E-mail Subject Lines: 4 Reliable Testing Tips

If Shakespeare was writing today, he certainly would test out The Merchant Of Venice, The Venetian Storekeeper, The Gondola Retailer, and La Serenissima Trader. Testing your e-mail marketing subject lines on your audience is extremely important as they should be considered the title to your e-mail play.

A boring or alienating subject line will turn off your audience as much as the Bard's optional title of The Accountant Of Venice, Illinois.

There is little doubt that subject line writing is an art as much as it is a science. No self respecting e-mail marketer would ever dream of adorning their messages with this sort of subject line:

• This Week's Tempting Specials!
• Help Us Spread The News!
• Now Offering Widget Services!
• This Is The Final Reminder To Participate In Our Brand's 2010 Contest To Determine The Most Innovative Widget Released In The North American Market This Year!

or, of course:

• Hello, I Will Make You Very Rich!

If the essential "Epic Phail"-ings of those subject lines escapes you it might be a good idea to examine another career.

Tip #1: Don't Go Down The Rabbit Hole

Given that your subject lines are not knee-slappers as the above, it is imperative to keep testing them, but within reason. Any first year statistics student will tell you that if your sampling is too small, your findings will be next to useless. Unless you have a multi-million e-mail address list, you should try testing no more than four subject lines at once. That will give you sufficient response to be able to make valid determinations as to the effectiveness of the subject lines.

Tip #2: Mix It Up, But Don't Go Too Far

It is imperative that your subject lines stand out from the crowd, but there is a limit to how far you can push it. If any aspect of your subject line breaches the line towards stunting it will not only test poorly, but may actually alienate the customers who receive it.

The goal of testing subject lines is to improve your conversions, not kill them off. Referring to current events can be a very dangerous strategy. A double-entendre about the president might delight Republicans but make Democrats flee your list in droves.

Tip #3: Remember The Spam Filters

Ample lists of spam trigger words are readily available: use them! It's easy to think that you might be able to sneak in just one Free Installation; Special Promotion; or Act Now... but you'd be wrong. Your e-mails will end up getting blocked and your reputation will then be circling down the ISP drain. The spam words and phrases will devastate your email campaign faster than moving your servers to Nigeria so avoid them at all costs.

Tip #4: Set Clear Goals

Of course the goal of any subject line is to get the recipient to open the e-mail, but keying it to the content can help reinforce your brand's relevance and marketing ethics to your customer. There are times when you are primarily interested in soliciting participation in an online survey or poll, and other times when you want to inform your clientele of a special event announcement.

Even in traditional straightforward offerings you may want to direct the prospect's attention to a specific line of products or services. If you're crystal clear about your goals, you'll find your testing results will be more positive overall.

No matter how Shakespearean your talents in crafting subject lines which make everyone around the conference table pass on high fives, there is no substitute for testing. When your audience determines the validity of your subject lines you will agree with the Bard:

Therefore, for goodness sake, and as you are known

The first and happiest hearers of the town.

- Henry VIII