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How long should your email subject lines be?
About how long should the average subject line be in your email campaigns? Is there a word limit that you should generally try to stick to? Do emails with shorter or longer subject lines get a better open rate?
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10 Answers
There is a lot of conflicting research and advice on the topic of subject line length - but I have a few basic recommendations.
First, for one detailed study and analysis on subject line length, view this report from AlchemyWorx, the UK-based email agency - http://www.alchemyworx.com/Alchemy-Worx-Subject-lines-length-is-everything.pdf?
The highlights from the study:
- shorter subject lines generate higher open rates, a measure of reader interest, but
much lower click-to-open rates
- longer subject lines earn a much higher click-to-open rate, an indication of real
relevance
- the open rate and click-to-open rate curves intersect at about 60-70 characters, a
“dead zone” where neither metric is optimised
My own advice is this:
- Long subject lines are fine and as the above research suggests, can drive higher CTRs (clicks and conversions/revenue should in fact be how you measure the success of subject lines, NOT open rates)
- But, when possible, include the most important copy within the first 50 or so characters - so if that is all the recipient sees, you have your bases covered.
- More important than length, focus on writing subject lines that are specific, drive the intended action you want, are creative and when possible personally relevant.
Loren McDonald
VP, Industry Relations
@Silverpop
@LorenMcDonald
G+: +Loren McDonald
I've become a student of email marketing for our business (I am not an email or online specialist) and have found short - no more than 50 characters is effective receiving more 'opens'. As important as SHORT is... attention getting copy gets stopping power and entices people to open.
45 characters and spaces max. Avoid spam words and symbols. Subject content reflects content of email. Consider "from", it's part of the message. If you can't or don't have the experience writing ad headlines, writing subject lines will be a challenge. Get a book about writing ad headlines or take a class.
My business is homebased. My organization (my network) emails attachments (mostly) and calendar appointment requests. Most communications are via skype (love this) or in person (occasionally).
email use IMHO should be restricted, maybe rationed. I do not know of any organization that has implemented email rationing but, if there are any, I would like to hear about the results.
According to Constant Contact with over 500,000 customers their recommendation is 40 characters...my edit on this .... of "brilliant copy" :-)
Economic principle of minimum effort: "The best subject line length is one that uses as few words as possible to provide the information or incentive that gets the reader to open it." - M. Brownlow.
By reading the E-Mail subject line,the reader should able to get an idea about the body of the mail.In most of the mails we stick to 40 character limit. Shorter the subject there is a greater chance of reading the content.
I'm continually frustrated by the lack of information in email subject lines. I process over 300 emails daily.
Subject lines should reference project and/or client, relevant topic (two words) and any other info that will identify the content.
Example:
ATL FoodTruck, CompetitiveBids, RestaurantSupplier RFI, Items needing our response
Obviously, my answer isn't specific to email marketing campaigns. For those, its going to be the first five words that capture my attention. Society is crowded with an overload of information processing for individuals. Over saturated.
Over on Facebook, following nearly 4000, it takes a compelling image and well chosen four to five words to make me notice a post. I think the same holds true in email marketing, especially for those recipients that have image preview enabled.
Hi Lauren!
I recommend subject lines under three inches in width, written like news headlines.
But more important than physical length or word limits are:
Relevance and timeliness to the recipient. Example: “New inside reps at (company) … after you hire them, let’s train them!” (The e-mail recipient called me right away.)
The parts of speech. Nouns and adjectives bore. Verbs attract attention and boost open-rates. Examples: “Improved jet engine hush-kit is now available.” vs. “Extend jet life and meet FAA noise rules … check out new hush-kit”
In e-mail and on the phone, engagement starts with attention and interest, based on them not us.
Good Lord folks..can't you see that this is a trick question? There is no real answer. We can all pontificate till the cows come home about long vs. short. 3 inches vs. 5. blah blah...
No on (except for you the email marketer at said company)...has the answer on what or how long subject lines should be. You see....as a company or a brand...you need to test and figure this stuff out. Email does not live in a vacuum and there is no right answer for anyone.
Sure there are guidelines that we can follow...but again..they are guidelines and nothing more.
If we want to talk about something that is worthy of an email debate...lets talk about why Tuesday at 7:47 a.m. is the best time to send email.
Andrew Kordek
Co-Founder, Trendline Interactive
A Email Marketing Agency
Twitter: @andrewkordek & @trendlinei
Email: andrew@trendlineinteractive.com
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