Tag: subject line critique

mastering email subject lines: The RocketResponder email subject line series keeps on coming…it is hard to believe that another month has passed already.

Just where has this year gone? Hopefully your email marketing campaign is working well for you but there is always room to improve.

See what you think of these half dozen subject lines which were randomly culled from our inbox:

• Buy 1 year of hosting get the 2nd year FREE! – This is from the ‘tell it like it is’ school of subject line writing. You know exactly what you will get when you open this email. If you don’t need a hosting deal right now then there is no need for you to look at the email at all but if you do then you might be very tempted to take a look inside. Don’t be afraid to try out this approach from time to time.
• INVITATION to EARN thousands of DOLLARS ! – Since when does anyone need an invitation to earn money? Also the random capital letters and the unnecessary apostrophe make the entire message sound a touch desperate. I would pass this one by. It fails to excite me at all. #Fail
• We Just Went Viral!!! We Took The Only Top Spot In The World – Really? How very nice for you but what has this got to do with me and why should I even care? Let me put it another way. I don’t care about you, I care about me, so make the subject line about me next time. I wouldn’t have opened this email.
• Hurry ! Scurry ! best EVA positioning NOW – This started off really well and then they only had to go and spoil everything. I don’t know what EVA positioning is and I don’t have time to find out either. This one can pass me by. I think this opening would have been so much better if it said: “Hurry! Scurry! Never Have to Worry!” instead.
• ~~fname~Well Save You From the Sharks! – Oops someone didn’t use the test email function before pressing send. So you got the personalization wrong; I assume you mean “We’ll
  Save You…” and not “Well Save You…” which makes no sense. Also if you are going to use every word in capitals then the lower case “the” stands out for all the wrong reasons. Finally an unnecessary apostrophe just to make this subject line disaster complete. 0/10 Dismal.
• V TEN Leverages Traffic of TEs Mailers Blogs & Popular Sites – It very well may do but this subject line sends me to sleep. I would enter it in the “worst subject line of the year” awards but that’s about it. Another poor effort but still miles ahead of the previous entry.

Let’s meet back here in a month’s time and do it all over again.

Mastering email subject lines: Hopefully by now you are getting good with your RocketResponder subject lines.

Have a look at this latest selection and see whether you agree with our assessment or not:

• No Cost Leads – [Video] – Wow, someone really pushed the boat out with this one. So if I open this email I will have to watch a sales video of some sort. The only question on my mind is how much will these “no cost leads” really cost me. Totally off putting so I won’t be opening this one.
• Welcome to the Most Advanced Mailing System on This Planet! – I have been using traffic exchanges for long enough to know exactly what program this refers to. I would bet that this is copied and pasted from the “affiliate resource” section of the membership site in question. It is a good subject line but it is often a good idea to use something unique rather than a subject line which is shared with the entire membership. On the other hand if a subject line is good enough to get the job done then there is no harm in giving it a go. I like this subject line.
• This Little Ebay Selling Trick Blew My Mind… – I love this, absolutely love it because if you are the least but curious you will want to know: “What trick is this, tell me more. You must tell me more now.”
  Note that this could work with a variety of different subjects because it follows this formula: “This Little [insert subject here] Trick Blew My Mind…” So you could say somerthing like “This Little RocketResponder Tip Blew My Mind…” or “This Little ListNerds Secret Strategy Blew My Mind…”
• Patrick Joe Freyaldenhoven reveals the secret of his success – Maybe I am missing something here but who is Joe Freyaldenhoven? Also personalizing the message is confusing here unless the guy who is revealing his secrets is actually called Patrick Joe Freyaldenhoven. I would prefer something like: “I Am Ultra Successful: This Is My Secret…”
• A Must Have Tool for ANY Affiliate! – Seven short words and every one a winner. Would I open this? Of course I would. I really want to know what this email is promoting. #Winning.
• No Recruiting No Cost No Kidding – The repeated use of the word “No” gets a big “Yes” from me. It is catchy and has me asking what it is all about so I want to open the email and find out more. You can also use this for yourself. Just add your own subjects. No [x] No [y] No [z]

Don’t forget there will be another selection next month.

Choosing email subject lines. You should know by now that at RocketResponder we love our subject lines.

Get them right every time to get your emails opened. Put at least as much thought (if not more) into your subject line as you do to the main body of the email.

Here are another six subject lines which caught my eye this month…

• Sunday – take a rest breath deep in your chest – Ok well I have no idea what any of that means but on this occasion it doesn’t matter. Rhyming “rest” with “chest” means some thought has gone into this and I am wondering what it is all about. I would open this. Well done.
• CLIXSENSE AWSOME PTC!!!!! – Three words and three huge red flags for me. All capitals – wrong. Spelling mistake – wrong. Five apostrophes – wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. Awful subject line – worst of the bunch this month without any doubt.
• Disappointed with ListNerds? Have you tried.. – This is the “ask a question, then leave them hanging” approach to subject line writing. Highly effective. Works very well. Try this technique for yourself. Best of the bunch this month.
• You upgrade… you get your ads seen on me! – The opposite of the example above but not in terms of effectiveness. This tells you exactly what you can expect to find in the email. I would expect this to be a cool incentive to upgrade in a program from either an owner or a switched-on affiliate. Either way I would open it to find out more.
• Internet marketing with a cube. Get free UNLIMITED traffic for ever!!! – I am actually unsure what I think about this one. It is a bit long, I hate the three apostrophes (only ever use one, and even then only if you really must) but the use of capitals works. It sounds as though it may be a bit complicated or gimmicky (what is marketing with a cube all about?) but I probably would open it to find out more. What do you think of this subject line?
• My Favorite Promotion Product – This is good. If I have signed up to someone’s list then it follows that I have at least some interest in what you have to say. So by telling me you have a favorite promotion product and leaving it at that I am going to open the email and find out more. A real winner. Excellent subject line.

Look out for more subject lines next month.

Subject line tips: Continuing our look at real examples of email subject lines, we discuss a new batch of emails.

Remember it is the job of RocketResponder to get your emails delivered but it is your job to get them opened.

Use a good subject line and you will get your emails opened and read.

Here are six more real life subject lines:

• Almost like having an ATM at home… – This is one that I wouldn’t open because the suggestion is that it is promoting a program where you don’t really have to do anything to get lots of cash. Look, earning a living requires time and effort. I can see why many people would open this email though so I would not be surprised if it didn’t get a decent open rate.
• Famous program. – I can’t help thinking that absolutely no thought has gone into this subject line at all. If the subject line reads like a crossword clue than I am not going to waste my time trying to work out what it might mean. (On the other hand if you make your subject line deliberately look like a crossword clue then you will certainly get my attention.) “Famous program” just does not do it for me though I am afraid.
• BRAIN ABUNDANCE presents BRAIN FUEL PLUS – Every word is in capitals except for one. Why? What is brain fuel plus? How would it be different to brain fuel?  What even is brain fuel anyway and who or what is brain abundance? A subject line which prompts you to ask questions is generally good. The trouble here is that I have no desire to know the answers to any of these questions.
• Command Control Cash In… – Alliteration works. Using the same letter to start each word can capture the reader’s attention so well. I would have used a commas to separate the words (Command, Control, Cash In…) but that is just a minor point. Great subject line.
• Dont Be Ordinary Be Awesome – Yay for being awesome. I would open this just to find out what is in the email. The subject line has sparked my curiosity enough to open and read it and that is all it ever has to do. Awesome.
• Do NOT build an email list – I hate random capital letters in subject lines but I love this subject line. Why? Because the use of capitals for the word “NOT” is both deliberate and highly effective. It is not just a random capital word thrown in for effect. This is a subject line which would stop a lot of people in their tracks…including me. Already opened. Best of the bunch this month.

Look out for more subject lines next month.

Email marketing tips and tricks: At RocketResponder we know how important email subject lines are, which is why we want you to give them some careful thought.

Here is another selection of real-life email subject lines and some thoughts about how effective they actually were:

• I am giving away $100 just to join a free program! – Ok well it does sound a bit too good to be true but it is also rather intriguing at the same time. I would have most certainly opened this to see what it was all about. Good subject line.
• Hi there Patrick – Take a look at this – Personal, informal, engaging and with just a hint of mystery. “Take a look at what?” I am asking. Now I am curious enough to open the email and find out more. It works. Excellent subject line.
• DR.CLIX !!!! D0ctor that treat dead traffic the right way..000h yeah!! – Ok so I know what Dr Clix is but if I didn’t then this subject line would be totally confusing. I also hate the way that the sender uses zeroes instead of the letter “o.” It does have me thinking “What is the right way to treat dead traffic?” and also “What does the term ‘dead traffic’ even mean? However as I don’t expect to get the answers in the email I wouldn’t open it.
• How I Went From 0 to 150 Leads in 30 Minutes.. – Apart from the fact that the ellipsis (…) is a series of three dots and not two, this is almost perfect. Yes of course I want to know how you did what you say you did. Opened. Success. Well done.
• goldline – Seriously? That’s really it. Without context this is just a random word. It does not make me think of anything. Woeful. Deleted already.
• Launched in 2013 with custom script – Probably just a bit too random and meaningless for my liking. I really can’t be bothered to open it to find what launched in 2013 with a custom script. Failed. Deleted.

Look out for another selection of email subject lines next month.