Playing with Numbers

Would you be interested in reading an article called “Great Time-saving Tips?” What about an article called “7 Great Time-saving Tips?” Which of those two options would you be more willing to read?

You may dismiss using numbers in a headline as just another attention-getting trick used all the time by glossy women’s magazines, but I’m guessing that when presented with the two headlines above, you chose the option with the number in it, right? It’s amazing what adding something so small to a headline will do to attract us.

Now put yourself in the shoes (and inbox) of those on your mailing list. When faced with so many email messages and not enough time to read them all, a subject line with a number in it will usually be more attractive than one without.

Why are numbers so effective at getting people to read an article or open an email? Well, numbers tell a reader how long it will take them to get through an article, so they can judge whether it’s worth investing the time to read. For example, if you know there will only be 7 quick tips, you know the article or email won’t take too long to read.

Numbers also play to a desire for instant gratification. A numbers headline or subject line explains, in specific-enough terms, what is promised in an article or email. And if you know that you can learn a certain defined number of things in a short article, you’ll click on it, won’t you? By that same token, maybe 7 things on the list won’t be new to you, but one or two may be. That makes the email worth checking out just to see what’s inside. There’s instant benefit.

The next time you’re looking to boost your open rate, try writing a number-based subject line — or, if your content doesn’t lend itself to such a thing, why not write a list-based article? Let me know in the comments field below if this suggestion works for you.