Here are twelve ideas for putting subject line split testing to work for you:
1. Length
Sometimes a fully-formed sentence engages an audience right away, and sometimes short, punchy and downright non-sentencey is more effective.
Run a test that presents the same message in varying lengths to see how wordy your audience wants you to get.
2. Special characters
You’ve probably seen icons of little hearts, arrows and stars creep their way into your inbox.
Sure they’re a little trendy, but they’re also eye-catching and can be effective.
3. Specificity
While there are times that specific subject lines work best, sometimes vague subject lines can pique just the right level of interest to get the open.
4. Personalization
Does your audience appreciate the personal touch, or are they creeped out by seeing their name in the subject line?
You can personalize with any member field, so consider plugging in the recipient’s city, last item purchased or account rep in your test.
5. Sender name
Are your emails more effective when your organization’s name is in the from field *and* in the subject line?
Studies say yes, but there’s only one way to find out if your audience follows or bucks the trend.
6. Exclamation points
It’s long been believed that exclamation points are a subject line no-no, but they’re by no means a one-way ticket to the spam folder.
In fact, ending your subject line with a jaunty “!” is the most clear and concise way to convey excitement, and your audience might catch your excitement and be more likely to engage with your email.
7. Discount-speak
Next time you’re promoting a sale, test how you share that news in the subject line.
Will your audience respond better to a 40% off sale, or does saving $10 sound a bit more enticing?
8. A Question
Turn your go-to subject line into a question and see if your readers are more engaged when you plant a question in their head.
Just steer clear of questions that yield a yes or no answer. Unless it’s “Will you open this email?”
9. Relevancy
One of the Obama campaign’s most successful fundraising email contained the simple subject line, “Hey.”
It’s a bold move, but try testing a subject line that’s not relevant to the email’s content. You might be surprised by the results.
10. Urgency
A little bit of low grade anxiety never hurt anyone, so test the notion of urgency for promotion (ends today!) or survey (first 10 responders win a prize).
11. Capitalization
No one likes a shouter, but loudmouths get attention nonetheless.
Try capitalizing just a word or two in your subject line to make them stand out, and then see if more recipients OPEN THE DARNED THING.
12. Gratitude
Most businesses reserve expressions of gratitude for the holiday season. Consider thanking your customers or donors for their continued support of your organization at other times too.
Run a test to see if saying “thanks” in the subject line gets more opens. It probably will, and you’ll probably be thankful for the suggestion to give it a try.
Be sure to also check out these 5 Best Practices for Subject Line Split Testing.