What is an Email Preheader?
An email preheader is the brief summary description that subscribers will receive through their desktop, mobile device, and tablet inboxes before opening the email message. The preheader gives them an understanding of what is expected in the rest of the email body, in addition to the email subject line. This is a very important part in the email marketing process as subscribers will use this summary as one of the determining factors of whether or not to open, and sometimes deleting, emails. These previews can be added through easily provided by email service providers or can be built in with HTML/CSS coding. Furthermore, email preheaders can appear differently based on the email platform of the subscribers, which is also an important note to consider.
Why Use Email Preheaders?
Email preheaders have the potential to immediately draw in subscribers to open, read, and engage with email campaigns. This brief summary is the chance to convey to readers the importance of opening their email. An engaging preheader is necessary to receive responsiveness and that can assist in further tracking the success of these email campaigns. If the email campaign is surrounded by a call to action, or includes a compelling value proposition for the reader, for example, the email preheader is the ideal place to alert subscribers of that call to action or value proposition.
How to Build A Strong Email Preheader That Perfoms?
Use 40-130 Characters
For email marketers, it’s necessary to build a preheader that takes into consideration the display and rendering requirements for desktop, mobile devices, and tablets. For all these devices, it is best to develop a strong preheader using approximately 40-130 characters in the line, which is typically displayed either after, or below the subject line of that email. Unfortunately, there isn’t just one length that can work on all devices seamlessly. However, email marketers should ensure that the most important points remain at the beginning of the preheader text, which will increase the chances that its most important contents render properly on the most mobile and desktop devices. In addition, the content written in the preheader should convey a genuine tone that is relatable to subscribers encouraging them to read on, which will increase the likelihood that the reader engages with the content, thereby increasing the email’s click through rate (CTR).
Subject line + Preheader
Utilizing both the subject line and the preheader together is a proven way to optimize the email campaign’s ultimate objective and ensure results. The subject line establishes the main prompt that encourages the subscriber to continue on to read the preheader. If the content between both elements isn’t cohesive, then the subscriber is less likely to open the email fully and engage with the presented content.
Present a Call to Action or Provide a Value Proposition
Once the relationship between the subject line and the preheader has been established, it’s easy to creatively insert a preview for a call to action, or provide a compelling value proposition that will engage the user, leading them to open the email and maybe even click through (CTR). With a clear prompt displayed in the preheader, the subscriber can then anticipate to read further about the details in the email body.
Build Curiosity
The preheader’s ultimate purpose is to build enough intrigue for the reader in hopes that they click to open the email and read on. Within those three seconds, the reader will determine whether they wish to stop and continue reading or stop and move on to the next email. This is the creative magic that email marketers must master in order to create successful email campaigns.
