This Can Make or Break Your Email Campaign‏

by Chris Crum

I've written a lot about email marketing over the past week or so, covering ways to keep your messages out of spam filters and general tips on having a successful campaign.

One of the factors of a successful campaign that I touched upon briefly in my last article is...

The Subject Line

The subject line is so important to the success or failure of an email marketing campaign, I think it deserves its own article. Tell us what kinds of subject lines make you want to open.

If you want people to open your email, you have to use a subject line that piques their interest. Otherwise, your message will not be read. That is just a fact.

It May Cost You Your Subscribers

Just because the recipient has signed up to receive messages from you does not mean that he/she will care enough to read every one that you send. In fact, if you send enough that are so unappealing that they don't want to open them, they are likely to just unsubscribe.

Are You Worth Their Time?

We live in a time when most email users receive far more spam than messages they asked for, and wading through messages from anybody at all becomes a time consuming task.

I myself am even to the point where I have to be selective of what email I read from my own sister for example. I love my sister, but she forwards me so many jokes and funny pictures and whatnot, that I just don't have time for all of them. I'm just on her list. They're not sent personally to me usually. I doubt that I am the only one in a situation like this, so let's stop and think.

Who are you to them?

If I'm scrutinizing subject lines even from beloved family members to deem which ones I should open (I will always open personal notes from her), what makes you think the people on your list will open every message you send?

That, my friends, is why having an intriguing subject line is so important. If you have inspired the recipient to open your message, you have conquered one of the greatest hurdles to having a successful campaign.

Tips for Good Ones

I'm not going to get into all of the elements of successful subject lines. I think the article from EmaiLabs I referred to recently does that well enough, so if you are looking for tips, I strongly suggest checking that out.

My goal here has just been to emphasize the importance of the subject line. It is only a small part of your email marketing campaign, but it is one of the most important, and can have a huge effect on the outcome. Thoughts?