Subject lines are the most important part of an outbound sales email in my opinion. This short, informative line will determine whether your prospective buyers will open your email or delete it without reading. It's a great skill to be able to write short, specific, effective subject lines that you know will get you results.
I've tried many combinations of email subject lines, and I have finally got a very simple subject line that I find very effective. It's very easy to get a subject line completely wrong, so here are five tips for you to help you with your outbound sales.
1. Keep It Brief
A subject line is not an introductory paragraph. The general rule of thumb is that a subject line should be 50 characters or less. A typical smartphone will display between 25-30 characters. Don't over complicate your subject line; keep it very simple and fairly brief in order to improve open rates.
2. Avoid Spam Triggers
Email providers usually have a list of words and phrases that will trigger a spam filter; this means that if your subject line and sales email contain specific word/phrase combinations, then your email will be filed under Junk. The top 100 spam trigger words include:
3. Don't Use Their First Name
You should always try to find out the name of the person you're contacting, but to use their name in the subject line is not a great idea. If I receive an email that has a subject line: "James, Domain.com is now for sale," I'll probably delete it without reading it.
In fact, there are a number of studies into email open rates that have concluded that using the recipient's first name in a subject line can reduce overall open rates.
4. Don't Use "RE:"
This technique has been popular with some internet marketers in the distant past. It does very often improve open rates, but it's a very dishonest technique. When you're trying to convince someone to pay you money for one of your domains, it's not a good idea to seem dishonest. It can also be confusing to a recipient to see RE: (usually reserved for replies) at the start of a new email.
5. Include The Actual Domain Name You're Selling
Vague subject lines such as "Domain For Sale" aren't great. Busy professionals will want to know exactly what to expect from your email before deciding whether it's worth their time to open it. Include the domain name you're selling so that the recipient is in no doubt about what you're selling.
Remember, you can monitor open rates with tools such as Sidekick or Streak. Constantly tweaking your email subjects and contents will help you to know what works and what doesn't, so experiment with your emails!
If you have any further tips, why not comment below.
I've tried many combinations of email subject lines, and I have finally got a very simple subject line that I find very effective. It's very easy to get a subject line completely wrong, so here are five tips for you to help you with your outbound sales.
1. Keep It Brief
A subject line is not an introductory paragraph. The general rule of thumb is that a subject line should be 50 characters or less. A typical smartphone will display between 25-30 characters. Don't over complicate your subject line; keep it very simple and fairly brief in order to improve open rates.
2. Avoid Spam Triggers
Email providers usually have a list of words and phrases that will trigger a spam filter; this means that if your subject line and sales email contain specific word/phrase combinations, then your email will be filed under Junk. The top 100 spam trigger words include:
- Opportunity
- Cost
- Selling
- Cheap
- Please read
- Limited time offer
- Investment
- (Note: words written in ALL CAPITALS can also set of spam filters)
3. Don't Use Their First Name
You should always try to find out the name of the person you're contacting, but to use their name in the subject line is not a great idea. If I receive an email that has a subject line: "James, Domain.com is now for sale," I'll probably delete it without reading it.
In fact, there are a number of studies into email open rates that have concluded that using the recipient's first name in a subject line can reduce overall open rates.
4. Don't Use "RE:"
This technique has been popular with some internet marketers in the distant past. It does very often improve open rates, but it's a very dishonest technique. When you're trying to convince someone to pay you money for one of your domains, it's not a good idea to seem dishonest. It can also be confusing to a recipient to see RE: (usually reserved for replies) at the start of a new email.
5. Include The Actual Domain Name You're Selling
Vague subject lines such as "Domain For Sale" aren't great. Busy professionals will want to know exactly what to expect from your email before deciding whether it's worth their time to open it. Include the domain name you're selling so that the recipient is in no doubt about what you're selling.
Remember, you can monitor open rates with tools such as Sidekick or Streak. Constantly tweaking your email subjects and contents will help you to know what works and what doesn't, so experiment with your emails!
If you have any further tips, why not comment below.
