Posted in Email Marketing Tips	June 4, 2008

Bob Bly shares his tips for writing subject lines that get your email opened and read at SiPA's 32nd Annual International Newsletter & Specialized-Information Conference

When prospects get your email marketing message, they make a quick decision, usually in a couple of seconds, to open or delete it based largely on the subject line. But given the glut of promotional email today, how can you convince a busy prospect – in just a few words – that your message is worthy of attention?

The “4 U’s” copywriting formula – which stands for urgent, unique, ultra-specific and useful – can help.

Originally developed by Michael Masterson for writing more powerful headlines, the 4 U’s formula works especially well with email subject lines. Bob Bly says that strong subject lines are:

Urgent. Urgency gives the reader a reason to act now instead of later. You can create a sense of urgency in your subject line by incorporating a time element. For instance, “Make $100,000 working from home this year” has a greater sense of urgency than “Make $100,000 working from home.” A sense of urgency can also be created with a time-limited special offer, such as a discount or premium if you order by a certain date.

Unique. The powerful subject line either says something new, or if it says something the reader has heard before, says it in a new and fresh way. For example, “Why Japanese women have beautiful skin” was the subject line in an email promoting a Japanese bath kit. This is different thatn the typical “Save 10% of Japanese Bath Kits.”

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Ultra-specific. Boardroom is the absolute master of ultra-specific bullets, known as “fascinations,” that tease the reader into reading further and ordering the product. Examples:

1. “What never to eat on an airplane”
2. “Bills that are okay to pay late”
3. “Best time to file for a tax refund”

They use such fascinations in direct mail as envelope teasers and in email as subject lines.

Useful. The strong subject line appeals to the reader’s self-interest by offering a benefit. In the subject line “An Invitation to Ski & Save,” the benefit is saving money.

When you have written your subject line, ask yourself how strong it is in each of these 4 U’s. Use a scale of 1 to 4 (1= weak, 4= strong) to rank it in each category.

Rarely will a subject line rate a 3 or 4 on all four U’s. But if your subject line doesn’t rate a 3 or 4 on at least three of the U’s, it’s probably not as strong as it could be – and could benefit from some rewriting.

A common mistake is to defend a weak subject line by pointing to a good response. A better way to think is as follows: If the email generated a profitable response despite a weak subject line, imagine how much more money you could have made by applying the 4 U’s.

Bly reminded us that the 4 U’s formula should be applied to other copy, both online and offline, including direct mail envelope teasers, ad headlines, letter leads, landing page headlines, subheads and bullets.

Rate the line you’ve written in all four U’s. Then rewrite it so you can upgrade your rating on at least 2 and preferably 3 or 4 of the categories by at least 1. This simple exercise may increase readership and response rates substantially for very little effort.

Robert W. Bly is a freelance copywriter and the author of more than 70 books including The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Direct Marketing (Alpha). Visit his site at www.bly.com.

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