Navigating the nuances of email presentation is key to a successful marketing campaign. In essence, the subject line acts as the bold, primary header that grabs attention within the inbox. On the other hand, the preview text serves as the secondary line of text displayed alongside or below the subject line, providing an additional summary or enticing snippet to prompt an open.
Rather than viewing them in isolation, consider them as a cohesive duo meant to work in tandem to pique the reader’s interest. The subject line bears the responsibility of swiftly capturing attention and clearly articulating the email’s primary purpose. It should be concise, engaging, and promptly address the reader’s initial query of “What is this email about?” Irrespective of the email content, be it text, images, or a link to multimedia, the subject line must aptly set the expectation.
On the other hand, the preview text, also known as a preheader, functions as the complementary subtitle. Its role is to complement the subject line rather than duplicate it. It should offer additional context, create a sense of urgency, or highlight a key benefit. The preview text answers the reader’s subsequent question of “Why should I open this immediately?”
To illustrate their synergy, consider a subject line like “Our Mid-Year Review is Here.” Following this, the preview text could read, “Discover the trends set to dominate the upcoming six months.” The subject line introduces the ‘what,’ while the preview text provides the enticing ‘why.’
A common oversight is neglecting to specify a distinct preview text. In such cases, email clients will automatically extract the initial line of text from the email body, often containing unhelpful content such as “View this email in your browser…” or image alt text. This oversight squanders a valuable opportunity to persuade recipients to open the email.
Best regards,
Sean