Wired Pursuits

Everyone out there has heard how critical the subject line is for eMail.  So it surprised me that some of the regular eNewsletters I get use only the eNewsletter title and date as the subject.  ­

I’m sure I’m like most people and subscribe to more things than I can read.  I’m always moving stuff to my “Read Me” folder to look at later (sometimes days later).  Today I had a few minutes (but only a few), so I wanted to quickly scan my list for an interesting tidbit.  I have specific sources that I like, so I tend to sort using the “from” field.

Here’s what I saw:

Here’s what I did:

I skipped all the subject lines that were the same thing over and over and clicked on the one that looked interesting.  Adaptive Path – a great newsletter BTW – got no “eyeball” time because their subject line wasn’t helpful.

Here’s the so what:

It’s no surprise that I was drawn to the subject that gave me some insight into what was inside and matched up with my interests.

What is surprising is that as marketers we often forget how our one tiny subject line can be caught in a mass of other subject lines. You’re battling for attention in a short attention span world.  When the subject of your eNewsletter is the same thing over and over, it stops standing out in the crowd.

Here’s what to try:

Even if your eNewsletter holds lots of info, pick a feature story to highlight and make it part of your subject.  Adotas (show above) does just that.  You’re more likely to get clicked by providing details (even just one) than being generic.

If you’re using a generic subject line for a regular eNewsletter or eMail blast, try changing up your subject line and see if your open rate jumps.

To see comments, go to original post on Erickson Barnett Blog.