💬 What's in a Substack email/post headline?

a/b testing but keep it fun!?

Hi Sparklers,

You guys will have heard my advice on this topic before… I really think it’s worth giving it space and time. I’d LOVE to chat to you about how you come up with your email/ Substack headlines?

Let me know in the comments below?!

What’s your process with email headlines?

I will be the first to admit my craft on this has improved and I’m always looking to my journalist pals for inspo… you’ll find journalists can be succinct.

Toni Jones

,

Suzy Walker

and

Farrah @Substack

always have great and clear headlines.

Personally, I write a heading for my posts as soon as I start.

Then I write and edit my piece and then completely re-write the headline. 🤣

It’s my process… that’s how I work.

The headline always gets better when I’ve written out the piece.

I think it’s interesting because the headline ALWAYS changes…

The more we sit with our words the more clarity we get. Writing isn’t the same as marketing isn’t the same as keeping your open rates high… it’s all craft of course.

Photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash

New Skills - Thanks Substack!

Now we have a/b testing for headlines on Substack it’s a game changer for understanding our reader’s behaviour on email opens.

I am constantly improving my writing craft.

I love to improve on headlines. I actually sent one out with a massive typo in this week. Thanks

Amy I Beeson

for pointing it out - we all have blind spots and plus it proves I’m human hey?

Turns out according to Substack, my second headline ¹always performs better. Proving my point I think? The best headlines take time.

Here’s one I sent last night from the airport. I just had enough time before my flight to see which headline ‘won’.

Two headlines - same topic

Substack pushed out my second headline.

And here’s another where my first headline won! Yay

A/B headline testing…

Here’s what you need to know…

1. You can set two headlines and two alternative strap lines

2. You can set to send to 20% of your audience (recommended by Substack)

3. You can set the amount of time to test it

And here’s the post…

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So in terms of email, Substack tell me they went with the second headline but here on desktop the post has the first one still attached so I thought I needed to edit that manually….

Landed in the UK a few hours later and Substack have updated the headline to the ‘best’ performing one but not changed the strap line so I’ve done that manually.

These two posts are the same so if you’re playing with a/b testing just give it a few hours after your test is finished and check whether you want to edit your strap-line. I’m sure they’ll fix this in time.

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Have you tried a/b headline testing? How else do you come up with headlines for your articles, newsletters and posts?

Let’s chat headlines! Tell me all your secrets.

I’d love to know

Claire

✨

1. I’ve experimented 3 times… still more to do.