Subject lines are the most prominent factor in email marketing and it determines whether or not an email gets opened. But the other key piece of email marketing that is often left out or neglected is the preheader copy. Preheader text (preview text) is the block of text placed after the subject line in the inbox of a recipient. It acts as a preamble to the subject line to give context and additional details that encourages the sender to open the email. Email marketers ignore preheader text despite its ability to make a huge difference in email open rates. This essay examines why preheader text is one of the most overlooked aspects of email marketing.
Why Preheader Text is Neglected
For a few reasons, email marketers overlook preheader text.
Unskilled: Not all email marketers know what preheader text is, or why it’s important. This means they spend little or no time crafting an engaging preheader, instead settling for the subject line and email body.
Technical Issues: Some email clients restrict preheader text at a certain number of characters, which limits the use of it as a promotional device. This might lead marketers to not put so much emphasis on preheader text in their email marketing campaigns.
Design Focus: Email marketers prefer to spend more time designing images than text, investing in eye-catching email templates. This leaves preheader text as a last-minute process where marketers simply use preheader text that comes with or is automagically generated rather than creating their own.
Belief in Repetition: Since marketing thinks preheader is the subject line then they use the same information. This repetition may cause preheader text to get ignored, because the marketers think they’ve said it all.
Uncertain Numbers: Unlike subject lines, preheader content doesn’t directly influence open rates. This failure to report can make it harder for marketers to measure how their preheader text is performing and lower the importance placed on it.
The Importance of Preheader Text
Preheader text is an important element of email marketing because it gives context and information about the contents of the email. Effectively employed, preheader text:
Steal Email Opens: Preheader content gives you an opportunity to preview the contents of the email and entice the reader to open it. Subject lines combined with preheader text have higher open rates than emails that have only subject lines.
Make Email Relevant: Providing more information will allow the recipients to decide if the email has any value for them or not. This increased relevance can increase the level of engagement and click throughs.
Improve Mobile Readability: Preheader text is vital for mobile as it allows the recipient to read the content of the email without opening it. Preheader text will enable mobile users to instantly decide whether an email is worth opening or clicking on, increasing the likelihood of open and click rates.
Refrain from Spam: Preheader can also distinguish between genuine emails and spam. By creating the preheader that’s relevant and interesting, email marketers can improve the chance that their emails are perceived as useful and reputable, instead of junk.
Best Practices for Preheader Text
Email marketers should utilize these practices for optimal use of preheader text:
Keep It Short
Preheader text is best kept simple. Marketers should always endeavour to get 40- 50 characters whenever possible. It’ll enable us to adapt it to a possibly smaller size that most email clients will support and at which mobile readers can comfortably read. Thus it enables marketers to get to the point and make the receiver respond.
Complement the Subject Line
It is unavoidable that preheader and subject lines have the same meaning. Not exactly a repeat of the subject line, the preheader gives context or additional details to the message. Consider the preheader as the ultimate supporting role in an event — the subject line. If, for example, your headline says, “Spring Sale: 30% Off Everything,” your preheader might read, “Till Supplies Last-Buy Now! Not only is this intriguing, but it makes the recipient open the email to learn more.
Use Action-Oriented Language
Actionable language needs to be embedded in the preheader copy, in order to encourage interest and drive action. This can include verbs like “find,” “learn,” or “get” to indicate impatience. For instance, if a preheader states, “Accept early access to our latest products! “, that’s a direct-to-the-point message from the first word of the subject line to compel them to read the email further. Having persuasive text in your preheader can drastically increase open rates and engagement.
Test and Optimise
As with anything in email marketing that matters, testing and optimization transforms some basic preheader content into an engagement engine. There’s nothing wrong with marketers experimenting with words, characters, and formats to find what resonates with their audience. That is when A/B testing can really shine: to check which one performed better in terms of open rates. Data will be crucial if you want to know what your audience wants and optimise your email campaigns.
Conclusion:
Although subject lines are an integral part of email marketing, there’s nothing we can do without preheader text. Preheader text adds extra context and details that can encourage recipients to open the email. Email marketers who don’t consider preheader text are losing a golden opportunity to drive more clicks, increase mobile conversions, and separate their emails from the rest. By practicing best practices and including preheader text in email marketing campaigns, email marketers will increase open rates, engagement, and campaign performance.
