Text message marketing has become a communication staple for top political organizations. SMS messages are a spam-free, direct way to reach supporters who stand with your mission. With an impressive 99% open rate, there’s no doubt SMS texting should be part of your next political campaign.
Marketing text messages can include a subject line, similar to emails. Recipients don’t typically see subject lines in text messages from family and friends, so MMS subject lines will grab their attention and make an impact even before they unlock their mobile devices.
There’s a lot of competition out there––email, social media, and SMS inboxes are full of messages from companies and brands trying to stand out. While 90% of text messages are opened within three minutes of being received, not all make a compelling first impression. Industry experts say you have only seven seconds to capture someone’s attention with a text message or email. Engaging subject lines matter if you want to increase votes, donations, or shares for your organization. Here we share our pro tips for writing captivating subject lines.
Pro Tips for Creating Engaging Subject Lines
Crafting effective and engaging subject lines and messages requires a great deal of creativity and time. Here are our top four for writing highly captivating subject lines for your texts.
1. Create a Sense of Urgency
We often talk about creating a sense of urgency, and that’s because it’s a highly effective marketing strategy. Highlighting scarcity and urgency increases conversions and boosts engagement. Create a sense of urgency using powerful phrases such as “ends soon,” “vote now,” and “limited time only.” Urgent situations are psychological triggers and push people to act quickly.
Subject line examples that create a sense of urgency:
- Last chance to win a signed photo!
- You’ve won 15% off (but it won’t last)
- We’re counting on you. Vote now!
2. Inspire Curiosity and Relevance
While text messages have a 99% open rate, not every message is read. Intriguing and relevant subject lines increase text message read rate. Asking questions in your SMS subject lines instead of making statements makes recipients curious and inspires them to read your text messages.
A core goal when crafting text messages is to make subscribers happy. Never write subject lines that promise something you won’t be able to deliver. Unrealistic subject lines can cause you to lose credibility and eventually, supporters. So, only make promises you can deliver on but pique curiosity.
Subject line examples that are relevant and inspire curiosity:
- For your eyes only!
- Candidate Jane’s gift to you.
- You were just assigned a task. Now what?
3. Add a Personal Touch
We all like feeling special—your supporters are no exception. Voters want to feel a personal connection to the candidates and organizations they support. Personalized messages help build strong supporter relationships in the long run.
Segmenting your audience is an easy and effective way to keep things personal. The Tatango software helps collect personal information about your recipients, such as first name, zip code, and interests. Add a subscriber’s first name in the subject line for a personal touch.
Subject line examples with a personal feel:
- Lucy, your candidate needs you!
- Maria, can we count on you?
- Peter, we want to say thank you.
4. Include Numbers, Signs, and Capital Letters
Tatango also helps you entice subscribers to open your text messages by including numbers, signs, and capital letters in the subject lines. And with our software, you can use up to 5,000 characters per message and draw attention to certain words or phrases by using bold type, italics, and other special formatting.
Subject line examples including numbers, signs, and caps:
- 5 Ways to Help Your Favorite Candidate!
- DONATE NOW, 10 hours left!
- Wondering how YOUR work impacts others?
Create Catchy SMS Subject Lines With Tatango
There are many more ways to write engaging subject lines for your political SMS messaging campaign. Tatango Design Studio is ready to help you every step of the way. Partner with Tatango and make the most of all the resources we offer. Schedule a call with an SMS marketing expert for a demo and download our free resources today.
