Report: Subject lines do not need deal specifics

When it comes to email marketing, mentioning a deal is key, but mentioning specifics is not. That, according to new Yes Lifecycle Marketing data which showed that emails which included the word 'deals' but which didn't offer specifics as to the deal out-performed those which offered specific deal details.

by Kristina Knight

Here's how the report shakes it out: open rates for campaigns that had no offer in the subject line performed 28% higher than those that included offers. Researchers further found that both click rates (67%) and CTO rates (34% higher) outperformed campaigns with offer-specific details. Campaign subject lines with the highest open and click rates were those that included words like 'deal' but which didn't have incentives in the subject lines.

"With so many offers flooding consumers' inboxes, it can be challenging for brands to make their promotions stand out," said Michael Fisher, president of Yes Lifecycle Marketing. "Many marketers feel like they need to advertise generous offers to be competitive. However, the lack of engagement shows that consumers are often not tempted by extravagant incentives. Instead, to make emails relevant, marketers could emphasize loyalty and rely on lifecycle messages to keep things fresh and make offers feel more unique."

Other interesting findings from the report include:

• Loyalty based subject lines showed 20% higher click rates than deal emails
• Loyalty based subject lines showed 12% higher CTO rates than deal emails
• Conversion rates for deal/incentive subject lines were 1.5%
• Conversion rates for loyalty based campaigns were 7.2%

Tags: email conversion trends, email marketing, email marketing trends, Yes Lifecycle Marketing