A pre-header is the text following the subject line when an email is previewed. When you look at an inbox, much of what you see is pre-header text. While subject lines are unpreventable, pre-headers also play equally important role in increasing email open-rates. Pre-header gives you an opportunity to stay ahead of the crowd. Inboxes on all the platforms and devices are giving more prominence and space to pre-headers. Just like for subject lines, you should spare more time in constructing appropriate and catchy pre-headers. Companies should use pre-headers strategically. Pre-headers contribute in improving your email open rates.
This is how emails with pre-headers in Gmail are viewed.
This is how emails with pre-headers in smart-phones are seen.
In-case you don’t add a pre-header, Inbox will display some part of your email content, eg. check the view of mailer highlighted below.
Tips to use pre-headers
1) Use this space smartly to give away the gist of the email message. Do not repeat the subject lines. Check the email from Earmark in this image below.
2) If you are sending the message to sell your products, you can mention the offer in the pre-headers.
3) You can even hyper-link the content in the email — eg Register Now can be linked to the appropriate registration link. So that when the reader opens the email, he or she can access the link on top of the email body. The image below highlights the text ‘Register Now’ which acts a pre-header with a link.
4) Give call to actions like call us, contact us, download.
We all are used to scan the emails before clicking and opening it. So it is advisable to keep the subject lines and pre-headers crisp,short and sweet. Perform a thorough testing to check what kind of pre-headers work better for you.
Remember pre-header is a valuable asset and plays a very important role in your email marketing performance. Just don’t ignore them.
About the Author:
Smita More is a marketing professional and drives marketing activities for Juvlon – Email Marketing Software. Connect with Smita on LinkedIn.