A seasonal newsletter tip! Don't be wary ...

...of being scary. After all - it's Halloween!


It's true. I'm an old grump.
But just for once, I'll park my traditional curmudgeon and invoke the nonsense world of spooks and ghouls. Believe me - I don't find this easy. This post is all about scaring your newsletter readers into action.  Why? Because it's the best route to newsletter success.

A top newsletter tip

First of all – the background.  When it comes to putting together your newsletter content, what are your priorities?  Let’s be difficult and work backwards.

4. Your ultimate aim is presumably to get the reader to act on your Newsletter.
3. They won’t do that if they haven’t read it.
2. They won’t read it if they haven’t first opened it and (yes, you guessed it)
1. They won’t open it if the Subject Line is no good.

So – your very first task in composing your Newsletter is to come up with a Subject Line which is utterly irresistible!

And here’s the Halloween connection.  One of the best ways to be irresistible is to be scary.  Here are some alternative Subject Lines that might be sent out by a Garden Centre – each more effective than the one before

1. Our Latest Newsletter
2. Latest News from Gordon’s Garden Centre
3. Handy Tips for a Healthier Lawn
4. 10 Ways to Keep Your Lawn Looking Great
5. The 10 Most Common Lawn Care Mistakes

Research shows that the newsletters with the highest ‘open rate’ are those with the most negative, scary message.  Is it true that headlines like No. 5 genuinely frighten us into action?  Or, is it that we all take sadistic pleasure in reading about the misfortune of others?

Who knows?  But if you’re unsure, test the theory for yourself.  Next time you put together a newsletter, send a sample batch headed with subject line No. 4, followed by an equal number of No. 5.
When the results are in, do let me know the outcome.

Happy Halloween!

 

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Oct 14, 2019
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