Monday, May 8, 2017

Does Your Subject Line Stink?



Did I get your attention with that headline?  Well, that is exactly the approach you must take when promoting your book, whether the email is going to the news media, a potential consumer, or a collaborator.  Get their attention and make things happen!

A subject line of an email is trickier than sending a tweet.  It’s short – maybe 6 to 10 words will fit.  Some people may use word-filters and will place into spam any email with certain words.  What those words are is anyone’s guess, especially if it’s a customized program.  Some media, to avoid sales pitches avoid emails that mention buy, sell, free, special offers, etc.  Others avoid curse words or things relating to sex.  So keep that in mind.  You don’t want an email to go unread because your subject line was suffocated by a spam filter.

Keep your subject line:

  •       Short and snappy.
  •       Newsy, timely, and relevant.
  •       Free of language that offends.
  •       Void of techie speak or industry jargon.
  •       Filled with active verbs.

You can begin your subject line with one word, such as: News! or Exclusive! or Expose!  That gets one’s attention.

The subject line should do at least one of these things:

  •         Raise an ethical, legal, financial, or entertaining question.
  •         Make a bold or brash statement that affirms or denies something of importance.
  •         Reveal a secret.
  •         Announce actual news.
  •         Assert a trend.
  •         Boldly predict something.
  •         Make a contrarian claim.
  •         Make a funny joke.
  •         Issue a challenge or dare.
  •         Be personality driven about a known expert or famous person.
  •         Make a surprise confession.
  •         Announce the launch of a big project.
  •         Demand justice, propose reforms, threaten a lawsuit.

The subject line can’t say everything that you’d want to say in the body of the email or phone call, but it needs to inspire a dialogue or further review by the recipient.  Figure out what will get one’s attention without lying, doing a bait-and-switch ploy or distorting your real message.  But take a chance and go out on a limb.  Be aggressive, creative, and confident.

I wanted my subject or headline for this post to be even more provocative but I don’t need to curse or resort to risky tactics.  If your subject line is powerful and inviting you’ll be halfway to winning the battle to get media coverage.  Good luck.

Check These Posts Out
Do You Promote Your Book Outrageously?

What's In A Name Or Word?

How Should We Define The Dictionary?

Do You Support The Bookism Movement?

What Color Is Your Book Marketing Parachute?
Welcome To Your 2017 Complete Author Book Marketing & PR Toolkit


Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2017©. Born and raised in Brooklyn, now resides in Westchester. Named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs

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