Research from HealthLink Dimensions found that 65 percent of healthcare providers (HCPs) prefer email over other forms of communication for receiving information about new products, industry news, and educational opportunities.
So, the question for pharma marketers is, how do you get HCPs to open the emails you send?
The first thing to consider is timing. When you send emails is important, as. Email open rates fall after that first hour, so paying attention to open rates can help marketers time their email sends.
However, the subject line you use is even more important than timing your emails. An email subject line is what makes an HCP decide whether to click on your email, ignore it, or send it to the trash.
Do’s and Don’ts of Creating Subject Lines to Capture HCP’s Attention
The first thing to acknowledge when creating email subject lines for HCPs is that there are no absolutes. Some items may work well for a particular subject or audience, while others fall flat. So, keep track of your email metrics to determine which subject lines work best and worst for your audience.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt to follow email marketing best practices when creating subject lines for HCPs. Here are some of the top do’s and don’ts for email marketing to HCPs.
DO be direct. HCPs are busy professionals who don’t want to waste time trying to figure out what an email will be about. Worry less about sounding creative and more about getting the point of the email across in 10 words or less. Subject lines with 6 – 10 words have the best open rates.
DO capture HCPs’ pain points. Consider their journey and the challenges they may be facing that your email could solve.
DO use numbers (if relevant). Research shows that email subject lines that include a number have a 45 percent higher open rate than those without numbers.
DON’T use emojis. HCPs may be likely to scroll past your email, thinking it’s a gimmick. In addition, emojis can be marked as spam and end up in your HCPs’ spam folder instead of their inbox. If you feel an emoji is warranted for a particular email, use it in the body of the email instead of the subject line.
DON’T use all caps in your email subject line. It can come across as shouting to your audience, and email spam filters don’t like it. Stick to standard sentence casing, which brings us to our final don’t …
DON’T write a complete sentence as your email subject line. Remember, the key to getting your audience’s attention is to keep it short and sweet. Be direct and to the point instead of trying to cram your entire email into the subject line.
Try These Subject Line Starters for Your Next HCP Email Campaign
Ready to tackle your next email campaign? Here are some good email subject line starters that can increase your chances of capturing HCPs’ attention.
Questions
Ask a question that relates to your audience’s pain points.
Are your ….
How should ….
What if ….
Informative
Educate your audience on a specific area of interest.
How to ….
Exciting news …
Announcing the launch of …
Urgency
Tap into the human element of fear of missing out (FOMO) with these subject line starters.
Ending soon …
Don’t miss out …
Action needed …
Work with a Trusted Email Partner
Once you’ve mastered your subject line for HCPs, all that’s left to do is send your emails. That’s where HealthLink Dimension comes in.
Our email deployment services can ensure that your emails get sent to the right HCPs at the right time without getting blocked by spam filters. Contact us to learn more.