What is a Preview Snippet?
A
preview snippet, also known as a preheader, is the short text that follows the subject line when an email is viewed in the inbox. This snippet serves as a quick summary of the email content, offering recipients an additional reason to open the email.
Why is it Important?
The preview snippet is crucial because it can significantly impact your
open rates. A well-crafted snippet can entice recipients to open your email, while a poorly written one can make them ignore it or even mark it as spam. In a crowded inbox, the preview snippet provides an additional touchpoint to capture attention.
Keep it Short: Aim for around 40-50 characters. This ensures that your message is fully visible in most email clients.
Complement the Subject Line: The snippet should add value to the subject line, not repeat it. Use it to provide additional context or highlight key points.
Include a Call-to-Action: Encourage recipients to open the email by using action-oriented language.
Personalize: Use the recipient's name or other personalized elements to make the snippet more engaging.
Avoid Spam Triggers: Refrain from using all caps, excessive punctuation, or spammy words that could land your email in the spam folder.
Examples of Effective Preview Snippets
Here are some examples of effective preview snippets: "Don't miss out on our exclusive 50% off sale!"
"Your personalized report is ready to view."
"Limited seats available—register now!"
Common Mistakes to Avoid
There are several common mistakes that marketers often make with preview snippets: Repetition: Repeating the subject line content in the snippet wastes valuable space and doesn't provide any additional value.
Irrelevant Information: Including information that isn't relevant to the email content can confuse or mislead recipients.
Too Long: If the snippet is too long, it may get cut off, losing its impact.
How to Test Preview Snippets?
A/B testing is a powerful way to determine the effectiveness of different preview snippets. You can create two versions of the same email with different snippets and measure which one performs better in terms of
open rates and
click-through rates. Tools like
Litmus and
Email on Acid can also help you preview how your snippet will look across various email clients.
Technical Considerations
Different email clients display preview snippets differently. For example, Gmail may show up to 100 characters, while others like Outlook may show less. It's important to test your emails across multiple clients to ensure your snippet looks good everywhere. Additionally, make sure to set a fallback snippet for clients that do not support preview text customization.Conclusion
The preview snippet is a small but powerful element in
email marketing. By crafting compelling, concise snippets that complement your subject lines, you can improve your email open rates and overall campaign performance. Avoid common mistakes and leverage A/B testing to continually refine your approach for the best results.