Title: 9 Preheader Text Mistakes That Nosedive Your Email Open Rates
Email marketing is a powerful tool for businesses to reach out to their customers and promote their products or services. However, with the increasing number of emails that people receive every day, it has become a challenge for marketers to make their emails stand out in a crowded inbox. One of the key elements that can make a difference in email open rates is the preheader text.
The preheader text is the short extract shown after the email’s subject line in the preview. It offers a brief summary of the email’s content and motivates the recipients to open it. Despite its significance, many marketers often commit errors while creating preheader text, which can negatively affect their email open rates. In this article, we will explore nine common preheader text mistakes that can significantly decrease your email open rates.
Neglecting the Preheader Text
The biggest-and arguably first-mistake marketers make is to totally disregard the preheader text. Some believe that a good subject line itself can be sufficient to capture the interest of a recipient. But that’s a lost opportunity. A good preheader text can give context-one that might add on some complementary hooks to the subject line for more appeal and thus urge recipients to click open the email.
For example, if your subject line is a “50% Off Sale,” then your preheader can be, “For this weekend only-don’t miss out!” This gives an extra degree of urgency and relevance.
Using the Same Preheader for Every Email
The other general mistake made by many is using the same preheader text in numerous emails. This one-size-fits-all approach dilutes the potential effectiveness of your campaigns by rendering your messages mechanical and uncreative. Preheader text should be complementary to the subject line in offering tailored content relevant to the specific message communicated in a given email.
Personalization of preheader texts helps companies to show relevant information that would harmonize with recipients. For instance, if it is a summer sale email, its preheader should reflect that event, not the copy of text from winter promotion. The goal is to capture your audience’s interest and entice them to take action.
Too Long Preheader Text
The rule of thumb in writing preheader text is brevity. Unfortunately, too many marketers make their preheaders long, exceeding the recommended character count, and thus beating the very purpose of their message. According to research, the ideal length for preheader text should fall between 40 to 50 characters long. Anything more risks getting cut off in email previews and, therefore, will not work.
In this respect, keeping the preheader text short will state the subject matter in as quick and concise a manner as possible, which is very important considering our time and pace in the digital world.
Failure to Optimize for Mobile Devices
As a matter of fact, over 50 percent of emails are opened on mobile devices today. This, among other things, calls for great optimization of preheader text for consumption on mobile phones. In this regard, many marketers are always stuck with failed adaptation, which causes frustrating user experiences when the text gets truncated on account of the screen size.
The language should not be too complex to make the preheader text mobile-friendly; readers may get confused if complicated sentences or jargon are used on small screens. Larger font size and a clear, readable font style are preferable, enhancing visibility on mobile phones.
Not Using Action-Oriented Language
Lastly, and by no means least: passive language in the preheader reduces its power. Action-oriented language may introduce a sense of urgency, calling people to action. Phrases like “Don’t miss out” or “Limited time offer” raise curiosity and entice the recipient to open the email for more.
On the other hand, passive or vague statements can leave recipients unmoved and result in low engagement rates. When you are writing your preheader text, consider what action you want your recipient to take and frame your text in that light.
Not Including a Call-to-Action
A clear call-to-action (CTA) in the preheader text can guide the recipient on what to do next. It can be as simple as “Shop Now” or “Learn More.”
Using Too Many Emojis
Emojis can add a fun and playful touch to preheader text, making it more eye-catching and engaging. However, using too many emojis can have the opposite effect. Overloading the preheader text with emojis can make it look spammy, unprofessional, or hard to read, reducing the email’s credibility and open rates. Additionally, not all email clients support emojis, which can lead to display issues and confusion for recipients. To avoid these pitfalls, businesses should use emojis sparingly and strategically, ensuring they align with the email’s tone, message, and audience. Testing different emoji combinations and monitoring open rates can also help businesses find the optimal balance and maximize engagement.
Not Testing the Preheader Text
Preheader text testing is an essential step in email marketing that many businesses overlook. Testing helps to ensure that the preheader text displays correctly across different email clients, devices, and screen sizes. It also enables businesses to experiment with various preheader text formats, lengths, and styles to determine what works best for their audience. Failing to test the preheader text can lead to display issues, resulting in an unclear or confusing message that may turn off potential customers. Testing helps to avoid these issues and improve the email open rates by ensuring a clear, concise, and engaging preheader text.
Neglecting Accessibility: Accessibility is an essential consideration in email marketing. Neglecting accessibility in preheader text can exclude a portion of the audience, leading to lower open rates. Preheader text should be concise, clear, and easy to read. Using all caps or excessive punctuation can make the preheader text difficult to read and understand, reducing its effectiveness. Additionally, using language that is not inclusive or culturally sensitive can alienate a portion of the audience. Ensuring that preheader text is accessible to all recipients can increase open rates and improve the overall effectiveness of email marketing campaigns.
In conclusion, preheader text is a critical element in email marketing that can significantly impact email open rates. Avoiding common preheader text mistakes such as ignoring it, using the same text for every email, making it too long, and not optimizing for mobile can help improve email open rates. Using action-oriented language, including a clear CTA, testing the preheader text, and ensuring accessibility are also essential factors to consider. By mastering the art of preheader text, marketers can increase their email open rates and ultimately drive more conversions.
