Crafting an HTML e-mail message that renders flawlessly in all environments is like getting a toaster to fly, after it’s been through a car wash. Through old mobile phones, smartphones, Web mail, Outlook 2007 and images disabled by default, marketers are faced with a challenge of not only protecting their brand’s quality in design, but of being seen at all.  Let me introduce the “Super Subject Line”, a solution that gets through, to the point, everywhere.

A super subject line is a small line of teaser copy at the top of an e-mail, like “Hey John, check out this e-mail exclusive offer, take 30% off your purchase this weekend at Brand X. Learn more.” It should complement the subject line, not repeat it, as an extension of the excitement. It's more inviting than reading "Viewing on a mobile device? Click here" and it adds a ton of relevance:

• It's the first thing people will read
  
  
• It displays when images off, and hopefully entices the user to enable images
  
  
• It zooms to fit (readable) on newer "smart" mobile devices
  
  
• It reads well on old mobile devices when HTML doesn't render
  
  
• It pops up in your Outlook Desktop Alert and in any Web mail preview

Yahoo! Sports Shop recently used this solution to promote St. Patrick’s Day apparel, and the message was clear.  Let’s take a look. 

Subject Line: Get Lucky with Patriots St. Patrick’s Day Gear

Super Subject Line: Make sure you don’t get pinched on “Wearin o’ the Green Day” and deck yourself out in lucky New England Patriots T-shirts and more.  Shop Now.

1.  This is how it looks in Gmail with images “enabled”. It’s small and doesn’t really affect the overall look of the creative.

 

2.    This is how it looks in Gmail with images “disabled”. Pretty neat huh, all the images are off and you still get the point of the message.  

 

 

3.    This is how it looks on the Blackberry Storm (a smartphone) with images disabled. Like the example above, you get the point and the text scales to fit the screen for easy reading.

 

4.    This is how it looks on an old Blackberry 7750. Very key, Super Subject Line works best for old phones like this. Most people get “Trouble viewing, click here”, or a ton of HTML code.

 

5.    This is how it looks in my Outlook 2007 preview. This is why the term Super Subject Line came about. It adds emphasis to your existing subject line.

6.    This is how it looks in my Gmail Inbox. Same deal as above.

 

 

As you can see through a variety of scenarios, the point of your message gets across.  And because your audience can clearly see that, perhaps you’ll be able to take them to that next step of engagement, clicking for more.  Try the Super Subject Line today.  Add this little content teaser to the very top of the e-mail to ensure the best customer experience.   

Jim Kelley, manager, Creative Services, e-Dialog