Capturing (and Keeping) Inbox Attention 💌
It'll surely come as no surprise to you that standing out in the inbox matters a lot if you wanna succeed with email.
One problem: it’s hard catching people’s attention when you’re just one tiny fish in a great big sea. Even if you’re sending the equivalent of a school of fish, you’re still swimmin’ in a massive ocean of email.
So let’s get straight down to business, shall we?
Catching inbox attention comes down to 3 main things…
1️⃣ You’ve gotta actually reach the inbox. (duh)
Nobody’s got time for a lesson on that today though…so if you need help with deliverability, reach out!
Or head on over to my deliverability blog to learn more about building a strong sender reputation, identifying email performance red flags, and what to do when you catch a potential problem (among other things).
2️⃣ Your subject line needs to captivate them.
Also duh, right? Easier said than done though.
Subject lines that highlight limited-time offers, create a sense of FOMO, and get right to the point tend to outperform subject lines that are witty, punny…as much as the marketer in me loves a good email pun.
Provide clarity and genuine value over cleverness to ensure they understand the value in an instant, mmkay?
Otherwise, into the pit ye go!
And last, but certainly not least, in addition to liking your offer itself and the way you’ve messaged it…
3️⃣ Recipients need to feel good about your brand and/or friendly ‘From’ name.
No shocker on the brand part, I’m sure. But who your email actually comes “from” is super important, too.
The From name is different from your actual sender address, and it’s much more visible to readers within their inboxes.
I use my own name as the friendly ‘From name’ for my newsletter. Alternatively, I could go with something like “Send It Right”.
My actual sender address (aka ‘From address’) is lauren@send-it-right.com.
The ‘From name’ is the first thing I look at before deciding if the subject lines are even worth glancing at and I’m not alone in this…folks like Ann Handley shout about the fact that the friendly ‘From name’ matters more than your subject line, too...
If readers aren’t a fan of your brand and the content you send, they’ll skip your email altogether — or worse, mark it as spam. So, do your best to keep their trust, their interest, and their loyalty by sending it right! 💌
Tips for Winning the Inbox
Ultimately, “value” comes in all shapes and sizes, just like pancakes! But there are countless ways for you to connect with people via email…be helpful, make ‘em laugh, save ‘em some money, or add in a fun little Easter egg that you know your audience will love.
You can’t do that unless you know your recipients well so dig into the data you have access to and find out what makes them tick! Review both positive and negative engagement with your emails — open and click rates, plus unsubscribes and spam complaints — and also consider what else you might know about those recipients: purchase history, account logins, etc.
Only you will know the best way to connect with your subscribers, but here are a few ideas to consider.
💌 Avoid sending at the top of the hour.
Yuuuup! That’s my top tip. Deal with it. Here's why...
The majority of mail is sent within the first couple of minutes of any given hour throughout the day. That’s akin to sending during rush hour traffic, which can lead to delays in getting your mail delivered because mailbox providers’ servers are overwhelmed or your own ESP’s having a hard time processing the volume.
Not to mention, inboxes are the most crowded at that time, kinda like your local coffee shop during the early rush. Sure, mornings are when a lot of people drink their coffee, but most would be willing to pick up their order 20 minutes later if they knew the roast was worth the wait.
So, avoid sending at the top of the hour — particularly at 9am in whatever time zone your recipients reside in — regardless of what the internet claims is the best time to send.
Also avoid the :15, :30, and :45 minute-marks if you can since a lot of ESPs have defaults set up making it easier for users to send during those times. It’s not exactly rush hour, but it’s close enough.
My advice is to send at ANY OTHER TIME of the hour when your email is more likely to be delivered quickly and read. I usually send around :38 but it's entirely up to the mood I'm in by the time I finish each lesson. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
💌 Adapt your content to your audience.
I know, I know…your strategy’s already set, right? Well, double check, please.
People's buying behaviors can be very different during holidays, over the summer, and when events outside their control pop up. Making adjustments to accommodate this allows you to connect with the right people in the right way, which can have benefits extending well beyond the email you're sending.
💌 Gamify the experience.
Once a reader opens your email, there are countless ways to encourage engagement…the trick is understanding what your audience gravitates towards and having some fun with it.
Classic call-to-actions still work great, but you could also drive engagement by offering points or badges or exclusive rewards for replying to emails, clicking links, or making purchases to increase the likelihood of catching their attention the next time you land in their inbox.
Get creative, you email smarty, you.
That's it for now.
See ya right back here for the next lesson sometime soon.
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