When writing email subject lines should you use personalization as a way to increase open rates? Or will using personalization in your subject line have a negative effect?

Personalization is a cool technology that allows you to use an impersonal database field (i.e. the recipient’s name) to simulate an intimate connection with that person. Most email sending services or software allow you to use options for dynamically inserting database fields into your email messages.

Writing email subject lines with recipient names

Using personalization in email subject lines is a way to make your message stand out in the crowded inbox. Face it… we all scan our email in the inbox by the subject lines before we open any of them. We are looking for key words or phrases that interest us. And what could be more interesting or compelling than your own name!

Personalization affects your email marketing message

Very often our motivation for using the personalization option is “because its there” or “because I can”. This is not a good reason for using personalization in your email marketing messages.

Here’s an example:

“Firstname – The $199 Starter Package includes Free stuff”

This is not the way to handle personalization in the subject line! There is no obvious reason for including the name. The effect looks fake and introduces an element of suspicion on the part of the email recipient. These days people know they are in your database. This type of approach makes it too obvious.

The addition of any dynamic elements such as a name should come across as having a purpose for being included.

A better example is to include the personalization element in a conversational context:

“Hey firstname, did you know about the free stuff with the $199 Starter Package?”

Names in email subject lines arouse curiosity

Another reason to use the name of the recipient is to arouse curiosity. The above subject line appears to come from someone the recipient knows.

A word of caution: a lot of people enter bogus names, handles” or nicknames when filing out forms for newsletters, free trials, samples, registrations etc. You can end us with some pretty weird content in the firstname field of your database. So, imagine what the subject line might look like with those in place of the first name. You should use the personalization element carefully unless you know you are working with a very clean database.

Pros:
People are attracted to their own name when scanning their inbox
You can arouse a sense of curiosity
Cons:
You can appear fake and suspicious
A lot of people us bogus names

Here are links to additional articles about writing email subject lines:

1. Email Subject Lines That Offer Benefits
2. Email Subject Lines That Get Opened
3. Using Personalization In Email Subject Lines
4. Writing Email Subject Lines