When it comes to email subject lines, words such as ‘content’, ‘offer’ and ‘benefits’ increase email open rates, ‘Friday’ , ‘Monday’, and ‘double’ could actually harm performance, according to new research. The data from Touchstone, a subject line analysis tool from Alchemy Worx, reveals the words that result in a higher open rate when used […]
When it comes to email subject lines, words such as ‘content’, ‘offer’ and ‘benefits’ increase email open rates, ‘Friday’ , ‘Monday’, and ‘double’ could actually harm performance, according to new research.
The data from Touchstone, a subject line analysis tool from Alchemy Worx, reveals the words that result in a higher open rate when used within the email subject line, as well as those that could potentially harm campaign performance.
The data reveals that first impressions are always important and in the case of the email subject line, some words are certainly better than others.
For example, the difference between ‘holiday’ and ‘vacation’ for a travel company could be as much as an 8% swing in people opening that email or for a media & entertainment business simply using the term ‘offer!’ could result in a 37% increase in open rate, whereas offering ‘double’ could actually decrease this by 3%.
The data comes from the Touchstones database of over 21bn emails across a variety of sectors and currently being used by 2,500 email marketers to optimise their subject lines. The figures also revealed that consumers are also discerning when it comes to the symbols that brands incorporate into their subject lines to stand out in the inbox, with a snowman (☃) having a markedly positive effect on open rates but pointing the finger (☞) having a negative impact (+66% and -10% compared to average open rates respectively).
Dela Quist, Founder and CEO of Alchemy Worx, explains: “The subject line is the most important part of an email and the data from Touchstone analysed the subject line in its entirety to show that a single word or symbol can make a dramatic difference. We are lucky to have always had access to a huge amount of data, allowing us to analyse the most effective way to engage with target audiences, but couldn’t use proprietary client data to help other marketers. So we created Touchstone. While existing tools focus on individual words to compare performance, Touchstone is unique in its study of both words and the full subject lines in order to give a more accurate prediction of performance.”
Quist continues: “Alchemy Worx is always looking for new ways to engage through email. By looking at the finer details, such as the best and worst words to use within subject lines, we can assist brands in managing campaigns to ensure they achieve the best click-through rates and conversions. We also realise reaction from consumers is not static, which is why we built a tool that enables brands to see their results clearly and compare them to the average for their sector.”
This data has been released in conjunction with the recent launch of Touchstone, which is the latest innovation by Alchemy Worx and the only subject line tool that predicts the results of your email campaigns. Touchstone uses a proprietary algorithm to instantly predict the open, click and bounce rates of a given subject line by studying the past performance of similar lines.
http://www.alchemyworx.com
