Tip 1: Look at your subject line
It can be a major frustration when businesses know that they have a product or piece of information that their customers will want to hear about, but it doesn’t even make it as far as their inbox, let alone their line of vision.
It’s often not helped by the sheer amount of spam that it needs to wade through to get to its destination. Especially if that email is going to someone who you haven’t made contact with before.
Spam is basically an unsolicited, irrelevant email, sent to a group of people and, understandably, many people now use spam filters to avoid the thousands of dodgy magical cures and claims of huge cash windfalls that are floating about in the ether.
But, it’s because of this useful tool, that careful consideration must be given as to the wording of permission-based emails sent by legitimate email marketers, as these can also be palmed off as spam.
So, when you have something that is going to be useful, relevant and informative for the person you are sending it to, how can you ensure that your email doesn’t end up in their junk file too?
When it comes to writing your subject line, it can be difficult to know what to put, to firstly make it through the spam filter and secondly to ensure it is read, rather than being deleted before it’s even opened.
It’s always a good idea to keep your title interesting, concise and aim to put across your message in the shortest and most effective way possible. This way a glance is likely to lead to an open and a read.
There are also a series of words you can avoid. Not only are they the kind of words that would make a spambot’s ears prick up, but also the kind that instantly scream SPAM and send the email user reaching for the delete button!
These trigger words can include the standard phrases such as fast cash, work from home, or be your own boss, or the salesy ones such as “buy”, “cash”, “bargain”, “loans”, “free”, “deal” and “clearance”. Try and avoid using these kind of words in your subject line for starters.
There are also general words to avoid, (and this is the more difficult bit). These are the kind of dramatic words which you might imagine someone who is trying to grab your attention or get you concerned might use, such as hidden, avoid, chance, never, satisfaction, success and STOP!
Try to also avoid huge claims in your subject line, such as ‘miracle cellulite cure’ and greetings as though you know the person (even if you do!). Steer clear of “Hello”, “Greetings”, “How are you”, “Dear (name)”, friend etc…
Numbers can also be problematic, so you might try and avoid hashtags (eg #1) and percentages (Imagine 50% OFF – sounds salesy already doesn’t it!)
If you think that your subject title sounds like a sales pitch, then chances are that the spam filter and the reader might do too. So, as well as the body of your email, give careful consideration to how the title is worded and you will be one step closer to reaching your goal.
Need help and advice with your email marketing strategy? Then contact us today to see how we can help.
