The REAL secret to a good subject line

It’s one of the eternal questions, right up there with, how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?

Many of my fellow content strategists, copywriters, creative directors and even programmers and designers all have opinions on this one.

My feeling is that the words should be left to the writers. Yes, it has to fit into a specific space; yes, it has to be visible in preview and webmail platforms, but these are all known quantities by now.

And yet still we persist. Here’s some of what I’ve heard:

Gail Goodman at Entrepreneur says 50 characters or less due to the fact that most email clients only show that amount.

Marketing Insights is a real space nazi, calling for 30 characters or less – five or six words. That limits your word choice to words like five words no longer than “choice.” And there are many more.

The problem is that everyone’s so focused on subject line, they’re missing the whole picture. There are more things than just the subject line to consider.

Knock, knock.

First, let’s look at the most underappreciated part of an email: the “from” line.

While Entrepreneur mentions the relationship to the sender, they glaze over its importance. Most of the time, this field is controlled by programming or the blast house. I’ve tried to instruct clients to take control of this field. It’s actually the first thing a reader looks at. They want to know who you are and if they trust you. You can also add a word or two like “offers, “service” or “newsletter” that helps describe what you might be sending.  Don’t abuse this though or you’ll lose your customer forever.  It’s a seldom used but powerful tool.

The punchline

Next, we have our old friend the subject line.

But before we go any further, let’s look at some facts. How many characters are actually visible in the subject line or the top email clients:

• Gmail: 66 characters
• AOL: 69 characters
• Yahoo: 43 characters – default (can be expanded to at least 70)
• Outlook: 55 characters
• Hotmail:  32 characters – default (can be expanded to about 50)

These are by no means scientific. I counted them myself, though and I’m no math whiz. They do confuse me though. Where are these marketers getting the 50 characters? Are they averaging it? Outlook’s 55 characters is probably a pretty good standard. Hotmail owns a big chunk of the market so that limits our playing field a little more. Most people use default settings and Hotmail’s preview pane is only set for side-by-side. This doesn’t leave a lot of room for reading. It does make that from field all the more important.

As for the subject, most say, keep it short and to the point. I say, use as many words as necessary, within reason.

I don’t say that because I’m a writer and I love to be verbose. Although I am and I do. The reality of any persuasive message is that you take as long as necessary to convince your reader of your point. In advertising, it’s the same thing, unless you’re simply educating the consumer.

I think what everyone is trying to say is that a subject line should be as succinct as possible. If you need more than 50 characters, use them but, as Gail Goodman points out, you have a 12% less chance that people will open it. What should you put, then. First and foremost, get to the point. Use your most important words up front. If there’s an offer, make sure it’s in those first 50 characters (30 if you’re sending to a hotmail client). Don’t lie, trick or bait-and-switch unless you’re only sending your email once and you’re unethical.  If you have to say more, do it. You might even be able to use it as a tool to peak the reader’s curiosity. For example, you might say: Exclusive customer offer this week: $100 off our best products like our new wireless phone.

Sure it’s long, but no matter where it’s cut off, the reader may want to see what the offer is about and how much they can save. It’s a good example of an exception to the rule that works. Regardless of what you say, make it count, make it short and make it snappy.

Coming Attractions

Next, (what could be next?) make sure you address the preview pane.

Make sure what shows the top and left areas grabs the reader’s attention, whether it’s a great headline or an interesting graphic. Most of the time, people use the preview pane to make a second judgment as to whether or not to open your email after reading the from and subject lines. Keep it interesting and keep it in mind when you write and design.

There’s plenty more to say about email but that’s a good start. Good luck and be safe out there!