Last quarter, newsletter giant The Hustle ran a test that earned 43,876 additional clicks in their emails.<\/p>\n
Not 44,000 total. 44,000 more. <\/em><\/p>\n If you\u2019re like me, you\u2019d do terrible things for that kind of engagement.<\/p>\n So I banged on their managing editor\u2019s door and demanded to know his secrets.<\/p>\n Thankfully, the process is simple and repeatable \u2014 no terrible things required. So put down that crowbar, because I\u2019m going to share a process that you can start today.<\/em><\/p>\n Ben Berkley, the managing editor of The Hustle, perpetually sports an impish grin. Which is fitting, because behind that grin is a deceptively simple method \u2014 with some twists coming up.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how it works:<\/p>\n Every weekday morning, Ben cooks up two separate subject lines for each newsletter. At 5:30 am ET, each subject line is sent to only 30% of The Hustle\u2019s audience.<\/p>\n After an hour, the variant with the most engagement is automatically sent to the remaining 40% of recipients.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s it?\u201d you\u2019re thinking. \u201cIt\u2019s just a stinkin\u2019 A\/B test?!\u201d<\/p>\n Not so fast. I promised you twists:<\/p>\n \u00a0The variations are sent to four predefined subscriber segments. \u00a0Ben\u2019s secret sauce: The WTF factor. The Hustle splits the original two test emails among four <\/em>segments.<\/p>\n To help me understand this, Ben refers me to Kaylee Jenzen, The Hustle\u2019s resident MarTech wizard.<\/p>\n (\u201cIf the Nobel Foundation ever adds a prize for newslettering, I’m nominating Kaylee so fast,\u201d he says.)<\/p>\n \u201cThe Hustle uses HubSpot workflows<\/a> to segment contacts with values ranging from 1 through 4,\u201d Jenzen explains. \u201cEmail 1 is targeted at segments 1 and 2, while Email 2 is directed towards segments 3 and 4.\u201d<\/p>\n In other words: One email, two variations, four sends. The reason?<\/p>\n \u201cBy distributing email sends over time, The Hustle avoids triggering spam filters and ensures more consistent delivery rates,\u201d Kaylee says.<\/p>\n The takeaway: <\/strong>High send volumes are a signal that email service providers use to identify spammers. By reducing your recipient list and increasing send times, you make your emails safer in the eyes of email servers.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve tried A\/B testing your subject lines before, I\u2019ll bet you based the test on open rate, right?<\/p>\n That\u2019s what nearly every tutorial will tell you, and it\u2019s not a bad choice. But it\u2019s not the only <\/em>choice.<\/p>\n While open rate measures the number of readers who access the email, it can\u2019t separate out those readers who delete it immediately. Click-through rate, on the other hand, measures the number of readers who actually engage with the email.<\/p>\n \u201cBy emphasizing CTR, The Hustle aims to not only capture the reader’s attention, but it also encourages them to take action and interact further with the content,\u201d Jenzen says. \u201cThis approach reflects a strategic effort to drive meaningful engagement beyond just opens.\u201d<\/p>\n See, The Hustle\u2019s open rate is already above industry average, so tweaking the subject line only results in around a 1% difference in that metric. (#HumbleBrag?) So instead, its team makes the strategic choice to focus that time and effort on cultivating even deeper engagement.<\/p>\n The takeaway: <\/strong>Open rate might <\/em>be the metric you want to focus on. But think about your ultimate goal. Optimize to achieve that<\/strong>, not what a YouTube tutorial told you to do.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen people are looking through their inboxes, they\u2019re often just looking to clear all the new stuff out,\u201d Ben says. \u201cAnd they get in a rhythm.\u201d<\/p>\n That rhythm is the sound of your email being deleted.<\/p>\n \u201cSo the goal is to gently jostle someone out of their rhythm,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n That\u2019s where Ben\u2019s secret sauce comes in.<\/p>\n \u201cTo do that, you need a little \u2018WTF?\u2019 factor sprinkled in.\u201d<\/p>\n As the former executive editor of The Onion, Ben\u2019s no stranger to the WTF factor. But that doesn\u2018t mean that he\u2019s trying to recreate Onion headlines for The Hustle.<\/p>\n \u201cI never go for shock value or try too hard to throw people off,\u201d he cautions. \u201cBut you ultimately want them to see something unexpected and give them a quick pause. You just want them to glitch for a split second.\u201d<\/p>\n Some of my favorite examples:<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfa8 Believe in yourself, but not like this The takeaway: <\/strong>Your subject line should be surprising enough to shake them out of autopilot and spare a few minutes for your email.<\/p>\n But what does that actually mean?<\/p>\n\n Ben shares with me what he calls his \u201cSubject Line Manifesto.\u201d These are actual guiding principles for The Hustle\u2019s editorial voice.<\/p>\n You\u2019re not likely to jostle someone out of their rhythm with a subject line that confirms something they already know.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving worked in comedy, I know the power of subverting expectations,\u201d Ben says. \u201cIt\u2019s at the core of getting laughs and creating something memorable.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExcluding all of the other actual unforgivable crimes, there\u2019s just one unforgivable crime at The Hustle,\u201d he adds. \u201cBeing boring.\u201d<\/p>\n That doesn\u2019t mean you have to try to be funny. In fact, that may be inappropriate for your brand. You can subvert expectations with new data, surprising ideas, or a thoughtful question.<\/p>\n What part of your email is adding something new to the conversation? That\u2019s your subject line.<\/p>\n And speaking of which\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cThe subject line has to match the newsletter\u2019s overall vibe, and also the specific content within each day,\u201d Ben explains. \u201cSo really, the work of writing a strong subject line starts with the work of writing strong stories.\u201d<\/p>\n So if your email doesn\u2019t <\/em>add anything new to the conversation, maybe pause the subject lines for now and revisit your content strategy.<\/p>\n\n If you do decide to use humor, don\u2019t use the same pun that 10 of your competitors also used. Chances are, an example just popped into your head. Skip that one.<\/p>\n \u201cLow-hanging fruit in comedy is low for a reason; it\u2019s there because it\u2019s what people expect,\u201d Ben adds. \u201cIf you give it to them, maybe you get light laughs, or a pity laugh or two, but you\u2019re probably not getting a belly laugh because they weren\u2019t surprised. Valuable content comes from jolts.\u201d<\/p>\n And while we\u2019re on the subject\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s so easy to have a subject line feel like clickbait, and that\u2019s the last feeling we want our audience to have,\u201d Ben warns. \u201cIn this hypercompetitive attention economy, if you sour that relationship, you\u2019re never getting it back.\u201d<\/p>\n The Hustle sees a noticeable lift in performance from subject lines that are only 11-15 characters long.<\/p>\n Their shortest subject lines enjoy an engagement rate almost 75% higher<\/em> than emails with the longest.<\/p>\n \u201cAs I approach subject lines, I always remind myself: Those words are there to whet the palate, not overwhelm it,\u201d Ben says. \u201cYou need to give them just enough context to pique their interest, but not so much that they feel like they already have the whole story.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Now that you\u2019re a subject line expert, let\u2019s talk process.<\/p>\n Sending multiple emails every day sounds like a ton of work, and it would<\/em> be if you did it manually. Thankfully, most email marketing tools have some kind of automated A\/B testing feature.<\/p>\nThe How-To That They Do<\/h2>\n
\n \u00a0The winner is based on the click-through rate (CTR) <\/em>\u2014 not the open rate.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n Let\u2019s dig in.
\n <\/p>\nTwist 1: Segmenting Readers<\/h3>\n
Twist 2: Targeting CTR, Not Open Rate<\/h3>\n
Twist 3: The WTF Factor<\/h3>\n
\n \ud83d\udd79 Buried under cement in a landfill
\n \ud83d\udd13 Breaking out of toothpaste jail <\/p>\nHow to Write Subject Lines Like The Hustle<\/h2>\n
1. Be unexpected.<\/h3>\n
2. Strong subject lines come from strong stories.<\/h3>\n
3. Don\u2019t go for cheap laughs.<\/h3>\n
4. Never stoop to clickbait.<\/h3>\n
5. Keep it brief.<\/h3>\n
How to Do the Test at Home<\/h2>\n