Nearly every marketer will emphasize the importance of subject lines when it comes to email marketing, once in the lifetime. Although the topic of the subject line has been covered by various writers on more than one occasion, it is still one of most misunderstood as well.
Unfortunately, good ol’ internet is riddled with marketing-pretenders who have written tirelessly about bad and inappropriate advice concerning subject lines. Such misconceptions have been widely circulating on the internet so much that people have started to take word for it.
Out of all those bad advice, we have gathered five most popular myths about subject line in email marketing world that you might take us as a liar for telling you otherwise!
Regardless of what you may think of us, here is our list of five myths about subject lines that are just too difficult to take anymore!
Myth# 1: Subject Lines Decides Fate of Your Emails Being Opened by Your Subscribers
This myth states that subject lines are extremely important and should be paid much more attention than usual. The reason behind this is that subscribers only open emails if the subject line is clever, witty yet incorporates the main idea all at same time.
Wrong!
The truth is that name of the sender and not subject line influences readers to open up an email. Emails are professional relationships that are based on permission. So sender’s name will always be more important. This is reason individuals notice sender’s name first whenever they receive an email.
Moreover, this is also evident from a survey conducted by Litmus which showed that 42% people see sender’s name first and 34% people read the subject line.
Myth# 2: Subject Lines are Only Helpful with Email Open Rates
Marketers think that usefulness of subject lines is only limited to email open rates. But in fact, subject lines have another bigger purpose to serve.
Apart from acting as your opening line, subject lines can affect deep metrics including conversions! If you don’t believe this, perhaps running a subject line A/B test will help you.
While running A/B tests, track all results for a very long time. You will notice that when landing page and email content was kept unchanged, and changes were brought in only subject line, the metrics like conversions and clicks were affected to a considerable extent.
It works because subject line clearly defines what subscribers will find once they open an email. A little confusion in the subject line and you will see that subscribers would be reluctant to move forward. But if it’s on point, subscribers will go the extra mile to form a relationship.
Myth# 3: Subject Line’s Work is Only Limited to Coercing Subscribers to Open Emails
Subject lines’ use isn’t just limited to getting individuals to open and read your emails. It is to generate interest of people that are likely to convert and become your potential customers.
Digital marketing thrives on target or intended audience. You produce SEM ads so that right people can come to you, you post Facebook ads so your target audience can find you. And you want right individuals to open your emails, click on CTAs and land on your landing page.
If this isn’t reason why you started your email marketing, then all your email campaign have been for nothing. So designing a subject line that entices the right crowd to view your emails will help you in building up your audience and client base.
And this is why you should never measure your email marketing success based on open-rate!
Myth# 4: Usage of Interesting and Attention Grabbing Language Compels Subscribers to View Emails
How many times have you heard from marketers telling you to use such language in subject lines that invoke curiosity? Probably hundreds of times! Now, people have gotten so used to this idea that utilization of simple and clear language makes them think twice.
The truth is most effective and compelling subject lines are usually written in straightforward and well-branded language that is at times boring as well.
We are definitely not telling you to ditch creativity altogether, but the creative approach should be used once in a blue moon.
A study by MailChimp found that secret formula to successful subject lines in an email campaign is that you should write them in a way that it conveys email’s subject. And we agree with them as well!
Myth# 5: Unopened Emails is Worst Thing That could Happen
Unopened emails aren’t scary part, poorly structured and badly written ones are. An email that disappoints individuals is a horror story for all marketers, and it should be avoided at all costs.
You might get ahead with badly written emails a few times, but this is a very destructive option in the long run as making subscribers view emails that contain extremely irrelevant content combined with poor structure can affect future opens, clicks, and conversions.
The risk doesn’t end there as your potential customers can ignore your future emails and, in worst case scenarios, end their professional business relationship you with altogether!
All in all, stop trying to thrive on short-lived ways and follow result-oriented email marketing tips. Instead of adopting short-term tactics to try to get people to open your emails, you should focus more on long-term solutions that will be quite lengthy but will generate successful rates. Try to stick with short subject lines while working on email campaigns to give receivers an idea about what they will find in emails.
When you adopt latter approach as your only approach to email campaigns, you will witness astounding results.
