August 14, 2017
But new Yes Lifecycle Marketing analysis reveals subject lines under 21 characters make up less than 5 percent of all email subject lines
CHICAGO (August 14, 2017) – Subject lines under 21 characters generated a 31 percent higher-than-average open rate, yet they account for less than 5 percent of all email subject lines, according to new data from Yes Lifecycle Marketing.
In the newly released, “Subject Line Benchmarks: How Length and Personalization Impact Email Performance Across Message Type and Industry,” Yes Lifecycle Marketing analyzed the subject lines of more than 7 billion emails deployed through its cross-channel marketing communication platform Yesmail360. The study found that more concise subject lines drove higher open rates and more clicks. In fact, those using 10 characters or less accounted for less than 1 percent of all subject lines but generated an impressive average open rate of 26 percent – almost double the 14.2 percent average. However, 45 percent of subject lines in this category belonged to triggered emails, driving engagement rates up and underscoring the value of message relevance, timeliness and personalization.
“While shorter subject lines can sometimes stand out in the inbox, especially on mobile, length is only one of the many email components marketers should take into account when developing their campaigns,” said Michael Fisher, president of Yes Lifecycle Marketing. “The key is still to give subscribers enough information up front to encourage them to open – either through a relevant, personalized subject line or through one that piques interest and appeals to consumers’ curiosity.”
The majority of subject lines (74 percent) fell between 21 and 60 characters, yet this length saw the lowest open rate at 13.8 percent. These emails also generated an 8.5 percent click-to-open rate. In contrast, emails with subject lines under 21 characters received double the unique click rate (2.4 percent) and a 12.9 percent click-to-open rate.
Just over a fifth of all subject lines exceeded 60 characters and they generated a 14.8 percent open rate and 8.9 percent click-to-open rate.
“Strategic marketing communications partners like Yes Lifecycle Marketing can help marketers craft messages that resonate with customers, and ultimately lead to higher ROI,” said Michael Iaccarino, president of Infogroup, parent company of Yes Lifecycle Marketing. “Marketers should listen to data, particularly how their customers respond to tweaks in communication. Ultimately, what customers do is more telling than what they say they want from marketers.”
Additional findings from the analysis include:
To learn more about subject line data and how length and personalization impact email performance across message type and industry, download the full report here.
Yes Lifecycle Marketing provides solutions that orchestrate cross-channel marketing communications to drive results and revenue. This is accomplished by leveraging technology, data, analytics, creative, and strategy to activate and optimize insights-driven, real-time, relevant communications. This holistic approach gives marketers the ability to source a full-service offering of best-of-breed technology and solutions from a single vendor in order to achieve their desired outcomes across all on and offline channels.
Infogroup is a big data, analytics and marketing services provider that delivers best in class data-driven, customer-centric technology solutions. Our data and software-as-a-service (DaaS & SaaS) offerings help clients of all sizes, from small companies to FORTUNE 100™ enterprises, increase their sales and customer loyalty. Infogroup provides both digital and traditional marketing channel expertise that is enhanced by access to our proprietary data on 245MM individuals and 25MM businesses, which is distributed real-time to our clients. For more information, visit: www.infogroup.com