Core conclusions:Ninety percent of development efforts fail due to poor title selection. No matter how well-written the body of the message is, it will be useless if the title isn’t clickable. There are three key actions that need to be taken: limit the title to 6 to 10 English words, or 60 characters total (40 characters is enough for mobile devices). Also, use three different structures for the title: a statement of value, an identification of the problem, and a mention of relevant connections. These structures can be tested using A/B testing. Finally, avoid using words like “free”, “best price”, capital letters, and consecutive exclamation marks—these elements can trigger spam filters.
In the previous articles, I discussed topics such as the delivery rate of development emails, the pace of follow-up actions, the translation of texts into smaller languages, and using WhatsApp for follow-up purposes. This article adds one crucial element: the title of the email. Buyers receive dozens of unsolicited emails every day, and they spend seconds deciding whether to click on each email’s title. The only goal of the title is to get the email opened. All of the following methods are based on practical experience and can be directly applied.
Three types of sentences: write one version for each type, and we will determine your preference in terms of the types of sentences suitable for your industry.
- Value-based statements:Please include measurable numbers in your titles, for example, “Reduce your packaging costs by 12% with Kraft paper boxes.” It’s important that these numbers be realistic and based on actual product parameters or customer cases. Do not fabricate any numbers.
- Problem-solving type:Mention the real problems that buyers face, such as “Having difficulties with 6-week lead times for components?” This is suitable for factories that focus on delivery time, quality control, and certification. The more specific the pain points, the higher the chance of success in attracting buyers.
- Specificly associated types:Please include specific information that can be identified by the buyers in the title of the message. For example, you could use titles like “Re: Your Caster Inquiry at the Canton Fair” or “Casters for XYZ’s Warehouse Carts”. If the buyer has been encountered at the exhibition or if their purchasing history is available in customs data, it’s better to use this approach. The more specific the information, the less likely it will seem like a mass message.
Divide the orders into two groups, distributing half of each group at the same time. By observing the opening rates of these groups over time, you can figure out which type of buyers are active in your industry. Don’t rely on intuition; data will provide you with the answers.
Four ways to avoid common mistakes in writing: Correct them before posting again.
| avoidance point | negative examples | problem |
|---|---|---|
| Inducing words | Free Sample!!! Best Price | Triggering the garbage filter also undermines the brand’s reputation. |
| all uppercase | BEST LED SUPPLIER IN CHINA | The email service is used for sending promotional emails. |
| too long | We are a professional manufacturer of… (30 words) | The mobile app supports truncation of 40 characters at most; key terms will not be displayed. |
| Masked replies | Subject: / Forwarded emails that appear to be legitimate messages | If discovered, the user will be blacklisted and all trust relations will be reset to zero. |
Another point that often gets overlooked is to avoid including attachments in the title. Attached documents can easily be considered spam by recipients. It’s better to include the attachments in a second follow-up email.
A self-check took place two minutes after the title was written.
- Length:Count the number of words (6 to 10 words) and the total number of characters (within 60 characters). Place the key words at the first 40 characters.
- Specificity:Remove words like “professional manufacturer” and “win-win cooperation”, which are useful for any industry. Instead, use information that is unique to your email message—numbers, categories, and the name of the other company involved.
- Check trigger words:Free, Guaranteed, Dollar sign stack, continuous exclamation marks. If any of these symbols appear, they should be replaced.
- Let’s read it in a different order once:Suppose you are a buyer, and the only 40 characters that appear in the mobile phone’s notification bar are shown here. Would you click on this email?
Titles for three real-world scenarios are provided as examples.
| scene | reference header | points |
|---|---|---|
| Canton Fair just got acquainted with this person. | Great Meeting You at the Canton Fair - Caster Samples Ready | Using the memory points we encountered face to face, I use the sample as a hook. |
| Customs Data Development | Casters Shipment to Mexico Importer MX - 30 Day Terms | Refer to the other party’s actual procurement records; conditions should be specified clearly. |
| referral | Referral from ABC Trading - Caster Supplier for Warehouse Carts | The name of the referral person should be included in the title. Trusting them means ensuring a smooth transition of responsibilities. |
The conditions mentioned in the example (30-day billing period, samples available) are merely illustrative. You should replace them with your own actual conditions. The promises made in the title must be achievable; otherwise, even if the opening rate seems high, trust in your service will decrease.
There is also one more rule: the titles of each email campaign must be recorded for later reference. Keep track of the titles, categories, delivery times, and open rates of each email campaign in the same table. After a month, you will be able to see the preferences of your customers. This table is more accurate than any external tutorials, because the data comes from your own customers.
In addition to the title: The sender's information and the sending time also need to be included.
The title and sender’s name should appear as one entire line for the buyer to read. Both elements need to be clearly explained together: the sender’s name should be written in the format “Name | Company” (e.g., “Leo | QH Casters”). The title doesn’t need to include the company name again, allowing more space for describing the value and relevance of the message. The sending time should align with the target market’s working hours: European buyers should be sent between 3 PM and 6 PM Beijing time, while American buyers should be sent after 10 PM. This ensures that emails arrive at the top of the recipient’s inbox during their working hours, resulting in a higher open rate compared to sending emails late at night. Domain reputation is the foundation beyond the title—new domains should be sent out in small quantities to build reputation. Corporate email addresses should be configured with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC settings. No matter how good the title is, it won’t be enough if the domain itself isn’t properly verified.
common problems
Is it helpful to include the Chinese company name or its pinyin in the title?
Generally, there’s no need for anything extra. Buyers usually take less than two seconds to scan the title. Text in Chinese or pinyin doesn’t provide much information to them; instead, it increases the difficulty of identification. Unless the buyer has worked with your brand for many years and knows your brand well, it’s better to keep the title in English only. The company details should be included in the body of the text, along with any signature information.
2. How many recipients can a development email be sent to?
One email at a time. Sending multiple emails in a group is a common way to end up in the spam folder—since the recipient list is visible, and the subject lines are too general. Using the individual sending feature of email tools, by addressing each email to the recipient’s name and company, along with specific and relevant subject lines, significantly improves the chances of emails being delivered and opened.
3. What is the normal open rate?
There are significant differences among industries, so there’s no need to compare with others. Instead, focus on your own trends: if the opening rate of the same list continues to be low over several batches, first check the title and the credibility of the domain name used for sending messages. If the opening rate is normal but the number of responses is low, the problem lies in the content of the message and the quality of the recipients. Don’t try to change the title randomly without considering these factors.
For factories that engage in foreign trade, creating effective email subject lines is a crucial area of optimization, as it allows for maximum return on investment. This approach requires no additional costs, and immediate results can be achieved. By creating versions of the subject line using three different sentence structures, it’s possible to increase the opening rate of emails in your industry by two or three batches of messages.
Qihang Zhilian Foreign Trade Research Institute
