How to write effective email subject lines for mobile devices

1. The
30-Character
Sales Pitch
How to write effective email
subject lines for mobile devices.
www.adestra.com

2. Are longer or shorter subject lines best?
Optimum character length for email marketing subject lines is a thing of some contention.
Recent studies by MailerMailer and Informz found that shorter subject lines clearly had the
best open rates. However, MailChimp’s 2012 study of more than 12 billion emails suggested
that there was no strong correlation between subject line length and open rates, and
that quality and not quantity was the key.
www.adestra.com

3. Are longer or shorter subject lines best?
Optimum character length for email marketing subject lines is a thing of some contention.
Recent studies by MailerMailer and Informz found that shorter subject lines clearly had the
best open rates. However, MailChimp’s 2012 study of more than 12 billion emails suggested
that there was no strong correlation between subject line length and open rates, and
that quality and not quantity was the key.
Confused?
What is clear is that optimum subject line lengths vary
depending on a host of factors including your industry,
your target audience and, not surprisingly, the type of
information you are trying to convey.
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4. What about mobile devices?
Here’s where things get a little simpler...
Most mobile devices are only able to display
between 20 and 30 characters in their subject
line.
If mCommerce is your target, or if you know
that the majority of your clients are likely to
read your email on the move, then these are
the limits you should try to work to.
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5. Why optimise your subject lines for
mobile email?
29%
12%
41
%
41% of all emails were opened
on mobile devices in the second
half of 2012, with 29% opened on
smartphones and 12% on tablets.
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6. Why optimise your subject lines for
mobile email?
29%
12%
41% of all emails were opened
on mobile devices in the second
half of 2012, with 29% opened on
smartphones and 12% on tablets.
41
%
68
%
68% of UK consumers have used
their mobiles to check emails in
the past 30 days.
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7. How to make the
most of your
30 characters
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8. Understand the purpose of a
subject line
A subject line is a sales pitch, but what is it selling?
Your company? Your exclusive offer? The email
itself?
The truth is, this depends on how your recipient reacts to your message. For those who
don’t open your email (and there will often be more people who don’t than who do), they
will still have glanced at your subject line, albeit momentarily, before deciding to ignore it.
Think of it as an exercise in brand awareness; they might not want to hear from you today,
but it doesn’t hurt to remind them of who you are and what you stand for. Meanwhile, for
those who are hesitating, the purpose of your subject line is to persuade them to read on.
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9. Example:
You are sending out your company’s newsletter. You write in
your subject line: ‘[Company name’s] newsletter for May.’ Or
‘Latest news from [Company name]’. WRONG. Your recipients
probably receive hundreds of newsletters each year; why
would they want to open yours? Think about the elements of
your newsletter that your customers are most likely to want
to read, and sell your email accordingly. For instance: ‘Our
top five design tips for 2014’.
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10. Three seconds:
The length of time it takes for
a recipient to decide whether
or not to open your email.
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11. Clear communication
When it comes to writing a killer subject line with
such a restricted character count, it is often best to
brainstorm the important elements of what you are
trying to convey. Then, you can decide what to run
with and what to ditch.
In other words, decide what you want to say, break it down in order of significance, tailor
your choices to your recipient’s preferences and be sure only to convey the most important
elements of your message.
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12. Think mobile
!”%^*
!”%^*
!”%^*
Don’t be afraid to use punctuation, acronyms,
and symbols where appropriate in order to write
succinctly and get your message across in as few
characters as possible.
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13. Think mobile
!”%^*
!”%^*
!”%^*
Don’t be afraid to use punctuation, acronyms
and symbols where appropriate in order to write
succinctly and get your message across in as few
characters as possible.
Example:
“RSVP: Executive lunch conference” conveys in 32 characters
what “Invitation to attend our top-level roundtable discussions
and executive lunch” does in 77.
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14. Segmented lists and targeted
subject lines
Don’t adopt a one-size-fits-all approach, especially
when tailoring your email marketing for mobile
devices, where every character counts.
By analysing your customers’ preferences and characteristics, you will be able to take a
much more personalised approach and send the most effective subject lines to different
segments of your audience.
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15. Testing
Learn from your own mistakes. Subject line testing delivers
the highest ROI of any form of email testing. So why aren’t
more people doing it? By tracking your results over a period
of time, you can learn what resonates for your database and
what falls flat.
www.adestra.com

16. Testing
Learn from your own mistakes. Subject line testing delivers
the highest ROI of any form of email testing. So why aren’t
more people doing it? By tracking your results over a period
of time, you can learn what resonates for your database and
what falls flat.
Word choice
A great deal of research has been undertaken in recent years
to analyse key words and phrases which do and don’t work
well in email subject lines. This research has proven that,
above all, subject line success is highly specific to industry
and audience. It pays to truly understand what your target
market wants, especially when every word counts.
www.adestra.com

17. Further reading:
Adestra’s 2013 Subject Line Analysis
Report analysed 2.2 billion emails
to see which keywords and phrases
resonate best with specific audiences,
overall, and by industry. The key
findings are summarised in the
Subject Line Report infographic.
www.adestra.com

18. Summary:
When writing subject lines for mobile devices, remember that your character count is vital.
In order to make these 30 characters speak volumes you must:
1
Prioritise your
messaging.
4
Segment your
lists.
2
Personalise your
content and
communication.
5
Test. And then test
again. And again.
3
Write clearly and
succinctly.
6
Understand your
target audience.
www.adestra.com

19. Do you know which words and phrases
in email subject lines resonate with
your particular industry and audience?
Take a look at Adestra’s Subject Line
Report.
View Subject Line Report Now
www.adestra.com