Top newsletter subject lines

MarketingSherpa have analysed subject lines from the past 12 months pulling out the top 10 and bottom 10 subject lines based on both clickthroughs and click-to-open ratio. The four biggest takeways they found are:

1. Show value in the first two words - convey the intended benefit "Top 12,” “Simple Email,” “6 Actions” and “Your Copy”. These all inform the user their *getting an actionable item*.
2. Find the right ‘trigger words’ - a name, the use of numbers, the number of characters in the subject line (30-40 characters), the use of an industry phrase, or the appearance of an unusual word.
3. Watch the hard sell - asking subscribers to do something rather than showing value reduces opens and CTRs. Provide value in the subject line and promote in the email content.
4. Hot brands work across sectors - Getting a hot brand (e.g. Facebook) into that crucial two-word window can turn a good email performance into a better one.

See the full article here:
http://www.marketingsherpa.com/article.php?ident=30938&pop=no