Improve your open rates using preheaders

This short, simple group of characters just below the subject line has been gaining more and more prominence as mobile devices have gained more and more ground.

What is a preheader?

A preheader is the brief summary that accompanies the subject line and jumps easily to the eye in the inbox.

Many email managers, both on desktop and mobile devices, use it to help you reinforce the core content of your message with additional information to encourage opening.

Here is an example of how it is displayed in Gmail:

Why is it so important to optimize your preheader?

As mentioned above, the main function of the preheader is to complement the subject of the message.

With such a well-defined objective, it is curious to note that many campaigns are not properly configured to take advantage of this functionality.

This causes a standard text to appear by default which, as a general rule, is usually the sentence "If you cannot see this email correctly, click here", which defeats the whole purpose of this function.

It has been proven that effective preheaders increase the opening rate of messages. For this reason, we have prepared this list of basic tips that will help you take advantage of their use.

1) Preheaders are used by readers as a "scanning" tool.

Along with the subject line, the preheader text is the first thing subscribers see when they receive your e-mail message.

It is these two elements that they rely on to decide whether or not to proceed to open it. And, without opening, it is impossible to get people to click and execute the desired conversion action (making a purchase on your website, for example).

2) Preheaders can become a subliminal message.

Noted exponents of email marketing, such as Dela Quist, of the British agency Alchemy Worxhave theorized about the impact of subject lines on readers.

They posit that the subject line of a message acts as a one-line advertising piece in the inbox:

"Without opening the message you sent them, people read the subject line. Whether they want it or not, it builds (or destroys) your brand in the inbox, which is enough for the reader to create a psychological association between the subject line and your brand. In the long run, a cognitive relationship is established between the language you use and the customers' perception of your company."

If this is the case for subject lines, it can also apply to preheader texts. If a subscriber can read your subject line, he must also read the beginning of your preheader.

How to optimize preheaders to improve the opening rate?

1) Short and simple, to ensure viewing on different devices.

The length of the subject or preheader text that is displayed depends largely on the device and the e-mail manager that the reader uses.

Even on a desktop computer, the number of pre-header characters that are visible depends on how wide the reader has set your monitor.

So how long should the preheader be?

Generally speaking, keep the preheader text between 40 and 50 characters. On most devices, this is enough space to say something meaningful and compelling, yet fully deployable.

2) Performs visualization tests.

We advise you to try different types of preheaders until you choose the one that best fits your shipment. Also remember to adjust the text to the solution that looks best.

3) Be aware of mobile devices.

Don't forget to test for mobile devices as it is almost always displayed on mobile devices regardless of the mail manager used.

4) Showing or hiding your preheader in the message body

This is a key issue to consider.

By default, the pre-header text not only appears in the inbox next to the subject line, but is also displayed at the top of the body of your message, competing with the legal texts that every mailing should have.

Often, by placing it at the top, this text interferes with the design you plan to send to your customers.

your customers, becoming an inconvenience.

Since the main function of the preheader is to promote the opening of the message, it probably does not need to be a prominent element in the design of your campaign.

In fact, what we recommend is to effectively hide it from view, to ensure that readers focus on the most important aspects of your campaign.

Whether you choose to display brief, unobtrusive text or hide it completely, there are more important elements within your campaign that should stand out. Therefore, make sure that the preheader is not a distracting object.

In conclusion:

Using preheaders in your email marketing campaigns can provide your subscribers with the additional information they need to encourage them to click and take the desired action.

Use the best practices and the information we have provided in this article to optimize the preheaders of your campaigns. You're sure to see positive results.