(Copywriting) Subject line research results
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Interesting research results from the folks at Return Path.
They discovered that subject lines of 49 characters or less produced clickthrough rates 75% higher than those with 50 or more characters.
Since CTR was measured as a percentage of sends, perhaps that was due to higher opens? Not so...
The equivalent jump in open rates was 12.5%. A good jump, but not enough to explain the impressive CTR boost from shorter subject lines.
Tami Forman, Director of Strategic Services at Return Path, told me...
"We, too, were surprised that the length of the subject line had a greater impact on the CTR than on the opens. What this suggests to us is that small increases in opens can lead to exponentially bigger gains in clicks."
"Also, subject lines do affect click rates: we see this in testing all the time. One theory we have is that shorter (and thus, more focused) subject lines are better at driving readers toward action."
Tami cautions marketers to test for themselves, though, noting that "There are plenty of 30-character subject lines that bomb."
"We think this research is best used as a guideline. It gives marketers a starting point. From there, they need to test and optimize the exact words that will resonate best with their audience."
They discovered that subject lines of 49 characters or less produced clickthrough rates 75% higher than those with 50 or more characters.
Since CTR was measured as a percentage of sends, perhaps that was due to higher opens? Not so...
The equivalent jump in open rates was 12.5%. A good jump, but not enough to explain the impressive CTR boost from shorter subject lines.
Tami Forman, Director of Strategic Services at Return Path, told me...
"We, too, were surprised that the length of the subject line had a greater impact on the CTR than on the opens. What this suggests to us is that small increases in opens can lead to exponentially bigger gains in clicks."
"Also, subject lines do affect click rates: we see this in testing all the time. One theory we have is that shorter (and thus, more focused) subject lines are better at driving readers toward action."
Tami cautions marketers to test for themselves, though, noting that "There are plenty of 30-character subject lines that bomb."
"We think this research is best used as a guideline. It gives marketers a starting point. From there, they need to test and optimize the exact words that will resonate best with their audience."
Permalink | May 04, 2006 |
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