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THE LEVISON LETTER
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Action Ideas For Better Direct Mail,
E-mail, Web Sites & Advertising
Published by
Ivan Levison, Direct Response Copywriting
December, 2000
Volume: 15 Number: 12
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Copywriting effective email subject lines
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If you're using e-mail to generate leads or make sales,
you're probably spending a lot of time honing your
message and making sure that it's persuasive.
But do you give equal time, thought, and attention to
the short "SUBJECT" line that introduces your main
message?
If you don't, then be afraid. Very afraid.
You see, it doesn't matter how compelling your e-mail
offer is, or how brilliantly your message is written.
If your subject line isn't working right, your e-mail
will never get opened and your campaign will be a
failure.
That's right. The humble little subject line that
announces your e-mail to the world has an enormous
influence on campaign results and can make or break
you.
Want to handle subject lines the right way? Here are
some thoughts that might prove extremely useful . . .
1. Think of the subject line as if it were an envelope.
When you're creating a paper direct mail package, you
know you have to come up with a killer envelope. If the
envelope doesn't get opened, the letter doesn't get
read and you don't make the sale. Same thing with the
subject line. It determines whether the prospect will
read your message or trash it.
Of course, getting someone to open a paper envelope
is
a heck of a lot easier than getting past the subject
line. Why? Because with a paper envelope you have
plenty of space to write teaser copy and add
photography or illustration if it's appropriate. You
can create something unique that stands out from all
the other mail in the pile and screams out benefits
that will get the prospect to read the letter
within.
Subject lines all look the same and have to be kept
short. (Never exceed forty characters including
spaces.) This means that every subject line must
communicate extremely quickly. We'll take a look at
how to do that in a minute, but for now, start thinking
of the subject line as one of the keys to e-mail
marketing success - not an afterthought!
2. Subject lines are well worth testing.
Robert Mendez (http://www.nethawk.net) is an e-mail
list
broker/manager who handles countless e-mailings and is
a great source of information. I asked him about his
take on subject lines. Here's what he said:
"You should always test subject lines if you have
enough names. Five thousand names is the minimum you
need for an e-mail test cell. It's worth doing some
testing because a strong subject line can double the
response."
Let's look at that again on instant replay! "A
strong
subject line can double the response" - increase it by
100%. In other words, a 4% response rate can turn into
an 8% response rate just by using the right subject
line!
3. Some thoughts about saying "FREE" in the subject
line.
Some people hesitate to use the word "free"
in the
subject line because they're afraid they will turn
people off. For example, in a recent issue of
Softoletter, Michael D'Arrigo, Direct Marketing Manager
at ScanSoft, is quoted as saying: "For us, we've found
that a subject line with 'free' is the kiss of death.
It will be viewed as spam and won't be opened."
E-mail marketers also have the related concern that
if
they use the word "free" in the subject line, a filter
will kick out their message and it will never get read.
I personally believe that this is just another suburban
legend and that you really don't have to sweat it.
True. There is some filtering, based on IP numbers,
that takes place at the ISP level. And some
corporations do some filtering. And, yes, some packaged
applications let consumers use filtering. BUT this is
only a big problem if you're selling B2C junk!
I believe that if you use "free" in the subject
line,
in well-targeted B2B e-mails that offer the prospect
something of value, your message will sail right
through unfiltered.
Let me add that I know as a personal FACT that one of
high-tech's most aggressive e-mailers uses the word
"free" in the subject line and that this line is the
consistent winner against other subject lines in
rigorous head-to-head tests.
The bottom line? I would not give up on one of the most
motivating words in our language because of spam or
filter fears. You should definitely do some testing!
3. The right way to write subject lines.
Here's a mini case study that shows you how to think
about putting a subject line together.
Here's the subject line from an e-mail sent by a major
marketer that targets small and growing businesses.
SUBJECT: Who's minding the store?
If you click through to find out more, you get to the
message:
"Small businesses are more vulnerable to crime
than is
generally realized, yet the risks to them are not
publicized and too few take steps to protect
themselves, says a new study. Don't wait until you are
a victim of a crime - take steps now to thwart the bad
guys. Here are a few tips" . . . etc.
So what's going on here?
Well, the message itself certainly goes on to provide
valuable information that small business managers
should know. But instead of saying so directly in the
subject line, the writer went for a "teaser" approach:
"Who's minding the store?"
This teaser subject line might be O.K. in an ad or
flyer but is, I would argue, a big loser as a subject
line. Why? Because no benefit is mentioned.
Let's rewrite the subject line and see if we can do
a
better job of motivating the reader. How about . . .
SUBJECT: Five ways to prevent store theft
Or, we could slice it and dice it a bunch of ways:
SUBJECT: How to improve store security
SUBJECT: Stop store thieves in their tracks
SUBJECT: Don't let thieves steal you blind
SUBJECT: Crime prevention basics
SUBJECT: How to prevent store theft
You get the idea.
The take-away message this month? The subject line is
a
vitally important part of e-mail campaign success and
should be the subject of YOUR close attention!
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How To Get In Touch
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Ivan Levison
Direct Response Copywriting
14 Los Cerros Drive
Greenbrae, CA 94904
Phone: (415) 461-0672
Fax: (415) 461-7738
E-mail: ivan@levison.com
Web Site: http://www.levison.com
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Copyright 2000, by Ivan Levison, All Rights Reserved.
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