Everything you need to consider, from subject lines to footers
Your approach to e-mail design must be fundamentally different from print, direct marketing or even Web page design. The reason is simple: Your customers’ experience with e-mail is fundamentally different than with those other media.
E-mail design is not about the overall graphical impact but about scrolling, making it easy for the reader to skim and best utilizing a small space. This is why e-mail demands a completely different approach and involves more effort than simply cutting and pasting material from a web site or converting your direct-mail campaign into HTML.
E-mail presents greater challenges for two reasons: first, because there is a need to design for the preview window as well as the entire message; and second, because people interact with e-mail in fundamentally different ways and in different contexts than they do with other media. In fact, because readers scroll through e-mail, it is important to think of the design as a series of modules. In addition, you have less control over the final rendering, because the software and hardware on the user’s desktop (the various software programs or web browsers your customers use to view your message) will influence the final look and user experience.
Just as with any type of communication, if the design does not grab the attention of the reader or fails to present your message in an appealing way, you’ll lose your audience. Therefore, e-mail design plays a significant role in determining if the e-mail will be read. In addition, readers will make split-second judgments as to whether or not to delete each e-mail, so you must make sure that subscribers instantly recognize that the e-mail is coming from you. An e-mail newsletter that is well designed will ensure this.
Once that’s accomplished, the design of your e-mail must not only be appealing and make the recipient want to read it, but it must also allow the reader to skim the content and glean the key information.
Sound daunting? It can be. But it’s easier when you break the process down into several key steps. In much the same way that your content strategy is about more than great writing, your e-mail layout is about more than great design (although that is, of course, important too). It’s about having the right elements in the right places to maximize the performance of every e-mail you send.
The Importance of the “From” Address
The “From” address is the first thing subscribers will see in their e-mail boxes. It needs to be immediately apparent that it is coming from a company they know and trust, and, more importantly, one from which they have agreed to receive e-mails. If they signed up for a newsletter from XYZ Widgets, they must quickly see “XYZ Widgets.” Always use the company name that appears on the subscription form. This is especially important if the e-mail is from the division of a company that has its own distinct brand name. For example, if someone signs up for a newsletter from Dell Publishing, which is a division of Random House, and they see Random House in the “From” address, they may not recognize it and will therefore be more likely to delete it. In that fraction of a second, they will not make the connection that this is the same company.
You also don’t want the “From” address to be the name of someone working in the company, such as the newsletter editor or someone in customer service. This technique became popular based on the theory that people like to get e-mail from other people rather than from companies. But with spammers using this technique more and more every day, folks have become wary of these techniques. One way to add a personal touch to your company moniker is to use titles, for example, “Dell Publishing Editors” or “Starbucks Baristas.” And it doesn’t even need to be an actual person or group of people; the point is to build recognition and enhance branding.
It’s also important to note that many e-mail blocking and filtering technologies use the “From” address as a way to identify spam, so changing the “From” address may very well increase the chance of having your e-mail blocked or filtered. This is another reason, and perhaps the most important, that consistency and professionalism are important.
Subject Lines That Get Your E-mail Opened
Crafting the perfect subject line is a topic of much discussion and debate around the marketing water cooler because subject lines, along with the “From” address, have a tremendous impact on the open rate of your e-mails. If the subscriber doesn’t use a preview pane, it is the only piece of information she has to determine if the e-mail is worth opening. Here are some basic rules of thumb for crafting great subject lines:
Keep it as short as possible— Many e-mail readers (especially web-based readers) cut off long subject lines. The number of characters allowed varies. We recommend no more than fifty-five characters. Pay particular attention to the first fifteen characters, since they are the most visible in an inbox, especially those viewed on handheld devices.
Test often—Creating winning subject lines is one of the easiest ways to improve campaign results. Test multiple approaches as often as you can. One of the great benefits of e-mail is that you can test several subject lines on a small sample of recipients, and then send out your entire campaign an hour later using the subject line that gained the best results.
Skip spam words—Spammers have stolen a lot of great direct-response words and phrases, such as “Free,” “Discount,” “Save,” “Buy Now,” and “Special Offer.” As a result, these words will usually get your e-mail blocked by spam filters. Be sure to test subject lines by sending your e-mail to recipients with spam-checker software to make sure that your words are not causing your e-mails to be blocked from your subscribers’ e-mail inboxes. This issue matters both at the server level, where you’ll get blocked by filters and corporate servers, and at the inbox level, where users will delete anything that looks even a little bit like spam.
Never use all capital letters—In addition to being a classic spam technique that most filters will catch, it looks unprofessional, and users will more often than not delete them immediately. On a related note, don’t deceptively use “RE:” or “FW:” in your subject lines to make it seem as if you are replying to the user—another classic, and unprofessional, spammer technique.
Be relevant—Make sure not only that the line is enticing but that it also accurately reflects the relevant content your e-mail contains. After all, that’s why the subscriber wants your e-mail. If that’s not enough of a reason, consider that CAN-SPAM requires that your subject line at least not be deceptive.
Show value—The subject line should state the value proposition, or what the reader will get from reading the message.
Add “zing” to your subject lines—Be unique and enticing. Always remember that there are thousands of e-mail marketing managers fighting for attention in that inbox. Don’t settle for generic, bland subject lines. You are competing with every other e-mail in the inbox, and you want to win. Put thought and attention into every subject line, and don’t let it be the piece that gets written two minutes before the e-mail goes out the door. Most importantly, resist the pressure to go for the safe choice or standard marketing line. “Don’t Be Chicken—Try 10 New Recipes for Your Favorite Fowl” is way more fun than “Try 10 New Chicken Recipes.” Zig when others zag and your message will stand out from the pack.
Put a number in the subject line—What works for magazine covers also works for e-mail. Readers respond to numbers. In particular, “top” lists are highly effective. We like “Top 10,” but other numbers also work well in this format.
The subject line debate
Marketers have conflicting views as to whether it’s more effective to use the same subject every time to increase recognition or to use unique calls to action to drive response. The honest answer is that it’s different for every marketer, based on the type of content, the immediacy of the information and other factors, such as the mindset of your subscriber base. There are times when a consistent subject line works best. If you are selling the same service on a regular basis, there may be no need to switch subject lines. Other times, a changing subject line is recommended. For example, if you have special offers or hot breaking information, you will want to convey that sense of urgency to the reader.
We generally recommend combining the two approaches. By using a consistent lead-in (two or three words) followed by a colon and then a few words of copy that change for each message, you can provide a sense of consistency while still highlighting new goodies that will be featured in your latest issue. This works if you can avoid going over the character limits of most readers’ e-mail window. For example: “Garden News: Tulip Time! Get Planting Now.” and “Garden News: Protect Your Plants from Frost.” Both of these examples stick to a consistent theme while demonstrating variety, and they are under forty-five characters, including spaces. Military.com uses this technique to great effect, with their The Early Brief newsletter. Every issue begins with the name of the publication, then has four to six words to highlight the top story. Recent examples include “THE EARLY BRIEF - Baseballs Used for Troop Tribute” and “THE EARLY BRIEF - Military Housing Improving.”
Using Headers to Build Interest and Recognition
The header is the design or copy at the very top of your e-mail newsletter. It is what the recipient will see upon first glance at your newsletter, so its design is crucial. As we mentioned earlier, be sure that every newsletter features a similar look and feel so that readers can instantly recognize your e-mail and be inclined to open and read it. In addition, it should also carry all vital identifiers, such as your company name and/or logo and the date, if it’s relevant to the content. And make sure the headline for your top story isn’t too far down, so your readers see it right away. Think of the top six inches of a broadsheet newspaper.
By creating interesting, consistent header designs, it is easy to quickly and easily identify a publication, its date, its issue and its top stories. Leverage that market conditioning for your own program, and think of the header as the “star of the preview window.” This means that it acts the same way a web site masthead works, providing an image and major navigation. It also serves as a teaser, enticing and encouraging the reader to open the e-mail and explore all of the wonderful information contained within.
One point to keep in mind when designing your newsletter is to avoid using dark backgrounds. While they may look nice, headers with dark backgrounds create typing problems when forwarded.
Don’t Forget about Footers
The footer, the text that appears beneath the actual newsletter content, is best place for administrative messaging and CAN-SPAM compliance, but it also offers a great opportunity to continue to sell your products and services and to reinforce your branding. Too many marketers waste this opportunity. While this text is not a guaranteed read every time, many readers do scroll down for more information. Also, people who get an e-mail forwarded to them will instinctively look to the bottom of the e-mail to find out who sent it originally.
This is why standard information about your business, typically called a boilerplate, should always be included. And since this is a book about direct marketing, we’d be remiss if we didn’t encourage you to use this space to drive some of your long-term marketing objectives by highlighting products on the horizon, or secondary offers. Be sure to include all of your key company information, including contacts, links to press releases and to your web site and of course promotions of your other newsletters.
It should go without saying—but we’ll say it anyway—that your footer must include all the legal bits required by CAN-SPAM, including unsubscribe instructions and a postal address. And while CAN-SPAM requires a postal address, we say be brave and include a phone number, too. You’ll be surprised that it will increase credibility rather than complaints.
Unlike the header and content, the footer copy does not carry the same mandate of brevity. Readers do not perceive this as part of the newsletter, so you can spread it out a little more.
Some of the elements we recommend including in the footer:
- An “About this newsletter” section
- An “About the company” section, with links back to the site
- Viral elements, including subscription forms and tell-a-friend forms
- Administrative elements, such as copyright and contact info
- A privacy policy mention or link
- Promotions for your other e-mail newsletters
- Links to special features on your web site
- Subscribe, unsubscribe and account-modification links
- A teaser about content in your next newsletter
- A customer feedback link, of course
The Preview Window: Keeping the Good Stuff “Above the Fold”
“Above the fold” in e-mail refers to what generally appears in a standard preview pane, such as in Microsoft Outlook or AOL. For readers who use this feature, the elements appearing here will primarily determine whether or not the e-mail gets opened. If you grab the attention of the reader by what is in this small portion of the screen, you can hold their interest.
The preview pane is akin to the envelope of a direct mail piece, or the lead element in a direct-mail package. Taking full advantage of this space involves much more than displaying your corporate logo. You need to make sure that what the reader sees first is compelling, relevant and informative and that it offers a reason to open the message or scroll down. You only have a few seconds (at most!) before someone decides to delete an e-mail, and that decision may be based on the first glance at the preview window.
We recommend that the following elements—usually the main parts of a good header—be kept “above the fold”:
- Name of the publication
- Name of the company and logo
- Tagline, if you use one
- Volume and/or issue number
- Date
- Table of contents
- Significant headlines
- A link to your Web site
If your table of contents is short, as it should be, you may include a few lines of content from one of your stories. While this serves as a teaser, you need to make sure the story continues immediately or with one click. Don’t put items or teasers above the fold that won’t be easily found once readers open and start reading the e-mail.
You can also drive your readers to action by including graphics they can click on for more information, special offers and other goodies.
Always be aware that your subscribers are viewing your e-mail on myriad e-mail software programs. Even the most common, such as Microsoft Outlook, often have hundreds of variations, ranging from those for different versions of operating systems to those customized for corporations. Therefore, it’s important to view your e-mail in as many different formats as possible, particularly those that are small, such as on laptops and handhelds, since it is very important to determine exactly what your reader will see.
What to avoid in the preview window
A long, text-heavy story—Readers will not jump right in and start reading. They are looking to skim. If you try to pack too much information above the fold, your e-mail will appear cluttered.
Prominent third-party advertising—If they see this information come up prominently above the fold, your subscribers are likely to think this is an e-mail from another company, in spite of the “From” address.
Too much advertising for your own products and services—If advertising dominates the layout, you run the risk of losing your audience. Remember, they’ve agreed to receive advertising as long as they also receive content of some value. If the newsletter has a good mix of both, as it should, then this value will be reflected in the preview area.
Matt Blumberg and Michael Mayor are the driving forces behind Return Path, an e-mail performance company. Collaborating with them on this project are their colleagues, e-mail strategists Stephanie A. Miller and Tami Monahan Forman. This article was excerpted from their new book, “Sign Me Up! A Marketer’s Guide to Creating E-mail Newsletters That Build Relationships and Boost Sales (iUniverse Inc., 2005) © 2005 Return Path, Inc. All rights reserved.
Further EZINE LISTS Reading:
- How to Build Your E-Zine List
- How to Write an E-zine Your Subscribers Will Love (or at Least Open and Read)
- How to Start and Run an E-Mail Newsletter
