5 Ways To get Your Subject Line Noticed
Sphere PR’s Louise Roberts has the low down on what makes a good email subject line.
It is a constant challenge for marketers to try and stand out in the chaotic world of email newsletters.
People are time poor and as a brand, you are in a competition with many other companies. Merely creating a great newsletter is just the beginning, but you need to sell it through your subject line and failing to do this will mean that your open rates will be dismal.
To win any fight you need tactics, and capturing the attention of your customers and prospects is no different. We understand it can be challenging, which is why we have provided you with these five tips to get your subject line noticed.
Target before you fire
A simple error a brand can make is to send the same newsletter to everybody on their database. It could be debated that this tactic is effective and it can work for some, but for the majority of B2B companies, your customers and prospects will want completely different things. In the B2B sector, prospects want you to solve their challenges and unlike your customers, they probably aren’t interested in company news and developments. The best approach is to segment your targets and hone your messaging and consequently your newsletters will be much more effective.
Use strong keywords and avoid ‘monthly’
As with editorial pitch emails to journalists, subject lines really do matter. What’s more, the keywords in the subject lines really make a difference.
Marketers are obsessed with open rates and subject lines are the solution to increasing this score. Just to give you a bit of insight into the most effective keywords to use in subject lines for B2B from a recent Adestra report. For example using “daily” in your subject line has been proven to increase open rates by 12.6% and “weekly” by 27.5%.
“Monthly” on the other hand, has shown a decrease of 6.4% in open rates and an increase of 134.6% unsubscribes. If you can build momentum and become an anticipated email by distributing them daily or weekly instead of monthly and remembering to specify it in the subject line, is an extremely effective approach.
Be very specific
Your email subject lines need to be concise and tell the recipient the reason they should open the email.
To do this effectively you need to get straight to the point and be very specific. You can achieve this either by stating what your email is about, or even better you could use a good statistic, fact or quote to generate their interest. And above all make it both relevant and interesting. As a marketer, the best thing you can do is test different strategies to see what works and what doesn’t.
Remember the preview pane
I think you should now have got the message about the importance of subject lines and while this is essential to increasing your open rates, a lot of email servers give you more than just the subject line to work with.
Two tactics I’ve come across are to firstly exploit the fact that some email systems include a preview pane of your email, so the recipient can read the first paragraph without opening it. If you carefully consider the wording of your heading and first paragraph, ensuring they are both compelling, this will increase your open rate and will avoid them from ignoring your newsletter altogether. The second important tactic is to include the name of your company in the ‘from’ field, i.e. Louise from Sphere PR.
Personalisation
Solely using the recipients’ first name doesn’t quite cut it these days. Personalisation in marketing is not a new concept, but it has become a great deal more than just including a name. Instead you need to tailor your newsletter and email introduction. This is why targeting your messaging to specific people, sectors or companies is so crucial.
Differentiating the details in the subject line is essential, especially if you are doing an international campaign. Seasons and national holidays are two examples of events that won’t always apply to all of your target audiences and getting it wrong can increase your unsubscribe rate rather than boost your open rate. Marketing automation is another particularly effective tactic, as you can use details of the actions taken on your website by the customer or prospect and develop a newsletter theme around those actions.
Latest News
Sydney Comedy Festival: Taking The City & Social Media By Storm
Sydney Comedy Festival 2024 is live and ready to rumble, showing the best of international and homegrown talent at a host of venues around town. As usual, it’s hot on the heels of its big sister, the giant that is the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, picking up some acts as they continue on their own […]
Global Marketers Descend For AANA’s RESET For Growth
The Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) has announced the final epic lineup of local and global marketing powerhouses for RESET for Growth 2024. Lead image: Josh Faulks, chief executive officer, AANA Back in 2000, a woman with no business experience opened her first juice bar in Adelaide. The idea was brilliantly simple: make healthy […]
Is Meta’s New AI Chatbot Too Left-Wing?
Meta's chatbot accused of being left-wing after being caught wearing a Che Guevara T-shirt & listening to Billy Bragg.
TV Ratings (23/04/2024): Why Did No One Tell Angela That Farmer Wants A Wife Is Set On A Farm?
As wonderful as this headline is, let's face it, we all know an 'Angela', don't we?
PubMatic Unveils New AI Partnership To Turn Social Posts Into Ads For Any Digital Channel
Here's some nifty tech for turning social posts into ads. Assuming said posts aren't one-star character assassinations.
Intuit Mailchimp Makes A Splash With Its First Australian Brand Campaign
Ever laugh along at a gag you didn't get so as not to appear dumb? Get ready for more feigning with this new work.
GumGum’s Rob Hall: Advertisers Can No Longer “Rely On Binary Descriptions” Of Consumers
If anyone's got their finger on adtech's pulse, it's Rob Hall. He also avoids using the good paper in the office printer
Mastercard Nabs Florencia Aimo From Marriott International
Marriott International's Florencia Aimo jumps from the hotel business to the exploitative credit card one.
Bastion Agency Appoints Cheuk Chiang As New ANZ CEO
Cheuk Chiang takes the reins over at Bastion Agency. But not the rains down in Africa.
Spotlight On Sponsors: Major Sponsorship Wins After A Disappointing Week In Sport
B&T continuing our deep dive into local sport sponsorships & that's despite not a single offer of a free ticket as yet.
Macca’s Marketing Director, Samantha McLeod On Big Mac Chant: “What Was Once Old Is Now Cool Again”
Macca's using the power of nostalgia in latest Big Mac campaign. Well, only for those who've ever eaten one sober.
World Premiere Of Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line To Open Sydney Film Festival 2024
Oil's biopic to open Sydney Film Festival. Here's hoping Molly Meldrum will take his pants down at the premiere.
Entries Are Now Open For The 2024 Brandies, IntelligenceBank’s Annual Brand Marketing Awards
The Brandies are, of course, a prestigious marketing gong and not the mystery tipple favoured by nannas everywhere.
The Fred Hollows Foundation Appoints Ardent For PR
Yes, we all like to have a joke at PR's expense. But sometimes it does important work, like this.
AI, eCommerce & Marketing Specialists Are In Increased Demand By Businesses, New Data From Fiverr Shows
Has your philosophy & anthropology degree left you with nothing but a huge HECS debt? Here's what you should've studied.
Perth’s First 3D Anamorphic Billboard Arrives Courtesy Of oOh!media
Do you love a buzzword? Now you can add anamorphic to the list as it relates to billboards, not a colleague's ears.
MasterChef Australia & Crown Resorts Launch Unique Dining Experience With ALUMNI
A pop-up restaurant staffed by MasterChef contestants! That's fine dining prices for first-year apprentice chef cuisine!
Amanda Laing Announces Resignation From Foxtel Group
Foxtel's chief commercial & content officer heads for the exits. Read nice things the bosses said about her right here.
The Lost Letters From Our Diggers: News Corp Unveils ANZAC Day Special
It's nice when brands respectfully acknowledge ANZAC Day.
Howatson+Company Acquires Akkomplice
Large indie acquires a slightly smaller indie. Much like a shark eating a tuna, just with less thrashing and blood.
Google Delays Third-Party Cookie Deprecation Again
In good news for the sale of picture library biscuit photos, Google continues to tease over the end of cookies.
Education A Low Priority For Aussies More Concerned With Cost Of Living Forethought Study Reveals
Study finds Aussies cutting back on education due to cost of living. Booze & Uber Eats sales remain largely unaffected.
“I’m Still The Same Person That I Was”: Rikki Stern Says “Fucc It” To Cancer Stereotypes
B&T always happy to promote the anti-cancer cause. Even brands that massively overdo it with the hot pink.
The Unapproved Climate Certification Allegedly Causing Mass Greenwashing
Are you left flummoxed in the canned tuna & free range eggs aisle? Just wait till this green certification gets up.
TV Ratings (22/04/2024): Fans Mock “Over The Top” Reaction To New MasterChef Judges
MasterChef returns for its 2024 season. B&T stands by putting peppercorns in Gravox & no one will be any the wiser.
Dentsu Restructure: Muddle, Harvey & Johnston Take Leadership Baton As Bass & Yurisich Exit
A large broom has swept through Dentsu's local ops this morning, taking with it some big names & the air con's cobwebs.
Industry Shares Trends Shaping The Industry This International Creators Day
B&T's asking adland creators to reveal their top trends. And it's not good news for your Jenny Kee cardigan collection.
Mable Extends HOYTS Sensory Screenings Partnership
Mable has extended its HOYTS sensory screening partnership. Vigorously defends its two-star Oppenheimer review.
Orphan Launches ‘They Need Our Help. We Need Yours’ For Children’s Cancer Institute
Anything to do with childhood cancers has B&T's 110% support. That said, we do ignore the red meat & alcohol warnings.
Smile Team Orthodontics & Keep Left Collaborate On Smile-Inducing Campaign
As parents would attest, given the cost of orthodontics you'd expect this campaign to be a lavish production indeed.
Opinion: How Video Calls Neglect Learning Diversity
Need an excuse to duck out of a video call this arvo? Show this to your boss.
DoubleVerify Achieves First-Of-Its-Kind Responsible AI Certification From TrustArc
DoubleVerify receives responsible AI certification. However, not its robotic vacuum that's been seen menacing the cat.
Smile For A Good Cause: The Social Media Campaign Giving Back To The Community
Are you known as the office Austin Powers? More for you teeth than shagability? Get snappy new fangs with this news.
Elon Musk Mocks Albo After ESafety Wins Court Injunction Against X
Albo's 2024 from hell continues - Rabbitohs in crisis, down in the polls and now feuding with world's richest man.
Real Estate Developer In Hot Water Over “Sexually Exploitative” OOH Campaign
Real estate agents again tops in the 'least trusted profession' polls, nudging used car salesmen & ad creatives.
Epsilon’s Shane Hanby: Post-Cookie Era Relies On “Teamwork” Between Brands, Marketers & Tech
This pro predicts more "teamwork" in a post-cookie era. Which spells bad news for the uncooperative or plain stubborn.