Latest / The Email Marketing Podcast with Fexingo: Newsletters, Open Rates, and Subscriber Growth / Why Your Email Preheader Is a Second Subject Line
Transcript
- Lucas: You know that little line of text that shows up beneath or beside the subject line when someone's scanning their inbox? Gray, smaller font, usually cut off after a few words? Luna: The preview text, yeah. Or preheader. Lucas: Exactly. And I think most marketers treat it as an afterthought. They leave the default 'View this in your browser' or 'Having trouble viewing this email?' — which is basically a wasted opportunity. Luna: I've definitely been guilty of that. I'd spend fifteen minutes tweaking a subject line and then just let the email platform auto-fill the preheader. Lucas: Right. But here's the thing — on mobile, which is now where more than sixty percent of emails are opened, the preheader is often more visible than the subject line itself. On an iPhone Mail app, you see maybe forty characters of subject line and then a similar length of preheader right below it. Luna: So it's really a second subject line, just in a different position. Lucas: That's exactly how to think about it. And data from a few independent studies suggests that a well-written preheader can lift open rates by ten to thirty percent. That's not huge for a million-subscriber list, but for a smaller business or a newsletter trying to grow, that's real. Luna: We should talk about what 'well-written' actually means here. Because I've seen a lot of advice that says 'use it to summarize the email' — which seems straightforward, but I feel like it's often done poorly. Lucas: Yeah, there's a subtlety. The best preheaders don't summarize the email — they expand on the subject line. They answer a question the subject line raises, or they add context. If your subject line is 'Our big summer sale starts now,' the preheader could be '40% off everything, but only for the next 48 hours.' That gives the reader a reason to click. Luna: Versus just repeating the subject line or saying 'Read more inside.' That's the lazy version. Lucas: Exactly. And there's a structural thing too. Most email clients show between eighty and one hundred characters total across subject and preheader, combined. So you've got to treat them as one unit. The subject line hooks, the preheader lands. Luna: Is there a rule about length? Should you always use the maximum allowed? Lucas: Not necessarily. On desktop Gmail, the preheader usually shows about one hundred characters. But on mobile, it's often truncated at around forty to fifty characters. So you want the most important information — the action driver — in the first thirty-five or forty characters. Anything after that is gravy. Luna: So put the punchline first. Kind of like inverted pyramid writing. Lucas: Exactly. And one more thing — never, ever let the preheader start with the words 'View this email in your browser' unless you deliberately want to waste that real estate. If your email platform inserts that by default, you need to override it. Luna: A lot of platforms let you set a custom preheader. Some don't, and then you have to put a hidden text block at the very top of the email HTML. That's a technical workaround, but it's worth doing. Lucas: Yeah. I want to get into some real examples. I was looking at a weekly newsletter from a direct to consumer brand — let's call them Brand X — and their subject line was 'Your weekly digest is here.' That's fine, but it's generic. The preheader was 'Top stories, deals, and a surprise.' That's an improvement — it gives me three things to expect. But it could be even more specific. Luna: What would you change? Lucas: I might write 'The best deal this week: 30% off winter boots. Plus a reader story that made us cry.' Now I know exactly what I'm getting. And it creates a little emotional pull. Luna: That's a good example. Let me think of a counterexample. I once got an email from a SaaS company with the subject 'Your account has changes.' That sounds alarming. The preheader was 'Please review your new settings.' That's actually a good use — it clarifies that it's not a security threat, it's just an update. So it reduces anxiety. Lucas: Great point. The preheader can also be a reassurance tool. Especially for transactional emails or password reset notifications. If the subject is 'Your password has been reset,' the preheader should say 'If you didn't do this, contact support immediately.' That's informative and actionable. Luna: What about A/B testing? Should you test preheaders separately from subject lines? Lucas: Ideally, yes. But you need a large enough list to get statistical significance. For most small to mid-size lists, I'd recommend testing the subject line first, then once you have a winning subject, test a couple of preheader variations. That way you isolate the variable. Luna: On the flip side, is there a case where you shouldn't use a preheader at all? Like if your subject line is already very long? Lucas: Interesting question. If your subject line is already fifty or sixty characters, the preheader might get cut off on mobile. In that case, you could either shorten the subject line or make the preheader very short — maybe just a call to action like 'Shop now' or 'Learn more.' But I'd argue that omitting it entirely is a mistake because you're leaving a blank space that the inbox provider might fill with random text from the email body. Luna: Yeah, that's a risk. I've seen emails where the preheader shows up as 'If you cannot see this email, click here.' That's not useful. Lucas: Right. So always set a custom preheader. Even if it's just two words. It's better than leaving it to chance. Luna: We've talked a lot about open rates, but does a good preheader affect click-through rates too? Lucas: Indirectly, yes. Because if the preheader sets an accurate expectation, the reader who clicks is more likely to find what they expected, and that increases the chance they'll click through. But it's mostly an open rate lever. The click-through depends on the content inside. Luna: I want to bring up something I noticed recently. Some brands are starting to use emojis in the preheader. Is that a good idea? Lucas: It can be, but it's risky. On some email clients, emojis render as blank squares or cause the text to wrap oddly. If your audience skews younger and tech-savvy, it might work. For a B2B audience, I'd avoid it. Test it on a small segment first. Luna: That's fair. So we've covered length, content, positioning, testing. Anything else to keep in mind? Lucas: One thing: don't make the preheader a carbon copy of the subject line. I see that a lot. Subject line: 'New arrivals just dropped.' Preheader: 'New arrivals just dropped.' That's redundant and wastes the opportunity. You want to add information, not repeat it. Luna: Right. And also, think about the context of the inbox. The preheader appears right after the sender name and subject line. So if your sender name is 'Brand X' and the subject is 'Your weekly update', the preheader is the third piece of info. Use it to complete the thought. Lucas: Exactly. Let me give you a framework I've been using: the subject line creates curiosity or urgency; the preheader resolves it with a specific detail. Or vice versa — subject is specific, preheader adds urgency. Either way, they should work together. Luna: That's a simple rule to remember. I think our listeners can apply that to their next email send. Lucas: Absolutely. And if you want to see some real examples, I can share a few in the show notes. But for now, the takeaway is: treat your preheader as a second subject line. Write it with the same care. On mobile, it might be the first thing people read. Luna: Lucas, I know we don't do ads, but I do want to mention something. If these marketing conversations have sparked something you've actually used — a tweak to your subject line, a new segment, a preheader that worked — it makes a real difference if you support the show. Lucas: Yeah. A couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these going — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, if you've gotten something out of them. We keep it ad-free because of that. Luna: It adds up. And it means we can keep digging into these tactical topics without worrying about sponsors. Lucas: Exactly. So back to the preheader — one last tip: on the next email you send, before you hit schedule, look at the preview pane. If the subject and preheader together don't tell a compelling mini-story, rewrite the preheader. That's the test. Luna: I think that's a great practice. I'm going to start doing that myself. Lucas: Good. And if you do, let us know how it goes. We might do a follow-up episode with listener examples. Until next time.