The sender identify and topic line are main drivers of e-mail open charges. Almost as necessary — if no more necessary — is the pre-header, the textual content that seems slightly below the topic line within the inbox of most cellular and desktop e mail shoppers.
In this publish, I’ll supply 5 pre-header ideas, to encourage your recipients to open your emails.
M. Avoid Repeated Words
There is not any have to repeat the “From” textual content in both the topic line or the pre-header. And there’s additionally no have to repeat topic line textual content within the pre-header.
This sender — Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Seattle — repeats its identify within the topic line (in blue), losing area that might be used for one thing significant.
This could seem apparent. However, I often obtain emails which have repeated content material within the topic line, the “From” line, and the pre-header textual content. Recipients see your organization or model identify within the From line. There is not any cause to repeat that within the topic line or within the pre-header. In addition, many senders merely repeat their topic line or a variation of the topic line within the pre-header. Again, that’s redundant and a waste of beneficial actual property.
La-Z-Boy has many repeated phrases within the topic strains (in blue) and pre-headers.
The instance above, from La-Z-Boy, has two errors. First, there are repeated phrases from the topic line to the pre-header. In the primary e-mail, La-Z-Boy the phrase “Super” is used 4 occasions, “Savings” two occasions, and “Saturday” two occasions. It’s an excessive amount of to learn and comprehend when introduced so shut collectively.
In the opposite e mail instance, La-Z-Boy repeats the precise first two phrases — “You’re Invited” — of the topic line once more within the pre-header, thus losing the chance to inform subscribers one thing totally different which will immediate them to open the message.
The second error from the La-Z-Boy examples is utilizing a “View in net browser’ hyperlink.” These hyperlinks have been used as greatest practices years in the past for e mail shoppers that didn’t render content material properly. Few, if any, individuals want or click on on these hyperlinks now, in 2016.
If a sender believes it ought to maintain the “View in net browser” hyperlink, the sender ought to transfer the hyperlink down so it doesn’t show within the inbox preview, because the recipient can’t do something with that info till after she opens the e-mail. It’s greatest to make use of that area to inform the recipient one thing new that may entice her to truly open the e-mail.
P. Pre-headers Are Extensions of Subject Lines
Writing topic strains is troublesome. The goal is to get recipients so they’ll open the e-mail. Fortunately, pre-headers assist with this. As an extension of the topic line, pre-headers permit senders to convey extra info, together with a completely totally different matter or promotional copy, to actually encourage opens. This is how Discovery Senior Living makes use of its pre-headers, as proven under.
This pre-header — “Discover. Connect. Experience. Get your free information to…” — extends from the topic line and raises the curiosity of the recipient, which may improve opens.
In the instance above, the pre-header — “Discover. Connect. Experience. Get your free information to…” — properly extends the topic line. The sentence breaks at some extent — “Get your free information to…’ — that prompts a reader’s curiosity, inflicting him to open. Having pre-headers purposely finish at some extent that requires the recipient to open for the extra info is an effective method to improve opens.
A. Supplement Product Offers and Sales
If your organization’s emails sometimes function gives or gross sales, think about using pre-headers to showcase content material. Pre-headers can have extra characters than the topic line, which supplies the chance to function content material in a compelling means.
Both examples under are from clothes retailers. Both use the pre-header to supply style ideas, as an alternative of pushing a sale.
The RealReal and LOFT, two clothes retailers, use the pre-header to supply trend ideas, as an alternative of pushing a sale. For The RealReal, it’s “What to Wear & What to Do in London.” For LOFT, it’s “Fall dressing doesn’t get any easier.”
A. Try Capitalized Letters
Using all caps in a topic line can harm deliverability. All caps can flag an e mail, improve its spam rating, and trigger the message to be filtered right into a bulk or junk folder. However, utilizing all caps or partial caps in a pre-header might be efficient, particularly since pre-headers show instantly under the topic strains on smartphones.
In the instance under, Ticketmaster makes use of a principally-caps pre-header to emphasise the reside occasion — “NOTHING BEATS BEING THERE!” — for the live performance it’s selling.
Using all caps in a topic line is a nasty concept. But caps in a pre-header might be efficient, as proven on this instance from Ticketmaster — “NOTHING BEATS BEING THERE!.”
H. Use the Pre-header Real Estate
Perhaps you haven’t used pre-headers, or are not sure of crafting a intelligent one. Regardless, all the time benefit from the pre-header actual property.
The instance under present two emails from automotive dealerships. One used a pre-header (“Carolyn, The wait is lastly over!”). The different didn’t.
The screenshot under is from my desktop inbox. Note the whitespace that’s clean beneath the topic line from Rush Chevrolet. In the Phillips Chrysler e mail, the pre-header is an extension of the topic line. Moreover, Phillips Chrysler personalised the pre-header to incorporate my identify, which is much more efficient.
The Rush Chevrolet e-mail doesn’t embrace a pre-header, which leads to pointless whitespace. In the Phillips Chrysler e-mail, the pre-header is an extension of the topic line. It’s additionally personalised, which is much more efficient.
