Let’s talk about something you do every day, but don’t always put much thought into it, writing headlines. I know you sell insurance, and you do that through gaining customers via inbound direct calls or leads, but remember this post on the importance of follow up communication with insurance leads or calls? Every follow-up email you write has a headline. A headline that you hope is intriguing enough to get someone to open that email and read it. So how do you improve your headline writing? Below I’ve compiled a list of my top 5 favorites.
- Tell them the benefit
Why does anyone open an email? Well, if the headline tells them there is something to gain from it, of course they will open it. Consumers love getting things, even if it’s just information. By stating the benefit straight out you are explaining how the benefit improves the customer situation. Financialbrand.com says, the customer only cares about themselves, so by telling them how this email will have information to help themselves, why wouldn’t they open it?
- Ask a question
Customers are curious, they are not insurance agents you are, so if you ask a question in a headline of course they are going to have to read the email to know the answer, but not all questions are the right questions. Businessknowhow.com recommends, if you want the question headline to work you better ask a question your customers want the answer too; Are you spending too much on your car insurance? Will you know what to do if you're in an accident? Much like with the benefits headline, you need to give the customer information they want, not information your business wants. They don’t care if the question is related to how high your stock has gone up they only care if the question benefits them.
- Numbers, customers love numbers
People love to see numbers and they especially love them in lists. A top ten list of answers, questions, tidbits, etc. The nice thing about lists is it gives fast information and provides you with and instant title that gives your customer something; Top Ten Ways to Find the Best Auto Insurance, 5 Things you Need to Know When Buying Life Insurance, Is your Home Protected from these 7 Insurance Problems. The reader knows with numbers that if they read this list they will get a certain amount of great information.
- Be REALLY specific
Don’t try to tell your client in the title that you can insure them for every natural disaster there is and they live in California. Instead say tell them what the best insurance is in case of an earthquake not a tornado. By not casting a huge net and making it more client specific the likelihood of the email being opened will increase. Also, by narrowing your headline focus you have created a unique level of interest, which specifies an interest of your client, bringing it back to being all about the client.
- Don’t be cute, you’re not selling puppies
Cute headlines do not get your point across and they do not have a very good open rate. Instead try to be as clear and concise as possible. Cute headlines can sometimes be confusing, no one is going to open an email that the title doesn’t make sense. Instead go to tip number one about benefits and be very clear about what you are offering them, don’t let them wonder what it could be and they say, “oh well, delete.” Lars Lofgren, says if consumers don’t INSTANTLY know how their lives are going to improve by continuing to give their attention to something, they will move on and never look back, it’s the need for instant gratification. So why not give them something in the title, just remember, don’t be cute.
Basically, when writing insurance marketing email headlines, it breaks down to what does the customer wants and what can you offer them. A good way to think about it would be put yourself in your customer’s shoes, what do you want a company to offer you, what do you look for when you are buying insurance. Just remember whatever the title make sure you make good on what it promises.
