The Preheader (Pt. 4)
The preheader is an underrated and often unknown portion of email marketing. That extra text under the subject line that contains the first few sentences of the email content…that is the preheader. If you give it a brief glance and forget about it, that is because most emails let the preheader auto populate, so you as a reader are not getting any value from it. When it is customized though, it stands out and makes quite a difference in open rates.
Now let’s be clear about customizing preheaders. First, preheaders are inevitable. If you do not customize them, they will auto populate with the body contents of your email. Second, Outlook, Google, and other standard email services do not allow you to control preheaders unless you are writing your emails in HTML code. So when can you customize them, and why?
For your everyday emails, the subject line and from labels are vital and preheaders are trivial. But when it comes to anything you send from email marketing software, like MailChimp or Constant Contact or Click Dimensions, the preheader is your opportunity to be different and drive open rates even further. So, while you may only leverage a custom preheader a few times a month, you need to ask yourself how to maximize its potential when you do use it.
According to a Rejoiner case study, a 7% uptick in opens took place for large-scale marketing campaigns sent with improved preheader copy versus those with auto populated preheaders. This case study was conducted with the same subject lines and from labels in place, making the study a perfect A/B test where only the preheader differed. The value of a custom preheader lies in its impact on large scale marketing efforts, like monthly distributions to a list of investors or a blanket cold email campaign.
DO: Keep your preheader between 30 and 55 characters
The theme continues. All elements of an email that a reader sees before they open have very limited space. In the case of preheaders, Active Campaign states that mobile email systems can only accept between 30 and 55 characters for a preheader.
It can be longer, upwards of 130 characters for desktop email systems, but remember that if you intend to exceed the 55 character mobile maximum, we recommend you make the first 55 characters able to speak for themselves, so all readers on all devices can be equally served.
The 30 character minimum is just as important as the 55 character mobile maximum. As stated earlier, preheaders are inevitable. If you do not set a custom preheader or you provide one too short to meet the 30 character minimum, email systems will start populating the preheader with email content. To avoid having that happen, you should always set a preheader of at least 30 characters, and the closer to the 55 character mobile maximum, the better.
DO: Use your preheader to expand upon your subject line
Brevo covers the importance having your preheader complement your subject line in detail. The subject is a permanent fixture that all readers will see, and repeating information from it into the preheader is not good practice for going to help drive engagement. Instead, the preheader should use its limited space to elaborate upon the topic at hand.
When investors are the primary audience, preheaders are a great place to put contextual data. For example, a subject line of Jan2023 Sees 6% Growth could have a preheader that notes the comparable indexes and their growth/drop in the same month.
DON’T: Rely on calls-to-action or FOMO
There are many sources that speak to the effectiveness of using calls-to-action and “FOMO,” the fear of missing out, in all aspects of an email. However, investors are not your average audience, and they require a different approach.
Investors are more analytical and data driven than other email recipients, preferring to make up their minds about opening an email or engaging with you based on objective information. This harkens back to the best practices and general approach to finance and investment, but also serves as protection; investors don’t trust just words, they trust numbers. So, stack your preheader with information that gives them security in their own decisions, instead of trying to sway their actions.
On another note, calls-to- or FOMO approaches both can be considered “spammy” in the eyes of investors. The good work done in a subject line and from label can be undermined by a preheader that tries to push the investor to act. Each email element should complement the rest.
DON’T: Fall into traditional preheader content trends
What Say The Experts has a 42-contributor insight article covering tips and best practices for boosting open rates, many of which include preheader ideas. In any other industry, this would be a goldmine of ideas and knowledge to leverage. However, in finance and in investment relations in particular, this resource can serve more as a point of warning. As stated in the above DON’T, investors are not your average audience, and you cannot treat them as such.
Traditional email marketing does not always align with investor preferences, and traditional marketing definitely does not always align with regulations, especially when you start looking into trending practices. It is better to know your audience and give them what they want than to try popular ideas that may stray into regulatory gray area.
CONCLUSION: Simplicity and data win out
If you have been following along, you are already preparing strong subject lines and effective from labels and addresses. You should see preheaders as the means to further that preparation and better assist investors in wanting to open your emails of their own accord. Keep it short, keep it simple, stick to the data, and complement the subject line. Leave the rest to your content.
Fifth Rock will cover email best practices in subsequent parts of this Email Best Practices When Targeting Investors series.
