"Piggybacking" - A Psychology-Driven Email Trick To Boost Your Open Rates

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How “Piggybacking” Off Of Big Names Will Get Your Emails Opened

Someone once told me that writing email subject lines is “more of an art than a science”.

I couldn’t disagree more.

You A/B test, spot patterns, and then hone in on what works.

As far as I’m concerned, it’s more of a science than an art.

The tricky part is figuring out what subject lines work for your specific audience.

That’s where testing comes in.

I want to dedicate more time to giving you ideas that have worked for this newsletter so you can test them out in your own.

Here’s one:

“Piggybacking” in email subject lines.

I.e. “Piggybacking” off of their name.

Some examples of where I did this successfully:

• Subject Line - “Reese Witherspoon: Content Genius?”

  • Open Rate = 53%

• Subject Line - “Ryan Reynolds: 300m Content Genius”

  • Open Rate = 52.6%

• Subject Line - “Patagonia does content right”

  • Open Rate = 52.9%

Nothing groundbreaking - but it works.

Here’s why…

The Psychology Behind Piggybacking In Email Subject Lines

There are two cognitive biases at play here:

• Authority Bias: We tend to believe and trust what well-known people say more than others.

• Halo Effect: Our general opinion of someone famous positively influences how we see everything related to them.

When you see a name you recognize in an email subject line, you’re more likely to think that email has valuable information — Authority Bias.

The email also seems more interesting as the high-profile name gives the content a positive glow — Halo Effect.

Eg. “Oprah’s Top Book Picks” would (probably) be more effective than “Top Book Picks 2023”.

Combined, these two effects result in what we all want…

Our email getting opened.

3 Tips For Using Piggybacking In Your Own Email Subject Lines

• Relevance Is Key: The name or brand you choose should be relevant to your content and audience.

• Stay Current: Leverage trending topics or recent news related to these figures.

• Be Truthful: Never mislead the readers. Make sure that the content genuinely relates to the name used in your subject line.

"But What If My Content Has Nothing To Do With A Big Name?"

With a bit of creativity and strategic thinking, you’d be surprised by often you can use piggybacking.

A few things you could try:

• Find An Indirect Connection: Your content might indirectly relate to a famous name. Just be sure to include the name in the content itself so the audience doesn’t feel misled.

• Use Analogies Or Metaphors: You could compare a concept in your newsletter to a strategy used by a well-known name. Eg. “The Netflix Strategy”.

• Case Studies Or Examples: Use well-known names as examples or case studies in your content. This allows you to then mention them in your subject line.

• Quotes Or Insights: Add a relevant quote from a big name to your content — then put the name in the subject line.

Your Next 3 Steps:

1. Identify A Big Name: Look for a relevant, well-known name that aligns with your content's theme.

2. Craft Your Subject Line: Integrate this name into your subject line creatively and honestly.

3. A/B Test: Send out variations to small segments of your audience and track which one gets a higher open rate.

🐰 rabbit holes and resources

🍫 Today’s link candy for content creators:

• Viral content explained in 6 words [link]

• The secrets behind the world’s largest and fastest growing newsletters [link]

• Substack founder on how to monetize your ideas [link]