Preheaders

The preheader is a short preview text that appears under or beside the subject line when an email is viewed in the inbox. Their purpose is to entice subscribers to open the email. As such, the preheader should summarize or hint at the content of the email, in one concise sentence.

Keep in mind that the preheader is one of the first things a reader sees before deciding whether to open the email – so engaging, attention-grabbing preheaders are key – without being deceptive or misleading. You want to portray an accurate picture of what’s inside the email while maintaining a level of curiosity and incentive to read more.

What makes a good preheader

A good preheader flows from the subject line. A good preheader describes the content of the email while enticing users to click open the email. A good preheader teases, if not outright spells out, the main CTA. If you want the full preheader to be visible, then keep it less than 50 characters long. You may also want to intentionally have the preheader cut off, giving a teasing effect.

Example: Preheader from 10/15/18 ACLU Voter email, which teases the CTA (join a phone bank) in a way that flows from the subject line (in this case, answering the question). It’s also short enough to fit neatly within the preview area.

BEST PRACTICES: PREHEADERS

• Make sure the preheader flows naturally from the subject line
• Always test the preheader on mobile
• Standard copy and punctuation rules apply