How to increase your open rates with the right subject lines
Segmentation first
Let’s establish something real quick.
You’re here because you want your emails opened.
Not because you want to learn how to sound witty or clever in your subject lines.
And the key to increasing your open rates is SEGMENTATION.
The truth is you could have a kick-ass subject line that you spent hours coming up with. But you’ve wasted your time if your list doesn’t care about what you’re talking about. So, if you don’t use proper segmentation, your open rates are going to suffer. And your deliverability will plummet.
On the other hand, if your segmentation is set up properly, your open rates could easily be around 30-50%.
So, before you do anything. Please segment your list. That way you can make your emails as personal as possible when you send them.
Personalize (I hope you saw this one coming)
Literally, everyone who has ever studied email marketing knows to use the reader's damn name if you want to personalize the email.
No doubt you should do everything you can to make the reader feel like they’re not just a number on your list.
But I bet there are a few variations you haven’t used yet.
Here are a few other ways you can personalize your emails.
Last names - Imagine you get an email that says, “Thank you for your order, Mrs. Johnson. Here’s your order number…” You’re automatically standing out from your competition when you use something other than their first name.
Order number- My favorite one. Using the order number usually increases open rates because people want to see the details of their order. This helps you build reliability because your customer knows you’re communicating with them.
Item sizing- You can make your customer feel like you care about them if you refer back to another product they ordered. Or reference details about something they ordered in the past (size, color variation, etc.)
Calling out the segment - Another favorite of mine. If someone has purchased a lot from you, you can mention that they’re a VIP member. Or if they haven’t bought from you yet, you can contextualize this in your SL.
Try to be different
One of the easiest ways to stand out is to pay attention to what your competition is doing.
Everyone has seen those emails with all caps saying “FREE BOOK” or “SALE ENDS TODAY.”
Lame right?
That’s your competitor. Just don’t do that and you already have a slight edge on your competition.
Templates
Here are some sample subject lines you can use.
After you gain more experience with your email list, you can gather data and see what types of subject lines work for each type of segment.
How to take the headache out of {topic}
How to take the headache out of cooking every day.
Why {topic} is not {getting result}
Why your exercise is not helping you lose weight.
Why {common belief} is NOT king
Why content is NOT king
1 little-known hack for {getting result} with {topic}
1 little-known hack for getting clients with just a smartphone.
{time} {result} secrets
24-hour bloat relief secrets
Learn how to write brief subject lines that appeal to the emotions of your audience.
Build trust early on
When creating a subject line, make sure that your content fulfills the reader’s intent. Or at the very least, make sure you include a link to information that answers the reader’s question.
For example, if you sent an email that says “5 healthy meal ideas for you and your family,” make sure your email includes either content or a link to content that provides 5 healthy meal ideas.
You don’t want to get your reader to open a subject line and disappoint them by giving them content they weren’t looking for. This builds a bad reputation on your end.
You can also build trust by telling your list what to expect from the very beginning in your welcome flow.
If you plan to spend weekly campaigns, then consider telling your members that they can expect to get weekly emails delivered to their inbox.
