Magnet Monster co-founder Adam Kitchen discusses the importance of using a compelling headline to grab your target customer’s attention in a saturated inbox.

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Without an engaging headline, people won’t read the contents of your email. It’s as simple as that.

You can spend hours crafting the most beautiful upsell sequence, but if the headlines suck, they’ll fall on deaf ears.

Despite the fact that email marketing has a tremendous ROI compared to other forms of social advertising (as previously discussed), its benefits are dependant on compelling headline copy, first and foremost.

Think about it: you’re competing with literally dozens (sometimes hundreds) of emails on a daily basis. In between checking Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and actual work and social commitments, only the most engaging headlines copy gets open. And once your email is opened, that’s where the magic happens.

Some tips for composing compelling headlines that get read, we’ve found:

• Use ambiguous titles: catch your customer off guard by spiking their curiosity. I.e. “You won’t believe this…”, may sound funny/not relevant, but it’s more likely to be opened out of sheer intrigue than “BUY MY PRODUCT NOW”.
• Speak directly to the consumer: know your target audience and spark their interest with a relevant headline that you know they’ll be interested in.
• Use the scarcity principle: humans place a higher value on items in short supply – this is simple social psychology. You can integrate this into your headlines, using copy such as “Last Chance”, “Only X Remaining” etc. to create a sense of urgency to act.

Conclusion

The bottom line is: without a compelling headline, your emails won’t get opened.

Put as much effort into your headlines as you do for the copy inside your email for maximum results.