Want to know the seven reasons businesses just favour cheese?
I've found it. I've found the perfect email subject line
Eureka!
Perfection is at hand.
I’ve dug deep into the data. I’ve collated all the outliers from every email campaign I’ve sent in 2023. These newsletters, HNW email chains (both cold and warm), a handful of client emails where they’ve been kind enough to share the open rate data.
To what end you ask? Why, to create THE SCIENTIFICALLY PERFECT EMAIL SUBJECT LINE(TM) of course!
I’ve heard it whispered about from gurus and ninjas and people selling email writing courses. That there’s a magic formula to create an email subject line. That if you crack that formula, you’ll get amazing open rates regardless of who your customers are, when you send emails, or any of that other shite that so-called marketers pretend matters.
And now, I’ve cracked it. Using the rigorous method of popping all those outlier subject lines into a word cloud generator.
Here’s what it spit out:
Compelling. And from that data, we can determine that the scientifically perfect email subject line is, of course…
Want know seven reasons business just favour cheese?
Makes perfect sense. Well, it does if you change business to businesses. And add a to. Maybe a the. You know what, just play around a bit.
Use that subject line on all your emails, and you’ll get open rates of 65% or more, from any list.
Alternatively, you could stop chasing after the mythical perfect line that the snake oil marketing gurus claim is hidden in their next $99.99 course, and just test lines that reflect your tone, personality and message to see what works for your audience.
Let me know which method delivers the best results for you.
Something mint - this subject line
Can you do me a favour?
Might ring a bell this one.
I’ve sent that exact subject line to HNW clients twice in recent years, and it had well over a 50% open rate each time.
I used a variation - Do me a favour, will you? - for this very substack on March 10th, and it had an open rate of over 65%.
With Creative North attendees, a similar subject line had an open rate of about 80%.
Why? Because people are bombarded with salesy subject lines from people they don’t know. It’s constant.
So having something personal - can you do me a favour -cuts through the noise.
Asking for them to take an action - can you do me a favour - means it’s not going to linger around the inbox forever.
And using that personal relationship I’ve built with recipients - can you do me a favour - means they’re likely to prioritise opening it.
Do yourself a favour. Don’t overthink things, and try a similar subject line next time you need something from your existing contacts.