We don’t normally test the “from” line on the emails we send, but a recent situation gave us some quantifiable data on the difference it can make.
A client, for whom we publish a regular monthly newsletter, decided to send a series of three email holiday promotions they created in-house. When compared to the average open rates for our newsletters, the first promotion fell 15% and the second 7% – not surprising for a promotion vs. a newsletter. But what gave us a jolt was that the first promotion received 3 times the usual number of spam reports, and the second more than 6 times!
Before the third promotion went out, we took a closer look. The “from” line appeared to be the culprit. Newsletters were always sent from newsletter@[CompanyName]. By contrast, the promotions used the “from” line of [ClientName]@[CompanyName].
At our recommendation, the client changed the “from” line for the final promotion. We suggested [CompanyName]@[CompanyName], but they went with promotions@[CompanyName]. The spam reports fell back to normal levels.
The moral of the story: choose your “from” line carefully. Don’t use a personal name, unless it’s one that your subscribers recognize. Be sure it includes your company name. And once you’ve chosen a “from” line, use it consistently.
