3 Ways To Get Your Email Opened And Read

By Russ Phelps, www.russphelps.com

As you may know by now, the battle these days in the "email game" is to get
your email message opened and read. Here are three ways to "stack the
marketing deck" in your favor. If you follow these three formulas, you'll
enjoy greater response, sales and profits!


I know, because my clients and I are using these tested formulas right now to
do just that!


If you're like most people, you can barely keep up with the email flooding
your mailbox on a daily basis.


The fact is, most people sort through their email by just looking at the
"Subject" heading. Then, they often DELETE the email without reading it!
(Haven't you done this yourself?
)
If the "Subject" heading doesn't grab them by the brain, arouse their
interest and curiosity, then your precious email message will often get
DELETED without being read…


For education purposes, here's the theory behind what I am saying. (By the
way, the purpose of my "Ad Copy Tips" is to not only to tell you what's
working, and what to do, but also to explain "why" it works based on timeless
direct marketing principles, strategy and tactics. That way, you not only
get hot tips you can put to work right away in your business, but you also
get a training session in savvy marketing and advertising.)

Savvy internet marketers know that they must apply timeless direct marketing
principles, strategy and tactics to their internet marketing in order to be
effective. Here's how profitable direct marketing applies to email marketing
on the internet.

1) Think of your email "Subject" line as the teaser copy on the envelope of a
direct mail piece. Envelope teaser copy has one over-riding purpose - to get
the envelope opened! And the purpose of your email "Subject" line is to get
the email opened!

2) Think of the email "Subject" line as the headline on a sales letter. The
purpose of the headline is to make the prospect read the letter. And the
purpose of the "Subject" line of your email is to get the prospect to open
the email and read it!

Keeping that in mind, let's move on. Simply apply the principles of writing
good teaser copy and headlines to the art and science of writing good email
"Subject" lines.

Here's how:

1) Put the offer in the subject line. For example, here's one I just wrote
for an office products company:

1000 Address Labels Only $12.99 -Save $6.00!

Clear as a bell, ain't it?

The key is to boil down your offer to the 60 or so characters you have
available in your Subject line. Do whatever it takes! Test different ways
to word your offer. If it hits them in the head like a bull's eye, they'll
open your email to find out how to take advantage of your offer.

2) Put your web site URL, link, response code or affiliate link code in the
Subject line, with a "call to action." For example:

Check out www.greatwidgets.com/12345

Simple, isn't it? The truth is, if your wordy and windy email message ends
with a call to action that sends them to the same place, why not put it up
front in the Subject line? Chances are, many readers will go there directly
from the Subject line without even opening the email, just to see what's
going on! Mission accomplished!

Then again, some will open the email to find the "reasons why" you want them
to go there! And, if you email sales message does the job well, THEN they
will go where you want them to go!

3) Apply the "Yellow Post-It Note/Tearsheet Mailing" technique. Did you
ever get one of these in your snail mail box? It's a direct mail piece that
looks like a newspaper or magazine article, with a yellow post-it note that
says something like:

"Bubba -get this! It's great! J"

Well, these direct mail pieces are VERY profitable! I know -I've
written dozens of them, and my clients have mailed millions of them, thus
raking in much cash! (In fact, I was featured in the book "Million Dollar
Ads, Sales Letters And Marketing Pieces" on this very topic!) Now, here's
how to apply this to email Subject lines:

For personalized email to your house list:

David -Read this now -It's Great! From Russ

OR

Angie -go to www.greatwidgets.com/update -new stuff!

For opt-in email, non-personalized or "cold" email that is NOT spam:

Go to www.hotstuff.com/offer3 -It's Great! (From J)

Well, dear reader, does this get your creative juices flowing? If so, GREAT!


Now think: How would you write an email subject line for your business, in
each of these three styles?


Now some homework: Write at least one email Subject line in each of the
three styles outlined above. Then test it against what you are doing now
-
or use it to start a new project.


Test and compare many different approaches. Roll out with the winners.
And then keep testing new Subject lines and go for a breakthrough!
It's do-able! I know! My clients and I are doing it right now!


Now go thou and do likewise.


And let me know what happens, OK?