Designing for the preview pane

June 5th, 2007

Are you too busy to open your emails during the day? Can’t afford that extra click of the mouse to receive your friend’s message about the latest YouTube video? Or maybe you’re just too damn lazy. Whatever the reason, have we got the solution for you. It’s quick. It’s easy. And it runs by default on most email clients. Curious? Impatient? What could it be?!?

You’ll find out…right after this brief message from Microsoft and Outlook 2007. “Outlook 2007: Setting email code back to 2002 since 2006″.

To many of us out there consistently fighting the daily onslaught of our inbox, the preview pane is the answer to our prayers. It allows us to view a portion of an email without the need to open it. This save us time and provides more information about the email before we make the decision to open or delete the message.

All of that is well and good for the user, but how do you design for it? Not only do you have to still consider the overall message that you’re convincing the recipient to read and ultimately take action on, but we have 25% of the space to do it in. Wait, there’s more. This precious 25% of space could be displayed horizontally or vertically, depending on the setting of the email application and the individual recipient. Having fun yet?

Okay, okay. Enough of the dramatic effect. This isn’t the end of the world. It’s just going to take more consideration and planning. You only have 2-4 inches to convince someone to open your email. Let’s explore how to do it.

The Stats - Customer Usage

• Overall, 64% use preview panes as default when they are presented with this feature.
• 95% of B2B users have email clients that are preview pane capable. 64% are using them.
• 38% of B2C users have email clients that are preview pane capable. 27% are using them.

If you’re thinking right now, “I market to B2C. 27%? Awesome.” - don’t. This preview pane usage may seem low, but it’s deceiving because it takes into account web-based email clients. But don’t you fret. The new versions of Microsoft Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail are preview pane capable. So that 27% will just grow and grow and grow.

More Stats - Age Usage

• 84% of 18-34 year olds
• 68% of 36-54 year olds
• 58% of 55 and older

Viewing Methods
As I mentioned earlier, there are 4 ways you can use a preview pane to view your email - small horizontal, large horizontal, small vertical and large vertical. The good news is that the majority of these users are using the horizontal preview page - 18-34 (76%), 36-54 (74%), 55+ (81%) - which is easier to design for.

Take Action
The upper left corner is the one area that is displayed in all preview pane layouts, so take advantage of it. Reduce the size of the masthead images/logos and move them out of the left corner. Put your most important call to action in that space instead. In promotional emails, proudly display your offer or a “Shop Now” call to action. For your e-Newsletters, list your table of contents or an “In this Issue” teaser highlight.

But my branding, my identity, is in that left corner? What is an e-marketer to do? Remember that email marketing is about encouraging action, whether it’s to buy a product, register for a webinar or simply view a web page. A masthead may brand your email, but it does not encourage action. Don’t worry, your email’s “From” address will still have your company name and your subject line will still include the name of the email. At least industry best practices says it should (hint, hint).

And now for my “wet blanket” moment. Just because someone does not use a preview pane does not mean they read your entire email. They just see your subject line and line listing and are making the decision to open or delete your email based on that text. So don’t forget the subject line.

A Final Thought
Designing for the preview pane is not a massive undertaking, so don’t sweat it. It just takes some additional planning and considerations of your goals, your audience and the action you’d like them to take to reach those goals. Your bottom line will thank you for it.

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  Don’t forget the subject line

May 2nd, 2006

Consumers now spend more time reading and sending email than watching TV. Why? Because email remains the only mass media channel you can engage in one-to-one marketing with your customer (and potential customer) base. Reach your audience at work, at home, and while mobile. That is, if they let you in.

Yes, your customers are reading email more. Yes, they are visiting more sites because of email. And yes, they are buying more products online. But…(wait for it)…they are smarter than they used to be. And if they’re not, you can be damn sure the spam filters are.

Ah, yes. It takes me back to the days of the Land Shark. I can hear it now. “L-l-l-l-and Shark…” I doubt Chevy Chase would have that easy of a time getting in the door these days.

So why am I going through this seemingly endless talk about emails and land sharks. Because most design, marketing, and sales teams think about graphics, content, and the recipient list. What is rarely mentioned, let alone planned and tested, is the subject line. The subject line. I’ll say it again, the subject line. Come on, folks. That’s your opener. The three second pitch that gets you in the door or out with the trash.

There are several things you can do right now to increase your open and click-thru rates, which could possibly translate into more sales. And that will make you happy and your boss very, very happy.

1. Use company or brand name in the subject line - It offers immediate credibility and reinforces your branding. Plus, it has been shown to increase unique open rates by five percent or more. Not too shabby.
2. Write a brief subject line - Keep your subject line to six words or less. Most email clients cut off subject lines at 50 characters, including spaces. If you can’t cut it down, than try splitting the subject line into sections using colons or commas. Remember that the subject line is being scanned as quickly as most entry points on the Internet, in about a second or two.
3. Never falsify the subject line - Using “RE:” or FW:” is not in compliance with CAN-SPAM and is easily recognizable as spam
4. Avoid these words and/or phrases - Most content filters directly analyze the subject line and the following is high on their lists:
   bill consolidation, cash, credit, hello, free, instant winner, investment report, interest rates, register to win, save $, seen on tv, stock alert, life insurance
5. Set expectations of the email –If it is a newsletter, reinforce the soft sell and long-term relationship. If it is a “special promotion”, tell them what it is. Your customer will expect a hard sell, so saying “25% off our entire line” is well understood.
6. Test how subject lines are displayed in different email clients – With the variety of email applications (including web-based), screen resolutions, and operating systems, testing will greatly benefit your campaign.
7. A/B test your subject lines with your audience – Take small random sample of your recipient list for each of your best two or three subject lines. Send out a different subject line to each group and wait 24 hours for the results. They’re the ones getting and opening the email, so pay attention. The results might surprise you.
8. And finally…Keep It Simple, Stupid –Tell them about the subject of the email. After all, it is a subject line.

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