Email Fundraising Subject Lines - Use Today's News Headlines to Boost Open Rates with Online Appeals

If you want to increase the number of people who read
your email fundraising letters and email newsletters,
put today's headlines in your email subject
lines.

Paris Hilton is in the news right now because she is
in jail right now. She's behind bars because she
drove drunk while her license was suspended for
drunk driving. Mothers Against Drunk Driving made
good use of Paris Hilton's celebrity status and
newsworthiness in an email appeal dated May 13,
2007.

Their subject line? "Help MADD stop the 500,000
Paris Hiltons."

Here is the opening of the email:

"Help us raise $500,000 keep our roadways safe and
support victims of this violent crime, especially those
who drive while suspended.

"There has been a news explosion over the fact that
Paris Hilton drove drunk, had her license suspended,
and then continued to drive anyway. What has not
been mentioned is that she is one of 500,000 people
do this same thing each year; studies shown that 50
to 75 percent of people who have their license
suspended for drunk driving continue to drive without
a license and many of them are continuing to drive
drunk. We are trying to raise $500,000 by the end of
June to combat these 500,000 unsafe drivers and we
need your help."

As you can see, MADD did three things right with their
subject line.

1. They tied it to a celebrity who draws massive media
attention and who is in the news today.

2. They tied that celebrity to an alarming statistic
(500,000 drunk drivers yearly), making that statistic
more dramatic and concrete, less abstract.

3. They tied that alarming statistic of 500,000 drunk
drivers with their campaign goal of raising $500,000.
Very clever.

Amnesty International did the same thing during the
week that a new movie about the illegal diamond
trade appeared in theatres. Their subject line: "Go
see 'Blood Diamond' this weekend."

Covenant House tied current events with their May
2007 appeal with this subject line: "A Gift of Love on
Mother's Day."

Greenpeace did the same thing at Christmas 2006
with this subject: "Green holidays, your campaign to
save the whales, enviro art and much, much
more."

Like everyone else, donors like to read about what's
new. And nothing is as new as today's news. So tie
your email message to a breaking news story, put that
in your email subject line, and you'll boost your open
rates, and clickthroughs.