How
to Create an Effective "From" Line
50% + of recipients use the "From"
line by itself or with the subject line to decide
whether to open or trash an email, according
to research done by the Pew Internet and American
Life Project.
The "From" line is just
as important as the subject line. If your readers
can't tell an email is from you, they will mostly
likely delete it or report it as spam.
Research shows you only have 15-16
characters to work with. Here are a few tactics
to make them work for you.
-
Use a from line that is recognizable
to your readers
-
Only use a person's name if
your readers will know it
-
-
Don't use your company's full
legal name
-
Don't use a department heading
(marketing, finance).
The following table identifies how
many spaces each email client reserves for the
"From" line:
| Email Client |
'From' Line Spaces |
| Outlook |
User defines settings |
| Outlook Express |
User defines settings |
| AOL 8 |
15-16 |
| Yahoo |
30+ |
| MSN / Hotmail |
20 |
| Gmail |
19 |
Once you have developed your "From"
line - stick with it. This will be the
address your customers add to their address book,
so if it gets switched or altered, you will lose
that connection.
For more information on how to get into the address
book, please read How
to Get in the Address Book from our last newsletter.
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