- Fri 04/08/2016 11:25

The Best Way to do Subject Line Testing in 2016

The subject lines you write for your emails can make or break the success of your campaigns. Emails can have incredibly written bodies. But if no one is opening emails, they’re never going to see the body. Although realizing just how much is riding on your subject lines can create a lot of pressure, the good news is you don’t have to blindly guess what works. In addition to there being plenty of best practices for writing subject lines that will get people to open, you can actually test multiple variations to see what works best.

To help you get the most out of your subject line testing, we’ve put together several tips to help you out:

1. Less is Usually More

Although there may be situations where it makes sense for you to test a long subject line, the general rule of thumb for 2016 is to keep it short. One of the reasons that short subject lines almost always outperform longer ones is a significant percentage of emails are now received and read on mobile devices. Since the end of longer subject lines are likely to get cut off on smaller screens, it’s important to give recipients a compelling reason to open as soon as possible.

2. Personalize Whenever Possible

If you’re sending emails to a customer or someone who submitted their name to you, don’t be afraid to use it in your subject lines. This type of personalization is generally a great way to get people’s attention. It’s also quite easy to A/B test a personalized subject line versus a non-personalized one.

3. Be Aware of Spam Filters

There are a lot of factors that determine whether or not marketing emails make it to someone’s inbox. While a great email marketing provider will take care of all the technical details for you, one of the best things you can do to maximize deliverability is avoid writing a subject line that may trip spam filters. Of all the words that are likely to trip this filter, free is the most common offender.

4. Stay Relevant

Everyone has had the experience of browsing around the Internet, seeing an interesting headline and then realizing that where the link leads doesn’t live up to the headline. When that happens, people generally close the page right away. The same thing happens with emails. If you write a subject line that’s extremely catchy and gets people to open the email but then they’re disappointed with the content, chances are they’re not going to take the action you want.

If you don’t currently have an email marketing provider or your provider doesn’t offer subject line testing, learn about this feature and all of the others that our email marketing solution provides.