Emailing is such a new field that there is little data to help purveyors of e-commerce determine the best practices. With all the "rules" about words that shouldn't be included in subject lines because they will trigger spam filters, it is hard to know what subject lines will pass the test and cause the reader to want to open the email. I found an analysis by MailChimp.com to be useful.
The common thread among the subject lines that have the best open rates, according to MailChimp is the use of a company name that actually identifies the source of the email.
Perhaps this gives recipients some level of comfort that the mail is from someone they know, or with whom they have a business relationship. These subject lines seem boring.
However, go to the link below to see the Worst subject lines and you will notice that they are more "spam like," and like some wording you might see in a print advertisement for a diet pill or a big car sale. "Big savings!" MailChimp notes that most people get so much spam in their mailboxes that they ignore any subject line that even looks like it could be spam.
The 4 Cs of Truth in Communications by Isabelle Albanese includes a chapter on email that is probably worth a look. One way to make sure your subject line attracts your customers is to make sure it meets the expectations of the potential customer. If the customer opted in for "special promotional deals," then telling her that a discount coupon is in the email may be a good option. If, on the other hand, the customer is expecting to get a "newsletter" with tips about how to use your product or service more efficiently, trumpeting a discounted offer in the subject line probably won't work.
Here are the subject lines that MailChimp.com found worked best.
According to MailChimp.com,
Best Open Rates (60%-87%)
1. [COMPANYNAME] Sales & Marketing Newsletter
2. Eye on the [COMPANYNAME] Update (Oct 31 - Nov 4)
3. [COMPANYNAME] Staff Shirts & Photos
4. [COMPANYNAME] May 2005 News Bulletin!
5. [COMPANYNAME] Newsletter - February 2006
6. [COMPANYNAME] Newsletter - January 2006 [ *|FNAME|* *|LNAME|* ]
7. [COMPANYNAME] and [COMPANYNAME] Invites You!
8. Happy Holidays from [COMPANYNAME]
9. ATTENTION [COMPANYNAME] Staff!
10. ATTENTION [COMPANYNAME] West Staff!!
11. Invitation from [COMPANYNAME]
12. [COMPANYNAME] Jan/Feb 2006 Newsletter
13. Website news - Issue 3
14. Upcoming Events at [COMPANYNAME]
15. [COMPANYNAME] Councils: Letter of Interest
16. [COMPANYNAME] Coffee Exchange - Post-Katrina Update
17. We're Throwing a Party
18. October 2005 Newsletter
19. [COMPANYNAME]: 02.10.06
20. [COMPANYNAME] Racing Newsletter
Worst Open Rates (1%-14%) See their post for the worst Subject Lines.
* Study only included campaigns sent to at least 100 recipients.
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