The sender title and topic line are main drivers of e mail open charges. Virtually as vital — if no more vital — is the pre-header, the textual content that seems just under the topic line within the inbox of most cell and desktop e mail shoppers.

On this put up, I’ll supply 5 pre-header ideas, to encourage your recipients to open your emails.

1. Keep away from Repeated Phrases

There isn’t a have to repeat the “From” textual content in both the topic line or the pre-header. And there’s additionally no have to repeat topic line textual content within the pre-header.

This sender — Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Seattle — repeats its title within the topic line (in blue), losing area that might be used for one thing significant.

This may increasingly appear apparent. Nonetheless, I incessantly obtain emails which have repeated content material within the topic line, the “From” line, and the pre-header textual content. Recipients see your organization or model title within the From line. There isn’t a motive to repeat that within the topic line or within the pre-header. As well as, many senders merely repeat their topic line or a variation of the topic line within the pre-header. Once more, that’s redundant and a waste of invaluable actual property.

La-Z-Boy has many repeated phrases within the topic strains (in blue) and pre-headers.

The instance above, from La-Z-Boy, has two errors. First, there are repeated phrases from the topic line to the pre-header. Within the first e mail, La-Z-Boy the phrase “Tremendous” is used 4 instances, “Financial savings” two instances, and “Saturday” two instances. It’s an excessive amount of to learn and comprehend when offered so shut collectively.

Within the different e mail instance, La-Z-Boy repeats the precise first two phrases — “You’re Invited” — of the topic line once more within the pre-header, thus losing the chance to inform subscribers one thing totally different which will immediate them to open the message.

The second error from the La-Z-Boy examples is utilizing a “View in internet browser’ hyperlink.” These hyperlinks had been used as finest practices years in the past for e mail shoppers that didn’t render content material effectively. Few, if any, individuals want or click on on these hyperlinks now, in 2016.

If a sender believes it ought to preserve the “View in internet browser” hyperlink, the sender ought to transfer the hyperlink down so it doesn’t show within the inbox preview, because the recipient can’t do something with that info till after she opens the e-mail. It’s finest to make use of that area to inform the recipient one thing new that may entice her to truly open the e-mail.

2. Pre-headers Are Extensions of Topic Strains

Writing topic strains is tough. The target is to get recipients so they may open the e-mail. Happily, pre-headers assist with this. As an extension of the topic line, pre-headers enable senders to convey extra info, together with a wholly totally different matter or promotional copy, to essentially encourage opens. That is how Discovery Senior Residing makes use of its pre-headers, as proven beneath.

This pre-header — “Uncover. Join. Expertise. Get your free information to…” — extends from the topic line and raises the curiosity of the recipient, which may improve opens.

Within the instance above, the pre-header — “Uncover. Join. Expertise. Get your free information to…” — properly extends the topic line. The sentence breaks at some extent — “Get your free information to…’ — that prompts a reader’s curiosity, inflicting him to open. Having pre-headers purposely finish at some extent that requires the recipient to open for the extra info is an efficient technique to improve opens.

3. Complement Product Gives and Gross sales

If your organization’s emails usually characteristic gives or gross sales, think about using pre-headers to showcase content material. Pre-headers can have extra characters than the topic line, which supplies the chance to characteristic content material in a compelling means.

Each examples beneath are from clothes retailers. Each use the pre-header to supply style ideas, as a substitute of pushing a sale.

The RealReal and LOFT, two clothes retailers, use the pre-header to supply style ideas, as a substitute of pushing a sale. For The RealReal, it’s “What to Put on & What to Do in London.” For LOFT, it’s “Fall dressing doesn’t get any easier.”

4. Attempt Capitalized Letters

Utilizing all caps in a topic line can damage deliverability. All caps can flag an e mail, improve its spam rating, and trigger the message to be filtered right into a bulk or junk folder. Nonetheless, utilizing all caps or partial caps in a pre-header might be efficient, particularly since pre-headers show instantly beneath the topic strains on smartphones.

Within the instance beneath, Ticketmaster makes use of a mostly-caps pre-header to emphasise the reside occasion — “NOTHING BEATS BEING THERE!” — for the live performance it’s selling.

Utilizing all caps in a topic line is a foul thought. However caps in a pre-header might be efficient, as proven on this instance from Ticketmaster — “NOTHING BEATS BEING THERE!.”

5. Use the Pre-header Actual Property

Maybe you haven’t used pre-headers, or are uncertain of crafting a intelligent one. Regardless, at all times benefit from the pre-header actual property.

The instance beneath present two emails from automotive dealerships. One used a pre-header (“Carolyn, The wait is lastly over!”). The opposite didn’t.

The screenshot beneath is from my desktop inbox. Word the whitespace that’s clean underneath the topic line from Rush Chevrolet. Within the Phillips Chrysler e mail, the pre-header is an extension of the topic line. Furthermore, Phillips Chrysler customized the pre-header to incorporate my title, which is much more efficient.

The Rush Chevrolet e mail doesn’t embody a pre-header, which ends up in pointless whitespace. Within the Phillips Chrysler e mail, the pre-header is an extension of the topic line. It’s additionally customized, which is much more efficient.