommend as few as 15 characters.
• Tell the why. What’s in it for the reader? Give them a compelling reason to open the email.
• Ask a question. This gets direct right away: “Would you like a free subscription to MCOL Basic?
• Personalize. While the email may be distributed to hundreds or even possibly thousands of email addresses, make it personal, using “you” to draw attention.
• Arouse curiosity. Peak the reader’s interest with something unusual, new, odd, unique, compelling.
• Avoid ALL CAPS.  People feel like they're being yelled at when seeing ALL CAPS, who wants that?

We send out emails to close to 150,000 addresses for health care business professionals every month and have lots of ideas of ways to get your email open, just ask us!!

McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) report: The social economy: Unlocking value and productivity through social technologies

http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/high_tech_telecoms_internet/the_social_economy

The Radicati Group report: Email Statistics Report, 2009 - 2013

http://www.radicati.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/email-stats-report-exec-summary.pdf

Businessweek’s: The Art of the E-Mail Subject

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-06-28/the-art-of-the-e-mail-subject-line