Best Practices to Keep in Mind
Here are a few key best practices to keep in mind when crafting your next SL.
Keep it Short
Keep in mind that subject lines past a certain length will get cut off, depending on the email provider and device the recipient is using. This has been proven to result in substantially lower open rates.
If you need to use a longer subject line, put the hook in the first few words.
For example, instead of “Public meeting about the new main street proposal erupts in city council,” write, "City Council erupts over new main street proposal in public meeting."
The reader is likely to only see “City Council erupts over new” and “Public meeting about the new.” Which would you open?
Be Honest
If you overpromise with your subject line and don’t deliver, you’ll harm the relationship you’ve worked so hard to build. Nobody likes to be manipulated or lied to.
A subject line that reads “HUGE sale starts now!” should contain a promotion for an actually huge sale, not a measly 5% off select items.
Likewise, be honest about your deadlines and timelines. Don’t say the sale ends tomorrow unless it does! This is a surefire way to lose the respect and support of your audience; and besides that, it’s wrong.
Create, Test, Refine
While the above best practices and methods for creating a hook are a tremendous launchpad, keep in mind that your audience is unique. Some of these methods may work better than others.
Luckily, you don’t have to guess.
With Deployer’s A/B Testing feature, you have the ability to seriously hone in on what works well for your audience(s). You can test a variety of components in your email marketing, including subject lines. Test on a fraction of your audience, discover what works best, and deliver to the remainder of your audience.
For the next step in your subject line mastery, see Rithm U’s tutorial on A/B Testing.
