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Before distributing the March issue of the Intevation Report we decided to test three different subject lines. Though we already had a strong sense about the types of content our readers were most interested in, it was again time to test the effectiveness of subject lines.
We chose to split our mailing three ways and test the following subject lines:
A) {Intevation Report} Using Link Click-Through Tracking to Segment Your List
B) {Intevation Report} 3 Tips to Improve Your Newsletter’s ROI
C) {Intevation Report} Build Your List Through “Piggy-Back Marketing”
Which subject line did the best? If you guessed “B” you are correct. Subject lines A and C both resulted in an identical open rate of 41.2 percent and click-through rate of 7.8 percent. The “3 Tips to Improve Your Newsletter’s ROI” subject line produced a 43.6 percent open rate and 8.9 percent click-through rate.
What We Learned and What It Means
We hypothesized that the “3 Tips” subject line would in fact produce the highest open rate. This instinct was based on our experience both with our clients and the types of articles in previous Intevation Reports that garnered the highest click-through rates.
The test confirmed that simple works best with our readers. The use of “X Tips” has always been an effective subject line approach and our readers agreed. Secondly, any article that dealt specifically with email newsletters usually had the highest click-through rate of any article within any given issue of the Intevation Report.
What this simple test reminds us is that our readers, like everyone’s, are extremely busy and are more likely to open a newsletter that resonates immediately with them. The subject line should require very little thinking and minimal “translation.” The value and benefit of the newsletter content should also be stated clearly and simply.
While none of this is anything new or earth shattering, it does serve as a good reminder. Even those of us who spend their lives involved in email marketing occasionally forget the obvious. So for this issue at least, we bring you the obvious subject line: “28 Ways To Grow Your Email List”.
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