Shocking! Clickbait Headlines May Be Ruining Your Email Marketing

You won’t believe it! (Actually, I think you will.) Clickbait headlines often work on social networks and across the web, but they’re not a good idea for your marketing emails.

That’s according to “The Art and Science of Effective Subject Lines,” a new study out today from Return Path. The company looked at more than nine million emails sent by “prominent global brands” to more than two million consumers between January 1 and February 28 of this year.

Return Path found that emails with clickbait-like words in the Subject line had lower read rates when compared to similar emails sent with less clickbait-like subject lines. For example, emails using the phrase “secret of” performed well below average (almost nine percent) and the word “shocking” led to a 1.22 percent drop in read rate. On the other hand, when the wording used more tame language like “get rid of” and “what you need to know,” read rates performed a little above average.

The study also found that subject lines with language suggesting a sense of urgency were among the best performers across the board. The phrase “still time” performed a whopping 15.54 percent better than average, and similar phrases were successful, too:

• expiring: 1.63% above average
  
• last chance: 1.05% above average
  
• limited time: 3.05% above average
  
• now: 0.24% above average

The full report is available free in PDF form and no registration or contact information is required.

About The Author

Matt McGee

Matt McGee is the Editor-In-Chief of Search Engine Land. His news career includes time spent in TV, radio, and print journalism. After leaving traditional media in the mid-1990s, he began developing and marketing websites and continued to provide consulting services for more than 15 years. His SEO and social media clients ranged from mom-and-pop small businesses to one of the Top 5 online retailers. Matt is a longtime speaker at marketing events around the U.S., including keynote and panelist roles. He can be found on Twitter at @MattMcGee and/or on Google Plus. You can read Matt’s disclosures on his personal blog. You can reach Matt via email using our Contact page.

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