DTC 294 -The secret sauce to clickable subject lines + 10 examples [DTC]( Banter Friday, February 10, 2023 Harry Potter and The *fill in the blank*. ðª In this newsletter, youâll find: ð ð¦ The secret sauce to clickable subject lines + 10 examples ð¦ A free swipe left to level up your creative in 2023 ð¦ Chat GPT 4: The power of suggestion ð¦ Everything you need to create compelling and engaging Instagram Reels ð¦ Honey gummies, beauty mail, and AI candles ð¯ï¸ Read till the end to access exclusive DTC swag. ð ð If a pal forwarded this to you, [subscribe,]( so you never miss out. Email 10 Click-Worthy Subject Lines We know it. You know it. Everyone knows it⦠The email inbox is C-R-O-W-D-E-D these days. Thatâs why compelling subject lines are more important than ever. ð¥ Subject lines have to stand out. Stop you in your tracks. Make you want to know more. Frankly, itâs more of an art than a science. In case you need some inspo, we want to share three must-try tactics to boost those open rates. ð Tactic 1: Spike curiosity (A.K.A I gotta know more.) These subject lines simply piqued our curiosity in some way which is a classic tactic for getting opens. Think questions, juicy information, interesting topics, or anything that could get the reader saying, âI wanna know whatâs inside this email!â ð§ âBethâs personal secret to aging isâ¦â From: BOOM! By Cindy Joseph This line got us to click by teasing desirable information inside: the secret to aging. Umm, yes, please! ð¤ ð§ âYâall drank how much coffee in 2022?!â From: Four Sigmatic I mean, we just HAVE to know how much coffee yâall drank⦠Spoiler alert: it was over 7 million cups! (Aaaaand the DTC Team may or may not have consumed 4 million of that. ð) ð§ âDonât Click this email ð¨â From: CREATOR FX Ahhh, the olâ reverse psychology tactic. Now youâre curious, and all you can think about is clicking this email! (FYI: Weâd suggest treading lightly with potentially clickbaity subject lines like this. If youâre trying to bait people into opening your email, the message/offer best deliver high value!) Tactic 2: Wait, what?... (A.K.A. Thatâs silly and I like it.) Stopping the reader in their tracks with a statement or question that makes them go âhuh?â is another strategy for subject lines. Because it requires some creativity and often a hint of irreverence, this tactic can be the most fun for brands to test. Make sure the subject line isnât silly just for clicks. It should ultimately tie back to the message inside the email. ð§ âHow was your post-holiday poop?â From: Seed Well, since youâre asking⦠𤷠*click* ð§ â200% Off Saleâ From: Cards Against Humanity Welp, paying people to order your product sure is one way to get opens! While 200% off sounds ridiculous, this was a legit Black Friday Sale by Cards Against Humanity. ð§ â50% OFF. 50% OFF. 50% OFF. 50% OFF.â From: Four Sigmatic Discounts are used allllll the time in subject lines, but this particular one got us to click because 1) 50% off is a killer deal, and 2) â50% OFFâ FOUR TIMES IN A ROW definitely stands out in the inbox. ð§ âWhat Are Beef Sheets?â From: DTC team If you donât mind us tooting our own horn for a sec, this is one of DTCâs very own subject lines. Not only did this email snag an unusually high open rate, but it also got a fun conversation going on Twitter. ð ð Win-win. Keep scrollinâ, thereâs more where this came from! ð Sponsor Ready To Start Making Winning Creative? Everyone knows that without killer creative, your brand is going to struggle to stand out. ð¢ If your creative fumes have been running on empty and you're in need of some fresh inspiration, you've come to the right place. As a DTC reader, you have free instant access to a [swipe file containing 4 0+ of the top-performing ads made for Pilothouse clients in 2022.]( Not sold? You'll get 8 unique angles/formats with information on: - What they are
- How they work
- How to create them for your own ad account One thing Pilothouse can promise? Your competitors will be taking advantage of this free offer. ð¤ ð Don't miss your chance to be the king of the creative castle. [Access the free swipe file now!]( Email 10 Click-Worthy Subject Lines Tactic 3: Personal touch (A.K.A This is not what it looks like. ) Another tactic weâve seen recently is using a subject line that makes the message look like something other than a marketing email from a brand. While these methods can be highly effective for getting opens, theyâre also controversial for a few reasons: - Using prefixes like âFwd:â and âRe:â in your subject lines can trigger email services to label you a high-risk sender, flag your emails as spam, or display an alert to your recipients. Not a good look.
- Youâre essentially tricking people into clicking your email, which is always risky and could get you marked as Spam â or worse â sh*t-talked on Twitter. ð® If youâre going to test subject lines like these, use them sparingly, and make sure the message/offer inside is really, really valuable. ð§ âPhotosâ From: Bo (FotoFetch) At first glance, this looks like an email from a friend thatâs sending you photos. Psyche! Itâs not. This is a sales email from FotoFetch (to be fair, a very short, to-the-point sales email). They got that click, tho. This is also a good example of how one-word subject lines can work well. They often come across as more personal and evoke a bit of curiosity for the reader. ð§â@Hismile mentioned youâ From: Hismile When this popped up on a phone screen, it looked like a notification from social media at first, so the click/tap was pretty automatic. Clever. ð§ âRe: Your order is confirmedâ From: Hey Harper This email used the Re: prefix tactic, which made us think it was an ongoing conversation. Again, a risky move, but since this was used on an order confirmation email and not a sales email, it felt less intrusive. Alternatively, here are some other ways you can make your emails seem more personal without being a Spammy Sammy: - Avoiding the use of emojis (yes, unlike a few years ago, emojis in email subject lines are now more heavily associated with brand marketing emails! Guess we overdid it ð¤·)
- One-word or very short subject lines
- Using all lowercase letters and minimal punctuation
- Incorporating the reader's name Remember: The subject line is only part of the equation. You also need to create consistently awesome content to encourage readers to open your emails! ð What about you â any good subject lines youâve received lately? Reply to this email and let us know! Sponsor TikTok may be in danger. Time to up your Instagram game. Thousands of DTC readers (like you!) have learned from Cohleyâs TikTok Creative Brief Template and now have killer short-form videos from UGC creators. ðª Now, they're sharing their Instagram Reels expertise with you so you can [create an innovative omnichannel marketing experience.]( Cohleyâs latest Creative Brief Template has: - Tools
- Frameworks
- Best practices ð¥ Literally everything you need to [create compelling and engaging Instagram Reels.]( With the looming possibility of a TikTok ban, now is the perfect time to try Reels. Join brands like Pathwater, Nair, and CVS who have all seen huge success using Cohley. ð [It's time to unlock your Instagram marketing.]( AI ð¤ What? Your Bot Is Evolving! Weâve all heard about or played with OpenAIâs Chat GPT 3.5 â the new tool that makes communicating with AI as easy as chatting with a friend. But, like some friends, Chat GPT 3.5 has its limitations. ð For now, GPT 3.5 can only communicate and learn with text⦠but the future looks bright! Imagine AI that responds to sights, sounds, and performs data synthesis to produce jaw-dropping insights. ð¥ This is what multi-modal AI aims to achieve. And who knows, maybe AI will eventually be able to adjust the strength of your morning coffee based on sleep data from your smartwatch! â ðMulti-modal in action Have you seen [Aimesoft's promotional video?]( If not, the reel showcases a woman getting fashion advice from her AI bot while it uses visual and statistical data to pick the perfect shirt for her meeting. It's like having a personal stylist and a fortune teller wrapped into one. ð® While the full release of multi-modal AI systems is still some time away, the above example gives insight into what AI developers are striving to achieve. 𤯠But⦠we have so many questions! It looks like time to consider how we could harness AI advancements in a marketing context. ð¤ As marketers, we remain unsure of how this multi-modal system will influence consumersâ purchase decisions, journeys, and brand loyalty. We need to ask: - Are we going to be marketing to AI rather than actual people if the general public relies so heavily on the AIâs opinion?
- What pixel could be used to track that sort of information?
- How would attribution data change? There are so many questions about how multi-modal AI systems could revolutionize the marketing landscape. However, we simply need to wait for more information and a tech demo to experiment with. ð¤ ð©âð One small step for marketers⦠Overall, weâre left with many more questions than answers but thatâs not a bad thing. 𤷠While the future is limitless for AI in marketing, it gives us the opportunity to speculate on how our roles will change within our teams. Have you considered the ways multi-modal AI would influence your marketing strategy? With sight, sound, and data synthesis now within reach, discuss what that could mean for your approach to new content. Some of the wackiest ideas may not be so wacky after all. ð Brands ð [Rbel Bee Honey Gummies:]( Be honest. Do you have a packet of sweets on your desk right now? If so, and youâre looking for a healthier replacement, Rbel Bee has your back. Their honey-sweetened Poma Punch and Wild Child Cherry gummies will pick up your afternoon slump. ð [Birchbox:]( Not sure what products you should add to your beauty routine? Love receiving mail? Birchbox is your solution. Theyâll send you five beauty product samples each month to see what works best for you! ð¯ [Scent Lab:]( Imagine a world where AI tells you what candles best suit you. No need to imagine. Scent Lab is on the case! Take their 60-second discovery quiz to find your scent. SHARE DTC NEWSLETTER ð¥ NEW REFERRAL PROGRAM HAS OFFICIALLY DROPPED ð¥ Want to level up the marketing skills of your teammates and employees? Just grab your referral link below and you'll earn points toward cool gear for every new subscriber you bring to the DTC fam. Here's your unique referral link: [( [Share via facebook]( [Share via twitter]( [Share via whatsapp]( [Share via email](mailto:?subject=Check%20this%20out&body=%F0%9F%94%A5%20Signed%20up%20to%20this%20newsletter%20a%20couple%20of%20weeks%20ago%20and%20it's%20amazing%20for%20DTC%20marketers%20like%20you!+https%3A%2F%2Fsparklp.co%2F47c676d0%2F%3Futm_source%3Demail)
[See how many referrals you have!]( Referal program is subject to [DTC Terms & Conditions.]( ð Have you heard our latest podcasts? ð§â𦲠[iRestore]( Hair Growth System: Kevin Chen - The True Impact of Costco. âï¸ [Mini Katana:]( Karly McFarland on $100M in Email Sales and Why She Sold Her Agency and Turned to the Brand Side (C-Suite Mentor Preview). ð¤ [The Oodie]( - Davie Fogarty: Lessons From a Fast $400M. ð¸ [Andrew Wilkinson]( at C-Suite in Victoria: Bootstrapping vs. VC vs. PE vs. Angel. ð [Pretty Boy]( - Ben Feys and Kevin Niehoff: Nailing your Brand Identity and Balling on a Budget. ð¡ Listen to the [Biggest Marketing News]( Stories Today. Donât forget to [rate the DTC Podcast]( on Apple (âï¸âï¸âï¸âï¸âï¸) DTC Newsletter is written by [Rebecca Knight](, [Kelsey Hess](, and Michael Venditti. Edited by [Claire Beveridge]( and Eric Dyck. Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up [here.]( NEED MORE DTC? ð [Advertise]( in DTC Newsletter. ð°Check out our course on [Facebook and Instagram]( ads! Rate Us [Fueled by Pilothouse]
[Share](
[Twitter]( [Facebook]( [LinkedIn](
[Advertise with DTC]( | [Work With Pilothouse]( At Direct to Consumer, we are strongly committed to protecting your privacy and providing a safe & high-quality online experience for all visitors. We understand that you care about how the information you provide to us is used and shared. We have developed a Privacy Policy to inform you of our policies regarding collecting, using, and disclosing information we receive from our Website users. Federal Filing operates the Website. Our Privacy Policy, along with our Terms & Conditions, governs your use of this site. By using directtoconsumer.co or accepting the Terms of Use (via opt-in, checkbox, pop-up, or clicking an email link confirming the same), you agree to be bound by our Terms & Conditions and our Privacy Policy. Suppose you have provided personal, billing, or other voluntarily provided information. In that case, you may access, review, and make changes to it via instructions found on the Website or by emailing us at team@directtoconsumer.co. To manage your receipt of marketing and non-transactional communications, you may unsubscribe by clicking the "unsubscribe" link located at the bottom of any marketing email. Emails related to the purchase or delivery of orders are provided automatically â Customers cannot opt-out of transactional emails. We will try to accommodate any requests related to the management of Personal Information in a timely manner. However, it is not always possible to completely remove or modify information in our databases (for example, if we have a legal obligation to keep it for specific timeframes). If you have any questions, reply to this email or visit our Website to view our official policies. [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( Pilothouse, 1011 Government St., V8W 1X6, Victoria, BC V8W 1X6, Canada