Copywriting Q&A: Email Snippet Tactics

Email snippets are lines of copy that show up in your inbox after the subject lines. But, as you’ll see from your own inbox, most companies mess them up. So today, we’re going to dive in deep with snippets and learn how to write them well. Read on…

Today’s question comes from Yael N., who asks, “I’m writing emails for my clients and they asked me to include copy for snippets. What does that mean and what should I know?”

Email snippets (sometimes called pre-headers) are lines of copy that offer extra explanation for your subject line. They’re the first line of copy in the email itself, often written in very small type across the top.

Because they’re the first line, most email providers will pull that them after the subject lines in an email’s inbox. Which means they’re pretty important, right? Right. And so, obviously, all companies use them wisely, right? Mmm…no.

Just take a look at your own inbox—most companies waste that space with “This email was sent to xxxxxxxx@gmail.com…” or “Make sure you receive our emails! Put this address in your contacts list.” What a waste of valuable real estate!

Your snippet is important because it allows you to give more reason for someone to open an email. It allows you to expand on your subject line.

For your snippet, you have two options. First, you could give more details that support your subject line. Just be sure not to give so many details that the reader doesn’t need to open the email!

For example, if your subject line is “Win a music lover’s trip to California!” Your snippet could be something like, “3 nights in Palm Springs, tix to Coachella and more: Enter now!”

You could also use the snippet to pique their interest/arouse their curiosity more. For example, if your subject line were something like, “This will make travel easier than ever,” your snippet could be something like, “When this launches in 3 days, your life will change forever.”

The point is that your snippet should be used to give a little extra incentive to open the email and that means it has a really important role to play. You should craft your snippet just as carefully as your subject line and, of course, never let a company rely on pre-populated utility text (“You’re receiving this email because…”) because they’re wasting a huge opportunity.

Your turn! Have you come across any good email snippets lately? Let us know in the comments below!