A case study finds concise email subject lines outperform creative alternatives.

The value of a well-written call to action in driving sales is widely acknowledged, but fewer marketers realize the importance of a concise and direct email subject line. When developing a content marketing strategy that includes email, the single most important component of the promotional message is the subject line, as it can determine whether or not recipients click to read more custom content.

email subject lineAccording to MarketingSherpa’s “Case Study: Creativity vs. clarity in email subject lines,” clear and direct titles often generate higher response rates. In fact, the data shows straightforward options produce 1,107 percent more comments, 315 percent more tweets, 331 percent more “Likes” on Facebook, 617 percent more traffic and 366 percent more email subscriptions. The direct nature of a concise subject line creates transparency between the brand and its message, which develops a more honest approach to sales. In the case of email, abstaining from creative headlines is often more beneficial in the end.

When looking at the language that appeals most to email recipients, Econsultancy contributor Parry Malm discovered that certain symbols and money words drive traffic, and consumers are ultimately more responsive to these terms compared to other phrases. In Malm’s study, which will be released later this month, using the dollar sign in the subject line of an email increases open rates by 15 percent. In addition, words like “revenue” drive open rates up 2.4 percent and clickthrough rates up 39 percent, while “profit” promotes even greater upticks in open rates and CTRS by 17 percent and 77 percent, respectively.

A content strategy that takes into account the various types of media that consumers consistently engage should also note how different content lengths drive reactions on specific channels. With consumers receiving a significant amount of emails each day, short, concise language will often grab consumer attention, unlike creative subject lines that dance around the point of the outreach program.

Ted Karczewski is an Executive Communications Associate at Brafton. He works to develop his own voice and apply his passions to the evolving world of SEO and content marketing, but he doesn't shy away from writing for fun. After graduating from Suffolk University, Ted used his Communications degree to test out Sports Journalism before Marketing at Brafton.