How many times have you opened up a mail thinking it was something personal, only to find that it was nothing but spam? There are ways by which spam can be identified and most of the net community is aware of the common techniques that are used.
Being an e-publisher, you have to be very careful of having an extremely well thought out subject line, or your mail might be perceived as spam and sent directly to the trash can.
Here are some pointers on what NOT to do:
1. DO NOT use caps in your subject line. This is one of the most favorite tricks of spammer and will sure get you in the bottom of the virtual trash can.
2. !!!! or ?!?!? are not acceptable marks. Not in the subject line, not in the body, not anywhere. Not only do they look unprofessional and unpolished, they also reflect on your writing abilities which is to say that you won’t be percieved as the greatest writer on the block. Be professional, and although you don’t have to be formal, stray clear of multiple quotations and the like that can ruin your reputation before you can say Help!
3. Don’t ask puny questions which seem more of an attempt to marketing than information. ‘Do you want to be rich’ and ‘What if I told you that you could get $1000 in cash’ seem great eye-openers in the beginning, but open one such mail, and I assure you, you won’t be opening any more. You may have a genuine offer, but such subject lines will get you nowhere.
4. ‘Get a _______ free’. This could be substituted with anything, and it will appear to be spam. DON’T offer any freebies to your readers in your subject line. That’s what your e-zine is for.
5. ‘Let me tell you a little secret’. This line is personal, yet it does not reveal what is inside the mail. This is a clear sign of spam. Do this and you’re history.
And now, a few tips on what you SHOULD do:
1. Each time you send out an issue of your ezine, the subject line should contain the name of your ezine, the issue number and the title of your ezine. The name of your ezine is the most important thing in your subject line. The subscriber may be receiving hundreds of mails each day, and this is his only way of differentiating you from the crowd.
2. Short and snappy subjects rule the day. Grab your reader’s interest. Make him want to immediately open the zine and read it right away. Some readers (like me) have the habit of putting away ezines for viewing later. Sometimes that later never comes and the ezine is deleted without so much as a look. Don’t let your zine pass by the eyes of the reader. Intice him into reading it at the very instant.
3. Tell the reader what she can expect to find inside the e-zine. If you don’t, then there’s absolutely no reason for her to look inside. Tell him what the issue is about, the central theme, or something that can make him guess what the rest of the zine will contain. Usually, publishers mention the name of the ezine followed by the title of the feature article.
4. And lastly, check and recheck before sending out your zine. Make sure there are no typos in your subject line. The subject line of your e-zine is like the cover page of a magazine. Have one typo, and the reader won’t care what’s inside. He’s seen enough on the outside.
I know, lots of stuff here, and all just for one line. But remember, your subject line is the face of your e-zine and if that’s not up to the mark, no one will care all that you have to offer inside.
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