Why should they 'open' your mail ?

Emails are no different to 'snail mails'. You're not obliged to open them!

How many times have you opened your 'snailmail' mailbox and dumped mail in the trash without even bothering to open it? I do it all the time... circulars from supermarkets, fast-food emporiums, auto franchises ... they all make the same mistake - they send me 'snail mail spam' with obvious commercial messages on the envelopes, that give me no reason to want to open them.

For example, since I have found that unsubscribing from Readers Digest is tougher than reconstructing the Eiffel Tower in my backyard, I now just trash their mail unopened... it has the word "spam" written all over it! (At least they're paying for it).

Whether you realize it or not, you go through the same mental process with your emails. Your eyes scan the 'Subject' lines, your brain makes an instant (often subconscious) decision, and you delete anything that screams 'Spam' at you...

- $5,000 EVERY FIVE DAYS
- $250 weekly or you don't pay anything!!!
- A MILLION DOLLAR OPPORTUNITY - ACT NOW
- If you can mail two envelopes, you can make a fortune!
- New and most important, FREE!
- Sign up today and secure your place.
- MAKE $55,000 EVERY WEEK GUARANTEED!
- Friend, THIS IS NOT SPAM!
- Blah, blah, blah, blah !!

That was just a small selection from TODAY's inbox ... and they'll probably be there again tomorrow, screaming 'WASTE OF TIME' at me.

So please understand this vital lesson now...
YOUR 'SUBJECT' IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR EMAIL

... because your entire campaign will bomb if people delete your message without ever reading it!

Your subscribers will also have an inbox full of legitimate messages like yours, as well as business-related e-mail, plus personal messages from friends and family, plus the usual collection of spam. With so many messages to sift through, they're going to do exactly the same as me and delete anything that doesn't catch their eye and appeal to them personally.

An effective subject line will not "YELL" at you. It will address you personally, and it will offer a clear benefit that makes you want to read the email.

Now stand back from your own efforts and try to be totally subjective...
• How many of your own e-mails and newsletters have your subscribers deleted because they saw nothing in the subject line that convinced them it was in THEIR interests to read your message?

• How many of your mails have been trashed because the recipient assumed it was spam?

• How many of your mails have been trashed because the reader didn't recognize who they were from?

• How many of your mails could you have saved simply by rewriting the subject line?
Probably a lot more than you think!
• Does your subject line force the reader to open and read your message?
• Is it impossible to ignore.
• Does the recipient think, "I've just got to read this."
• Does your subject line answer the question, "What's in it for me?"
There is a fairly simple 'set of rules' that will almost 'guarantee' a meteoric increase in the number of emails that get opened...


Use your subscribers' real names

Whatever your method of collecting subscriber details, you should always attempt to get people to submit their First Name.

Personalized emails are 65% more likely to be opened that those that aren't. There is no other single technique that will boost your response rate as much as this, and that's why every e-mail campaign you send should include a personalized subject line whenever possible.

Use the name occasionally in the body of the email, too. Using someone's name makes them feel as though they have a relationship with you. And nothing gets a person's attention faster than 'hearing' their own name!

With most autoresponders, it's as simple as placing a "variable" like [[first name]] or |Firstname| or {FIRSTNAME}into the email so that the database will replace it with each subscribers real first name. (You need to check your autoresponder instructions to find out which format it requires for its variables)

This way, instead of having a subject line that says (for example), "The secret is just a click away", you can place the variable before the subject ... [[first name]], the secret is just a click away so that each and every subscriber will read their own name like, , the secret is just a click away or Angela, the secret is just a click away, etc.

It really is as easy as that. You can personalize a mailing to 100,000 subscribers in just seconds... it's an awesome feature of all good autoresponders and you should USE IT!


Keep the subject short

Don't be tempted to be verbose in your subject line. Remember, you have but a split second to catch your reader's attention, so KEEP IT SHORT.

As well as that, most e-mail clients have a maximum length of about 50 characters, and even the greatest subject line on earth will be wasted if it gets cut off!

Try to limit your subject lines to 40 characters (about 4 or 5 words) or less. And remember, the average first name is already about 8 characters long, so your 'message' needs to be no more than about 30-35 characters (including spaces).

The four surefire attention grabbers

There are four ways in which you can make your subject line grab your reader's attention...
1. Make the reader curious
2. Create a sense of urgency
3. Share some news or make an announcement
4. Clearly demonstrate a benefit to the reader

You can write subject lines that arouse the readers curiosity, but the first paragraph of your email MUST make it clear what the connection is between the subject and the body text. Otherwise your reader will feel cheated and will not respond to your mail the way you want him or her to do.

DON'T CHEAT! Don't be tempted, for example to write "Congratulations, you've just won first prize", then wite an email about joining your downline in some program or other. That's a spammer's trick, and people are wise to it.

1. Curiousity.

The easiest way to make a reader curious is to suggest that they are missing out on something important...
• , this one's my favorite
• , are you making this common mistake?
• , did you miss out before?
• , rattle my cage and see what happens
• , here's my response
It's important when using this technique to leave something to the imagination by posing a question (real or imaginary) that the reader simply can't answer.

2. Create a sense of urgency

You'd better believe this.... URGENCY is the best way to get people to react spontaneously.

And you can create urgency in your subject lines either by limiting time or quantity.
Urgency is especially effective if you have already promoted a product, and decide to do a follow-up
• [[first name]], we have only two places left
• [[first name]], there are now only eight left
(But use this one sparingly, because you can easily overdo it.)

3. Share some news or make an announcement

People are intrigued by new things, and generally want to have something before anybody else.
• [[first name]], see it first
• [[first name]], a new program just launched
• [[first name]], important news just in
• [[first name]], here's a new income-generator
• [[first name]], be the first to see this

4. Clearly demonstrate a benefit to the reader

The key when writing subject lines that emphasize benefits is to consider your product or service from your customers' point of view...

How will they benefit from taking the time to read your e-mail? What will they learn? What will be their gain?

A list of winners

Here are some excellent, proven subject line 'starters':
• Unlock...
• Open...
• How To...
• Learn...
• Discover...
• Uncover...
• ...Exposed.
• ...Revealed.
• ...Explained.
• What You...
• Profit...
• Save...
• Make...
• Secrets Of...
• Top (No.) ...
• Breaking News!...
• Special Alert!...
• Special Report!...
• Our Latest Article!...
• ( No. ) ( Adjective ) Ways...
• ( No. ) ( Adjective ) Tips...
Example:- 10 Unique Tips...
• ( No. ) ( Adjective ) Strategies...
• ( No. ) ( Adjective ) Techniques...
• ( No. ) ( Adjective ) Tactics...
• ( No. ) ( Adjective ) Secrets...
• ( No. ) ( Adjective ) Ideas...
• ( No. ) ( Adjective ) Benefits...
• ( No. ) ( Adjective ) Reasons...
• ( No. ) ( Adjective ) Questions...
• ( No. ) ( Adjective ) Steps...
You can generate headlines quickly and effectively by using adjectives (and other words) from this list, and adding them to your product or service description.
• announcing
• astonishing
• at last
• exciting
• exclusive
• fantastic
• fascinating
• first
• free
• guaranteed
• incredible
• initial
• improved
• love
• limited offer
• powerful
• phenomenal
• revealing
• revolutionary
• special
• successful
• super
• time-sensitive
• unique
• urgent
• wonderful
• you
• breakthrough
• introducing
• new
• how-to
And finally, a list of ready-made subject lines for you to swipe as you want. (Don't forget to make sure that they are appropriate to your message, though)
• [[first name]], did you know about this?
• [[first name]], do you know anything about this?
• [[first name]], what's my secret weapon?
• [[first name]], here's my secret weapon
• [[first name]], a gift to help you [insert benefit]
• [[first name]], a hot tip to help you [insert benefit]
• [[first name]], can we make this work?
• [[first name]], can you help?
• [[first name]], I think you can help me
• [[first name]], question about project
• [[first name]], question about my last email
• [[first name]], something for you to think about
• [[first name]], have you got this yet?
• [[first name]], I need your help
• [[first name]], are you making this mistake?
• [[first name]], are you making the same mistake?
• [[first name]], have you made any of these critical mistakes?
• [[first name]], what your colleagues won't tell you
• [[first name]], the secret that only I will tell you
• [[first name]], this one is my favorite
• [[first name]], which one do you prefer?
• [[first name]], here's what I found
• [[first name]], here's what I discovered
• [[first name]], are you ready?
• [[first name]], are you missing out?
• [[first name]], are they stealing your business?
• [[first name]], are you losing business to them?
• [[first name]], how many customers will you lose today?
• [[first name]], pay less than your neighbors did
• [[first name]], pay less than your competitors did
• [[first name]], you've waited long enough
• [[first name]], here�s your gift
• [[first name]], here�s the gift I promised
• [[first name]], which do you like better?
• [[first name]], which do you prefer?
• [[first name]], a unique idea
• [[first name]], I created this for you
• [[first name]], some news about [insert description]
• [[first name]], I thought you would like to know
• [[first name]], be the first on your block
• [[first name]], be the first to get this
• [[first name]], the tool that will make or break your business
• [[first name]], have your competitors heard?
• [[first name]], don't miss out
• [[first name]], you don't want to miss this
• [[first name]], only a few left!
• [[first name]], your last chance to get this
• [[first name]], only 3 more days
• [[first name]], this offer is about to expire
• [[first name]], there's only [#] left
• [[first name]], there's only [#] days left
• [[first name]], I don't don't know how much longer I can offer this
• [[first name]], Version [#] has just been released
• [[first name]], here's a brand-new version
• [[first name]], are you current?
• [[first name]], this is the latest edition
• [[first name]], are you using the latest edition?
• [[first name]], is your [product description] outdated?
• [[first name]], did you miss out last time?
• [[first name]], before you forget


The advertorial

One key to getting your ad read is making the headline not look like a headline and the ad not look like an ad!

Write your ad as an "Advertorial" - an ad camouflaged as an editorial.

The title of your advertorial should appear similar to the title of an article, book, news story, or press release.
For Example:
New eBook hits the Net with a bang

How many times have you started reading what you thought was an article or report that turned out to be an ad?

Under the title of the advertorial is usually the author's name with their 'credentials'. This makes it look even more like an editorial piece.
Phew!!
Don't forget to keep taking notes. It could be a good idea to print out the enclosed box above and keep it handy for yourself to use when you start creating your own email headlines.

So far in this step we have covered:
Lead Capture
Autoresponders
Permission eMail
Headlines

Before we get carried away and start sending everyone and his dog an email campaign Click Here to understand the ethics of email marketing.