It’s common knowledge that people open emails primarily by who is in the “from” line. Do they trust the sender? Do they see value in the sender’s messages? If yes, they’re more likely to open them. In one study 64 percent of respondents said they look at the “from” line first.

But discussions about what to put in the “from” line are usually about whether to put the organization in it or a person’s name.

It’s also common knowledge that one of the two most powerful selling words in the English language is “you.” (The other is “free.”)

“You” personalizes the pitch without being creepy, drawing readers in and letting them know it’s all about them.

But what about variants, like “your?” Does it have the same warming affect as “you?”

The Test

Alchemy Worx did an A/B split test on behalf of Buffalo Trace Distillery where one from line was “Buffalo Trace Distillery” and the other was “Your Friends at Buffalo Trace.”

Some might predict “Your Friends at Buffalo Trace” might win because it contains a variant of one of the two most powerful words in the English language

But “Buffalo Trace Distillery” won hands down, generating almost double the revenue and 30 percent more clicks.

The Learnings

“It’s common knowledge that email is so cheap to send that people don’t test nearly as much as they should,” says Allan Levy, CEO of Alchemy Worx. “With email, you can be sloppy and still make money. But this test shows that even the smallest tweaks can significantly impact results.”

Also, Levy points out, “your” is not “you.”

“Though we can’t know for sure going on this particular test, it does seem to imply ‘your’ is not as powerful as ‘you,’” he adds.

The test also shows that even when the same basic piece of information presented differently can impact results.

“In both ‘from’ lines, the sender identified was essentially the same: Buffalo Trace Distillery,” says Levy. “But the two slightly different ‘from’ lines clearly resonated differently with the receiving audiences. This is another example of why we test everything.”

In the future, Alchemy Worx plans to test putting Buffalo Trace master distiller Harlan Wheatley’s name in the “from” line.

At Alchemy Worx, we test everything. You should, too. For more information on how to partner with Alchemy Worx, contact us.