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Tips and Tricks

Top Email Subject Lines That Will Make Sure Your Email is Opened

One of the most important aspects of a company’s digital marketing efforts is its email marketing section. It is one of the constant lines of communication that showcase your e-commerce company and its many products and services consistently. Not only does it work as an avenue to market your company, but it is also a great way to make money online.

Close to 69% of businesses invest money and time on email marketing, and for a good reason – an email can get you a return of 44% ROI once you manage to get the right audience members. 

Subject lines constitute one of the more crucial aspects of an emailer as it is used to garner the attention of a first-time or recurring reader and receiver of your email. Your subject line can make or break an emailer, and with e-commerce companies depending on this avenue, it is a contribution you must pay close attention to. 

Luckily, as email marketing has progressed over the years, we’ve been able to find certain subject lines that work well. These lines have been curated by us to help you kickstart your email marketing efforts the right way and begin selling online. If you feel other subject lines belong in this list, feel free to add them to the comments below.

You could also check out this comparison between MailChimp and ConvertKit  to understand which email service provider will work best for you and your marketing efforts.

How Important are Subject Lines to Having an Engaged Audience?

For starters, email subject lines are the first thing your audience will ever notice about you in their inboxes. Fighting for inbox space has become a fierce battle, with the average person receiving close to 121 emails a day! Couple that with brands looking to jostle and stand out among the rest, you face an uphill battle trying to promote your e-commerce store.

Here’s a stat – 35% open an emailer based purely on the subject line alone. Automation and lead-generation have made it easier to receive data from the customer, including names. Using a person’s name in email results in a higher open and click-through rate compared to the others. 

Subject lines play a vital role in deciding the fate of your emails. Make sure you spend time researching the best ones to use to get the best results. With time, you’ll notice your intended audience responding positively to your emails, and you’ll know your subject lines played a significant role. 

Basic Prerequisites for Making Subject Lines Work

A caveat before we proceed – while subject lines can make or break your email campaign, it is important that you send your messages to the right people. Use a tool like ContactOut to help you find the right email address of the prospect you want to reach – this way, you avoid sending your message to the wrong target, and thereby maximize your open rates.

To make your subject lines work, you must first build three strong pillars to your email strategy. These three pillars will form the foundation around which all your email marketing efforts are geared towards.

Here’s what you need to keep in mind with regards to designing persuasive emails and making sure they work well:

  • A relevant email list – This is the first step towards ensuring your subject lines, ergo, your emails get opened and read. A good email list can be achieved by many exercises, including lead-generation forms on the website, social media advertising, and many more. What’s important for you is to notice the audience that is interacting with your website.

Relevant email lists will give you an indicator of the type of individuals interacting with your brand. Once you’re clear with that, you can tailor your email subject lines to work according to the audience base and move forward. As an e-commerce store, knowing your audience base is absolutely crucial as they are the ones who have a higher affinity towards purchasing your product over the long term. 

  • Good copy – While this is pretty much a no-brainer, you’d be surprised by the number of marketers who have seen an upturn in fortunes just by hiring a strong copy team. Certain email marketers have seen numbers go up by 45% after they’ve spent extra effort on improving their copy, so it just goes to show the role it plays in a strong email. 

Good copy can also be the hallmark of a great brand because you’ll be able to own a space in the mind of your reader and audience. It acts as a precedent to your company and will undoubtedly see audience members look forward to opening your emails. 

  • Well-designed subject lines – A good subject line impresses the reader, and a great subject line pushes them to open their email and go through its contents. That’s where you have to play a role in choosing the right subject lines. Find the ones that suit your business, and depending on the intention of your email, deploy the same.

Most subject lines revolve around psychologically engaging the customer with the use of certain catchphrases and words. We’ve broken down some of the best in the business for you to go through and use:

Some Great Subject Lines That You Can Take Cue From

Subject lines can revolve around various psychological capsules that can entice a customer to click and open them. The better you’re able to evoke an emotion, and the higher are your chances of getting a click-through.

Here are a few types; you could try:

  • Curiosity-inducing – These subject lines get the audience interested and curious with regards to the content present in the emails. There are a few lines that can evoke this sort of a response from them, including the likes of:
  • Is this you?
  • Ten unknown facts about Thanksgiving
  • DON’T open this email
  • What’s with this $200 hair-trend
  • Cheetos wouldn’t want you to know
  • It’s all that it takes to be successful
  • We have the secret right here.

 

  • FOMO – FOMO lines are those that create a feeling of missing out among the audience. During the dull periods of a sales season, you could use FOMO subject lines to get the best returns in CTRs and open rates. These lines include:
  • Sale for $43 shirt ends today
  • Your discount expires NOW!
  • In case you missed out…
  • Your prescription is slowly running out…
  • These books are too good to miss!
  • Starbucks – by invite only!
  • You’re missing out on this!

 

  • Emails addressing pain points – Certain companies are smart enough to identify the pain points in their customer’s lives and address them directly in their email subject line. This, in turn, creates a sense of curiosity in the mind of the customer and prompts them to open:
  • Where do all the toys go?
  • What happens after you run out of stock?
  • All beauty issues solved here
  • Since we can’t all win the lottery…
  • Feed guests without really breaking the bank
  • Don’t waste money on ink…
  • A 30-second sales pitch

 

  • Re-targeting emails – Re-targeting emails are ones that are used towards audience groups who have reduced or stopped interacting with your brand. It is a great way to rekindle that lost connection and get them to click:

 

  • Still interested in the deal?
  • New things are in store!
  • It’s only been a month!
  • Hey, did you forget this?
  • Pick up from where you left this off
  • It’s been a while
  • We’ve missed you! Please come back!

 

  • Funny subject lines – Funny subject lines are always an excellent way to grab the attention of your reader as humor never fails to work. There are a few subject lines that end up working immediately as they bring a smile on the face of your reader:

 

  • We like being used…
  • We’d like to teleport you to the shopping cart…
  • Where to drink beer right now…
  • How can you waste time without wasting time at work?
  • Four kinds of people to avoid on New Year’s
  • Look what you did, bro!

 

  • Social proof – Sometimes, the best kinds of email subject lines are those that work because actual people are validating the same. These can include links to testimonials that speak in benefit of your brand:

 

  • Top reviewed styles from customers
  • Here’s what XXX celebrity had to say…
  • Simple recipes from our best customers.
  • Psst.. your friends are up to something
  • These are the people’s favorites…
  • Here’s what our clients are saying

 

  • Offer email subject lines – An obvious entry into this list because offer subject lines are always a great way to grab anyone’s attention, at any point of the day. Here are a few examples you could use to get them to click on a good sale:

 

  • Two for two
  • 25% OFF on everything!
  • Everything must go!
  • Meet your new shirts
  • Get a head start
  • Get priority access

Conclusion

Thus, with great subject lines come high ROIs and amazing click-through rates that improve the quality of your leads. Learn to use your subject lines effectively to get more people interested in your brand and the company’s online presence.

The following is a great list of some excellent software for e-commerce you could use when it comes to email marketing. These have been curated explicitly as great alternatives to Mailchimp, offering you the best outlets with which you can get started with the above subject lines.

Categories
iOS Software and Apps Tips and Tricks

RedSn0w One-Click Tethered Jailbreak For iOS 4.2.1 Released

Those of you who need to jailbreak one of the latest generation iDevices like iPhone 4 or iPod Touch 4G would have to be running a tethered jailbreak solution (the untethered version is still under testing). The iPhone Dev team have just added a bit of sophistication to this tool by introducing a one-click support to the software. Using this latest version, you may bypass the several screens that one may come across while tethered booting.

The one-click jailbreak tool offers a few command line arguments that can perform tasks such as

-j to ask redsn0w to “Just boot now”
-i <filename> to specify your reference IPSW
-o for old-bootrom iPod touch 2G and iPhone 3GS
-b <filename> to specify your own boot logo png

Do note that you will need a copy of RedSn0w (the tethered version) and IPSW on your hard drive. You can find the relevant files for download as well as the instructions on the Dev Team blog by clicking here.
Categories
iPad iPhone Tips and Tricks

How To Watch Flash Videos On iPhone Safari Browser Without Jailbreak

We had recently written about a new browser app for the iPhone called Skyfire. The browser let users access Adobe Flash content on the iPhone without having to jailbreak the iDevice. As you may know already, Skyfire makes use of a server-side technology to render Flash content in iPhone-supported formats. The popularity of Skyfire has also been its bane since the load on Skyfire’s servers is learned to have slowed down the processing in some cases.

Now if you are one who likes to watch a lot of video content, here is an alternative to look at. iOSFlashVideo is a Javascript bookmarklet that enables iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users to watch Adobe Flash videos from websites like MetaCafe, Vimeo and DailyMotion from the comfort of the native iOS browser without having to jailbreak your device.

To get started, visit  http://iosflashvideo.fw.hu/ from your iPhone browser and hit the + button at the bottom of the screen to bookmark the link. Now, tap on the Bookmarks icon on the Mobile Safari window to edit this link. You may notice a few characters before the javascript code so that the bookmark page looks something like this.

iOS Flash Video

Now hit ‘Done‘ to save. Next time you want to watch a Flash video on your browser, simply tap on the bookmarks button and select iOSFlashVideo to start watching these videos.

Categories
android Mobile Tips and Tricks

Hack To Install Android 2.3 Keyboard On Android 2.2

As you should know by know, Google has unveiled the next generation Android platform along with the Nexus S. One of the most conspicuous features about the upcoming Android version is its new-look keyboard. If you are one of those dying to check out this new Android keyboard on your older machines, then follow the instructions below.

First and foremost, remember that you will need a rooted Android device to carry out these instructions. You may know this, but it is our duty to warn you that this is a pretty risky process where you could end up bricking your device. Also, some functionalities like autocorrect may not function properly. Thirdly, this process needs you to have Android 2.2 installed. If it is an older version of OS, sorry this feature may not work on your phone.

If you are already rooted and have taken care of the warnings, then follow these steps below.

Step 1 : Create a backup of your phone

Step 2 : Click here and download the ZIP file

Step 3 : Plug your phone to the computer

Step 4 : Copy the downloaded file on to the root of your SD card and install it in the same way you would install themes

Step 5 : If you are a user of Droid X or Droid 2, then navigate to Clockwork -> Mounts and Storage -> Mount System and then back to install the ZIP file from your SD card

Step 6 : Reboot your Android phone. Under the Input method, select Android Keyboard.

You are done. You can use this new look keyboard on your FroYo device. Check out the video below for a Android 2.3 keyboard demo.

[via Droid Life]

Categories
iOS Tips and Tricks

Video Demo To Update Baseband Of iPhone 3G/S With RedSn0w 0.9.6b5

The iPhone Dev Team had only recently announced that their carrier unlock for iPhone 3G and 3GS phones are now available with RedSn0w 0.9.6b5 and PwnageTool 4.1.3. As we had noted already, the unlocking process involves updating the baseband of your iPhone to the original firmware of the iPad that is incidentally vulnerable to an existing exploit.

If you are having trouble with the instructions from the Dev Team website for the baseband upgrade, here is a nice video walkthrough above from RedmondPie of the entire process that you can check out in the video below. The video goes beyond baseband upgrade and take you through the complete RedSn0w unlocking process.

But before you proceed, we must warn you that the entire process is quite risky and you risk not just bricking your iPhone but may also void your warranty. So, it goes without saying that the risk is upon you.

Categories
android Gadgets Tips and Tricks

Skip Samsung Galaxy Tab Activation Screen With Simple Trick

If you are just back from the Black Friday shopping frenzy and happen to have got hold of a Samsung Galaxy Tab sans a data package, you may be having some trouble getting past the activation screen. This simple trick will help you bypass the activation screen on your new Samsung Galaxy Tab and let you access your tablet using a tethered Wi-Fi network alone.

So this is what you should do :

  • Press the volume up button up once.
  • Press the volume down button twice
  • Press the volume up button thrice
  • Press the volume down button four times

That is it. This will let you go past the activation screen on your Galaxy Tab. Did this help? Let us know how it goes in the comments below.

Categories
iPhone iPod Touch Tips and Tricks

Find My iPhone For iPhone 3G(S) & iPod Touch 2G Available

If you are an iPhone 3G/3GS owner who has just updated to the new iOS 4.2.1 platform, you may have been disappointed to see that the free Find My iPhone feature is not available on your model – by default, that is. Apple has always been known to push the sale of its newer handsets by making certain attractive features unavailable on the older models. This time however, they have simply chosen to make it a much more cumbersome  process.

So technically, it is possible to set up the Find My iPhone feature on your phone provided the service is available in your country. This is how you will do it.

I : Get hold of an iPhone 4, iPad or iPod Touch 4G (from a friend or family member who hasn’t set up a MobileMe account yet). Download the free Find My iPhone app by clicking here.

II : If you don’t have a MobileMe account yet, launch the application and create a new MobileMe account.

III : Now go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Add a MobileMe account and enter your MobileMe login credentials

IV : Turn the Find My iPhone on the MobileMe account on

V : Launch the recently downloaded application once again and enter your MobileMe account details

VI : Now get hold of your older iPhone or iPod Touch model and download the Find My iPhone app once again from the App Store

VII : Go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Add a MobileMe account and enter your MobileMe login credentials

VIII : Launch the downloaded application and enter the MobileMe login account to set up the functionality

IX : If the newer iPhone/iPad model is not yours, disable the MobileMe account from Settings and delete the application.

You are done. You can now track your iPhone or iPod Touch anytime it gets lost.

Categories
Mobile Tips and Tricks

UltraSn0w iOS 4.2.1 Unlock For iPhone 3GS/3G Releasing By Sunday

We have been hearing from the iPhone Dev team that the UltraSn0w unlock for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS users should be out by this weekend. Earlier this week, we had speculated that this solution could be released as early as Friday – that’s tomorrow. Now, jailbreaker MuscleNerd has confirmed that the development work is indeed on track and the unlock should be released by the weekend. But unlike our earlier speculation, the release could take until Sunday. In a tweet, he posted,

“Good progress today…everything is on track for updated ultrasn0w by Sunday/Funday at the latest (longer for iPhone4!)”

That is still not a long time to wait and we look forward to its release. But if you are an iPhone 4 user, you may not be amused at all. But that was quite expected all along, wasn’t it?

Categories
iOS iPhone Tips and Tricks

Jailbroken iPhone 4 Put In Recovery Mode On iOS 4.1 Restore Due To New BaseBand Requirement

If you have been religiously jailbreaking your iPhone over the years, you may have become used to this application called Tiny Umbrella that helps your device kick itself out of the recovery mode during the jailbreak process. This is a nifty application because it helps you to upgrade the device firmware without affecting the baseband.

It now appears that Apple may have introduced, albeit partially, a baseband requirement which means applications such as Tiny Umbrella may no longer be able to get your iPhone out of recovery mode. Semaphore, the developer behind Tiny Umbrella notes,

It seems that Apple has decided to put a baseband requirement on iOS. So at this point, if you are using Saurik’s server or tiny umbrella and trying to restore 4.2.1 on an iPhone 4, you will end up in recovery mode and tiny umbrella will not be able to pull you out of recovery.”

This is speculated to be partial because other jailbreakers do not seem to have been having a problem themselves. Popular jailbreaker MuscleNerd has written,

4.2.1 is running fine on my i4 with 01.59 BB. I think they simply killed Umbrella way.”

In any case, should you be affected, this is how you could resolve it – Either restore iOS 4.1 again or restore to iOS 4.2.1 when you are tether jailbroken.

Categories
Apple iOS Tips and Tricks

UltraSn0w Unlock For iPhone 3G/3GS On iOS 4.2.1 This Friday?

The latest iPhone 4 may offer you a lot of features that are not available on the older iPhone models. But if there is one area where owning an older iPhone can be a blessing, it is with respect to jailbreaking and unlocking. Yesterday, we wrote about the RedSn0w untethered jailbreak solution already available for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS users. While iPhone 4 users too shall be able to jailbreak their iDevices soon, it is still a tethered solution which is not exactly ideal.

Now popular jailbreaker, MuscleNerd, has revealed that a new UltraSn0w unlock for iPhone 3G/3GS should be out as early as by the end of this week. In a tweet, he wrote,

“now that redsn0w is out, can focus back on the unlock. The 3G/3GS version should be out this week. i4 will be longer.”

Yet again, if you own an older iPhone, the unlock should be out soon. If you are an iPhone 4 user, good luck with waiting for some more time till your phone becomes capable once again.