Subject Line Case Study [Part 3]

Subject Line Case Study [Part 3]:from Business 2 Community by Christine Brady

First we went over data, lots of data, data on subject lines and which ones get the most click-throughs, which ones don’t and why.
Then we saw actual examples of subject lines in action, using this new data.
Now it’s time to test our subject lines. Testing is actually a fairly easy thing to do, but it’s the interpretation that gets confusing.
Conducting a Subject Line Test
If you’ve ever had the best subject line in the world that you were sure would garner a high open rate, only to see it flop when the numbers came back, then testing may just be the answer to your dilemma.
A good rule of thumb to follow when building your list and subsequently marketing to them is to never assume anything. Just because a subject line may sound or appear to be a knock-down winner to you, does not mean your subscribers will respond as well to it.
For this last segment on subject lines, I used my own emails as a test, which are sent through my autoresponder of choice. So, yes, if you are on my list, you probably received one of these test emails:
[Ezine] Want to grow your list faster, better and with more targeted subscribers? Find out how…
or
[Newsletter] Want to grow your list faster, better and with more targeted subscribers? Find out how…
The difference here is simple – just the first word of the subject line, same brackets, same copy, just the first word. Which brings up the first testing tip…
Test only two subject lines against each other. Start your tests small. As a new tester, you want to keep things as simple as possible. Things can get pretty complicated when you are testing multiple lines and variables. So start out with only 2 variations.
So now for the reveal on numbers:
Subject line A (Ezine) had a 25.4% open rate
Subject line B (Newsletter) had a 32.1% open rate.
But there’s more –
While these numbers do vary greatly and it would seem like line B is the obvious winner, we’re not done yet.
Notice I only changed one thing in each line. It impacted the length of the subject line by 5 characters, which I am not concerned about right now.
If I had changed one word or phrase and it greatly impacted the length of the subject line, then the test would not be an apples to apples test or as plain and simple.
What if it wasn’t the one-word change, what if it was the length that made the difference? So, change just one, similar length word in your test and check results.
But open rate is not my goal here – which brings up the next point: Consider the goal of your message. Every one of your messages should include a call to action. But just because one subject line had a high open rate, does not necessarily mean it will have the highest conversion rate. Depending on what the goal of your campaign is, the conversion rate maybe the number to watch – rather than just open rate.
The goal of this email is not focused on my open rate. The goal of this email was focused on the click-throughs to the products I sell. And the click-through rates were very similar:
16.1% for subject line A
15.4% for subject line B
The numbers here are so close that I will probably not worry too much about the small margin of difference. Why? Because the click-throughs occur within the body of my message. I did not change the body of the message. But, the lower open rate of subject line A could stand some improving…

Where do You Go From Here?

If I was going to test out these two subject lines again, there are a few more things I could test out to really zero in on the numbers.
Short vs. long. I would use subject line A (with the [Ezine]) and try a shorter version.
Maybe [Ezine] Target, grow and market to your list
This is the same basic message, only shorter.
Name or no name? Try this message with the recipient’s name in the subject line versus one without their name and see which one gets the higher click-through rate.
Numbers vs. no numbers. Numbers historically achieve a higher open rate. So testing out the [Ezine] subject line with some numbers, versus one without numbers would be a good test.
Keep in mind that a single test is not the end-all be-all for that one subject line. Testing is ongoing. One winning subject line may be completely outdone by another one at any time.
And remember, even though you may have a clear winner in your subject line test, this may not be the one that generates the most revenue for you. Just as in my test, the highest open rate may not always be the highest click-through rate. So set your message goal first!

The Purpose of Testing

I saved the purpose for testing for last to explain what these numbers mean for you and your email marketing.

Why should I test? This is too complicated. I don’t have time for this.

If you’ve ever been unmotivated to test your subject lines and email marketing, think about it this way:
If you have a great message with a subject line that you send out and you get a 20% click-through to the products you sell, you may make $500.
Now, say you test two subject lines on a sample group first and then determine a winner. Then you take the winning line and send it out to the rest of your list. Now, you’ve just turned that $500 into $1,500 or more.
If traffic is your goal, the same idea applies – test two subject lines out on a small sample first, then use the winner to send to everyone and watch as your traffic pours in.
Now start your testing!
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