I'm just getting my feet wet with autoresponders over the past 30 to 45 days. I'm lovin' it...

I know it's getting harder and harder to "make email marketing work" with so much clutter in the "in-box."

What secrets have any of you found for "getting the emails opened so they can be read?"

One thing I'm seeing a lot of -- and have used without really know the "facts" behind it is...

Using the recipient's name in the subject.

Anyone have "test results" on this?

And, what other "Subject Line" secrets do you have?

JP,

I can tell you that you need to be really, really careful doing this, especially when sending a message that should from the recipient's point of view be a personal one and not a canned one.

When I get an email using my first name and the contents give away that the person really doesn't know a thing about me, it backfires horribly.

Be aware too that when inserting a first name automatically into an email message, it will show up exactly the way the person typed it. So if someone typed their name in all capitals or all lowercase or misspelled, it will come out that way in your autoresponder. That can backfire, too.

Overall these disadvantages might be outweighed by the advantages, but I wanted to mention these two factors.

Good luck,
Marcia Yudkin

So do you use autoresponders? And, when you do... do you use the "insert" fields functions?

Or, are you going "generic" across the board? I can't imagine that being better... and doubt that's what you're doing. But curious how you approach it.

I've mixed it up so far....

Eg:

Greetings <First Name Fix>,

Hi <First Name Fix>,

Greetings <Full name as entered>,

etc...

A test group of 1 isn't statistically significant.

It's pure opinion Marcia, and test results will contradict you... because some of the most avid testers use the first name approach... and because DM has always proven that personalization works.

Also, it's not hard for software to reproduce the first name with all lower caps, only the first letter capitalized or even all upper caps, no matter what was inputted when the user signed up.

JP, I think it's definitely worth a test... and as for other tipps, here's what I've seen work:

- Use substance
- Use curiosity
- Never water down your communications.

Always deliver top notch, blow-me-away content. Like Clayton Makepeace does; there's nothing more powerful to build a responsive list than to condition your readers to know that yours is a must-see every single time.

90% of the lists I'm on that I don't read are those that have lame content, crap offers and bland sales pitches... no matter what the subject line is.

He's a master at it isn't he? In other words, have their mouths watering... just waiting for the next morsel from you, eh?

Yup I've become quite jaded about same old, same old copywriting techniques but Makepeace gets me to open his email. Content is king for sure.

Learning to evoke Curiosity and being Provocative (not to much) is very powerful.

Using the word "update" often increases open rates.

Shaune

I'm no expert at subject lines, and my ezine broadcast software isn't properly configured to tell me any useful stats about open rates, bounces etc.

However, I put a lot of thought into writing good, useful articles and get regular requests from website owners who want to publish my articles on their websites - so I assume I'm doing something right. I also like curiosity provoking subject lines e.g. "What's the difference between businesses that flourish and those that flounder"?, or "What are the 7 myths of marketing"? It seems to me that if my readers are genuinely interested in my subject area, then these kinds of subject lines should pique their curiosity, and they would want to find out.

I think the reader's name in the subject line is a bit of a gimmick, but I have to concede that it does catch my eye. However, I never get personal emails with my name in the subject line, so it doesn't suddenly make me think it must be an important, personal email. In any case, as Marcia alludes to, trying to make something look personal when it is patently obvious that it's bulk email is probably setting people up for disappointment and frustration. Happy to be proved wrong with your test results.

Jane

I was hired last year to write some email copy for a specialist in lead-gen from search engines. They would pick a niche, write a squeeze page (with 5-10 bullet I wrote) then collect the emails.

They had 300,000 or so names at the time.

Originally, they were sending out the sales copy that the affiliate program manager had provided (all they sold was other peoples products that had to do with the niche they chose).

I was hired to improve conversions on landing pages then to get the follow up emails to sell.

I ran 3 tests...

1) promotional copy from affiliate managers
2) my own version of sales copy - sticking to professional type copy
3) whacky copy and headlines (subject lines) straight out of The National Enquirer

For that market - #3 was the big time winner

Strange headlines leading in to strange sales copy that got them to click through to the landing pages (we had no control over sales page copy - that was up to the affiliate managers - but we did have control over the squeeze page copy).

Some of my biggest ones that did more than 150% better than the other professional ones - and the ones by the affiliate managers:

subj: Cat Attacks Man, Mouse and Child!
subj: Just when you thought you heard it all - talking DOGS!?
subj: My wife has one and loves it...
subj: If you watch Desperate Housewives you can Win $10,000!
subj: The easiest way to keep safe in winter - Oprah approved
subj: If you appreciate the finer things in life... at Walmart prices...

My own lessons learned from this project - never say you "know" what will work. You don't know anything until you test.

The winner of them all?

subj: Cat Attacks Man, Mouse and Child! - this silly headline sold a ton of electronic mice.

And one other thing - it doesn't matter if you or I like the headline - all that matters is if the buying public likes it. In this case they did. Definitely worth a test - be silly and see what happens.

If you are on Dan Kennedy's list you may have noticed some silly looking cover graphics on his recent letters (Dan Kennedy, Bill Glazer and Yanik Silver in dresses?! Another recent one - Dan Kennedy and Bill Glazer is Superhero outfits)

Ya just never know.

Invaluable Troy!

We need to talk.

I'll call you tomorrow. (Tuesday)

Shaune