Most people decide in a split second whether or not to open an email. Generally, a person will first look at the “From” line to see if they recognize the sender or email address. If that looks good, the second place a person will look at is the “Subject” line. Try it? You will discover you do this too. This is why using a “From” name that uses your company’s name and keep that name consistent.

Good “Subject” lines are important. Again, be consistent. A good strategy is to have the initial part of the subject line remain the same, and then add a tag line change at the end. Recipients will recognize your emails when it arrives and give new taste of what is inside.

Here are four bad subject lines examples:

• The Email Marketing Monthly from Guava Graphics, dated for November 1, 2009

This is way too long. A character subject line this long will get cut off and have a higher chance of being blocked, Keep your subject lines between 20 and 50 characters.

• GUAVA GRAPHICS BUSINESS TIPS CHRONICLE

All caps … NO! NO! Most likely, your message will get blocked.

• Business Tips

What is this message about? Make it look like a new issue by adding a tag line.

• Email Marketer Special – Save $10 Today Only Buy Now!!!!

Warning!!!! A dollar sign and multiple exclamation points can cause the message to have a higher chance of being blocked.

Take a look at the revised subject lines:

• Guava Graphics Monthly, November 2009
• Guava Graphics Business Tips Chronicle
• Business Tips: 4 Email Marketing Helpfuls
• Email Marketer Special: 50% Off

We hope that you find these tips helpful in maximizing your deliverability.