Win the Inbox:How to Craft Subject Lines that Grab More

Opens, Clicks, and Leads

You wrote a great email for your next email marketing campaign...

“But WHAT IF NO ONE READS IT?!”

If you want more appointments...

...you need more leads...

...which means you need more clicks...

...which means you need more reads...

...which means you need more opens!

Email marketing is a formula:

FACT

And while your subject line is the most important factor in determining whether your message gets opened and read...

FACT

...the most successful subject lines also create a direct path toward more clicks, leads, and appointments.

FACT

1. Start with Your Offer

CHALLENGE:

SOLUTION:

● Subject lines alone don’t generate leads.

● Subject line should be last item on your email marketing to-do list.

● First, create your offer.

● Your offer = the action you want your prospect to take, and the reason to take it.

CREATE YOUR OFFER WITH 3 QUESTIONS

What specific problem will I help my prospect solve?

What specific action do I want my prospect to take?

What specific benefits will my prospect get in return?

Your prospects are thinking about their problems and priorities. Successful email offers highlight problems that resonate.

Pick up the phone? Download a white paper? Fill out a survey? Determine your desired

action, then craft your offer around it.

Your prospects need a specific reason to act. Tell them what they’ll get, and they’ll be more

likely to click, call, or download.

A compelling offer creates a foundation for a compelling subject line.

If your offer speaks to your prospects’ challenges and priorities, creates urgency, and gives them a reason to act,

then your subject line will be more likely to succeed.

Wise Guys Tip

2. Offer Value, Interest, and Relevance

CHALLENGE:

SOLUTION:

● Goal of subject line = generate opens, clicks, and leads.

● Get the right prospects to open your email.

● Opens = a subject line that offers value and/or piques curiosity.

● Clicks & Leads = a subject line that is clear and relevant to your offer.

THE VALUE TRANSACTION

Your prospects won’t open your email unless they think there’s something in it for them. Subject lines are effective when they clearly articulate what your prospects get when they open your email.

Marketing white paper

Free trial

Resource kit for sales managers

“SaaS Billing is a Marketing Asset”

“An easy decision”

“Sales managers—a new playbook for more sales wins”

I have no idea what that means. DELETE!

For who? About what? DELETE!

Wow, I’d love to have that. OPEN!

SUBJECTOFFER

Your prospects will be more likely to open your email if they’re curious about what’s inside… but they’ll react negatively if you take advantage of their

curiosity to trick them into opening your email.

CREATIVE VS. DECEPTIVE

“Keep or Sell test… sell your business now or later?”

“You win! Open this email to claim your prize!”

“Cold call rules have changed…are you current?”

“Your coworker in a go-kart…”

“The estimate you requested.”

“FW: Your proposal”

CREATIVE DECEPTIVE

THE RELEVANCE METER

To attract prospects most likely to click, your subject line needs to be relevant to your offer:

“Check this out…”

Any offer

WEAK LEADS

“Where’s your CFO?”

Free “financial pulse” assessment from independent, for-hire CFO

MEDIOCRE LEADS

“Your new break room (custom design)”

Free self-service break room design / consultation

GOOD LEADS

SUBJECT

OFFER

Not every subject line offers the perfect mix of value, interest, and relevance.

Think about your offer, and craft a subject line that fits. Try a mix of different strategies and see what works.

Wise Guys Tip

3. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

CHALLENGE:

SOLUTION:

● Long or short?

● Personalized?

● Symbols or keywords?

● Don’t get bogged down by small details.

● Fine to experiment, but focus your energy on more important things.

SUBJECT LINE LENGTH

Matters! Doesn’t matter.

Depending on who you ask, the length of your subject line...

PERSONALIZATION

Matters!Doesn’t matter.

Depending on who you ask, whether you personalize your subject line...

The best way to determine the effectiveness of different strategies is to test, test, and test some more.

Test your subject lines based on a variety of metrics (opens, clicks, and form fills). Test them over multiple sends. Use

and refine what works, and scrap what doesn’t.

Wise Guys Tip

With BWise Drip Marketing, you can test multiple subject lines with a small sample of prospects, then automatically send the “winner” to

the remainder of your list.

BWISE USER TIP

4. Evade Spam Filters

CHALLENGE:

SOLUTION:

● Subject line needs to reach inbox.

● Spam filters keep bad stuff out.

● Spam filters also make it hard for good stuff to get through.

● Learn words/phrases that trigger spam filters, and avoid them.

● Be creative—craft different ways of saying same thing.

BUY LIMITED TIME

MARKETING SAVE ORDER

DEALS SALES FREECLICK HERE

THE SPAM “STOPLIGHT”

Spam filters know which words and phrases are most common in marketing email. Here are some to avoid:

It’s a good idea to avoid spammy chichés anyway.

Get creative. Instead of “Increase Sales” or “Save Thousands,” say “Great tool for elite B2B reps” or “Major

mistake that smart CFOs avoid.”

Wise Guys Tip

© Business Wise Inc. 2016

CHARLOTTE2101 Rexford Rd.

Suite 132ECharlotte, NC 28211

T. 704.554.4112

ATLANTA6190 Powers Ferry Rd.

Suite 190Atlanta, GA 30339

T. 770.956.1955

DALLAS15851 Dallas Pkwy.

Suite 404Addison, TX 75001

T. 214.306.0605