Testing Corner: Study Shows Subject Lines Make a Difference… You Guess The Winner

Testing is the key to ROI success.

I tested three separate subject lines for an email campaign I sent out for one of my clients. The audience receiving the email was mostly male investors, 50 years of age and older.

Note that the subject line, in this case, had to be tame enough to be approved by regulatory agencies and bypass filters.

Test:

The first subject line read, “$100 million merger sparks growth opportunities for homeland security firm.” … Test A

The second subject line read, “Homeland Security merger creates $100 million company.” … Test B

The third subject line read, “Merger creates $100 million homeland security leader.” … Test C

But before you read on, can you guess which one had a better response? A, B, or C?

Results:

If you guessed that it was the second subject line – “B,” “Homeland Security merger creates $100 million company,” you’re right!

The second subject line resulted in a .66% higher response than the first subject line, “A,” and a .16% higher response than the third subject line, “C.”

While the percentage rate may not seem huge, it is significant and resulted in many more buyers… and better ROI.

Plus… it sets the stage for more testing.

One key detail not to forget…

Keep in mind that many of your prospects will only see about 25-30 characters of your subject line when they check their email inbox.

In this case, what was read for the winning subject line was “Homeland Security merger creates…”

That’s perfect to create curiosity.

Choose your words carefully, and always make your subject line powerful and to the point.

If you would like some tips on how to create an email campaign with a subject line that will get the highest possible response, give us a call at 615-933-4647 or email at [email protected].

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