10 tips for optimizing the subject line of your emailings!

En emailing, chaque ouverture est une victoire … on compte néanmoins beaucoup plus de défaites que de victoires. On ne peut pas dire que l’objet des emails soit la priorité numéro un des marketeurs. Pourtant, il n’est pas rare de rencontrer des spécialistes de l’emailing qui estiment à 50% l’impact de la celle-ci sur les résultats des campagnes. Et paradoxalement, créer une ligne objet est probablement l’acte le plus rapide dans le processus de création d’une campagne emailing. Si l’on reprend l’idée de 50% d’impact sur les performances … on se retrouve avec un déséquilibre flagrant !

The object line is therefore often neglected ... by ignorance!

The most used technique to optimize an object line is the AB test. This AB test is used by many marketers ... but often without any theoretical basis! However, if you don't want to end up choosing between 23.5% of opening and 24.1% (which won't optimize much) during your AB tests, there are some tips to put into practice.

How to optimize the subject line of your emailings?

1. Think of your subject lines as the first step in your campaign briefing.
2. AB test: if your potential is sufficient, create at least 4 different subject lines.
3. AB test: create real differences between versions. Ask several people for suggestions.
4. AB testing: document the AB tests you perform in order to keep a history of them.
5. Surprise creates action! Don't underestimate the effect of change in your subject lines.
6. Use the data you have on your customers. For example, geographic data can be a great source of creativity.
7. Think "call to action": Opening an email is an action just like clicking a button. Think about it!
8. Be honest: Don't disappoint your recipients with a subject line that is too catchy for the content of your emails.
9. Go beyond the opening rate: The opening rate of an email is not the most reliable data! Think about measuring performance on the click rate or conversion rate.
10. Use urgency: But not all the time, otherwise your subscribers might get bored and stop believing you.

Bonus : Pensez à lire cet article de mon ancien collègue Florent Diverchy (en anglais) : « Email subject lines: the Motivational Segmentation way » Crédit photo : Daniel R. Blume - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic