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If you want to write better subject lines, article titles and teasers,
reach for a National Geographic magazine cover and study the taglines. In just
three to five well-chosen words, they draw the reader in past the classic
yellow-rimmed cover with its gorgeous color photography to the cover story and
secondary material.
In the same way, an attention-grabbing subject line gets your email noticed
in the inbox. Teasers – short lines of text at the top of a newsletter that hint
at the full story – are essential if you designed your email message to deliver
key content to readers who view their email in a preview pane.
Don't worry if your early efforts don't match the Geographic's for brevity,
wit or intrigue. Blather is easy; tight, clear writing is hard. Look for strong,
simple words, active verbs and keywords that resonate with your readers.
Review your metrics over the last few campaigns or newsletter issues. Which
articles or offers got the most opens, clicks or conversions? Which subject
lines were associated with high open rates?
We know, for example, that any article in The Intevation Report that has
"subject lines" in the subject line, teaser or article title gets appreciably
high clicks and opens.
Finally, remember that you have to put the most important copy in the first
50 characters, including spaces, to ensure that key words and characters aren’t
cut off in some email clients.
Need some concrete examples? Review these recent covers from National
Geographic; click on each cover to review the taglines:
 
 
 
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