How to Get Your Emails Opened and Read Everytime
If you've been marketing your product or service for any amount of time, then you already know that the landscape of marketing has changed drastically in the last 10 to 15 years.
People are now extremely particular and extra cautious about the companies with which they do business. And the internet hasn't made things any easier for us.
Postal junk mail has turned into electronic junk mail and it's become increasingly difficult to capture the attention of our prospects.
So how can you ensure that your email and direct mail campaigns make your prospects stand at attention and salivate every time?
Grab the attention of your ideal customer and never let go by…
Using Curiosity Rousing and Negative Email Subject Lines
If you're looking to permanently boost your email open rates, your best bet is to use curiosity and negativity driven subject lines. In my experience curiosity/negativity driven subject lines garner open rates well above 30% for email subscriber lists of 5,000 people or more.
Here are a few outstanding performers from highly successful, previous campaigns:
• Don't take this personally, but…
• Bad news…
• Thank you…
• I'll never do that again…
Why do curiosity and negativity driven subject lines work so well?
In the case of curiosity driven subject lines, human nature is to investigate the unknown. Take for example being startled awake in the middle of the night by a loud noise coming from downstairs. Your mind races telling you that downstairs potential danger may lurk. But instead of hiding under the bed…armed with a Louisville Slugger you investigate only to discover your cat knocked over a glass vase.
When it comes to negativity driven headlines, it doesn't matter whether it's the latest Hollywood gossip, local or national news…people can't resist potentially bad or negative news.
As an example of this, say that you're cruising along your local highway when suddenly traffic slows to a slither. Moments later, out of the corner of your eye you notice a gaggle of flashing lights and what appears to be a traffic accident. As you pass by, it's only natural that you do what? That's right, you rubberneck at the accident. For reasons unknown to us, we can't help but be engrossed by a negative scene happening on the side of the interstate.
In both instances these forces of human nature kick in so strongly that they completely override anything else we might have been thinking about or doing prior.
Because this ingrained human behavior is so overpowering, it only makes sense that channeling these same psychological triggers into curiosity and negativity driven subject lines for your emails would have the same effect and therefore drastically improve open rates.
Feel free to steal one or all of the headlines above and use them in your next email campaign. Then sit back, relax and watch as your email open rates skyrocket into the stratosphere.
Aces,
Collin