Subject lines are one of the first things your subscribers see when they go into their inbox and have a proven and measurable impact on whether they go on to open, click and convert. Which is why so many email marketers spend so much time AB testing their SLs.

As you can see from the chart below, subject line B “Incentivise your email program without devaluing your brand” went into the lead almost immediately, and after 15 days had generated 32% more unique opens and 20% more unique clicks than subject line A “Incentive Programs: Your guide to giving”.

The results are in! Chasing opens would have lost Obama the election There is little doubt in my mind that email was the No. 1 non-political contributor to Obama’s win in the 2012 US Presidential race. 75% of the $934 million raised by Obama was attributed to digital and nearly all of that $700 million was raised through email1. That fact alone is phenomenal.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But which picture? Here at Alchemy Worx we wanted to test the performance of images that contribute to a recipient’s understanding of the content of an email. Specifically, we wanted to know what works best when sourcing imagery to accompany editorial content – the pretty or the pretty informative?

CONGRATULATIONS YOU’RE RIGHT! 7.9% of Email Worx openers viewed the last issue on a mobile device.

The growth of internet-enabled mobile devices in 2011 has been undeniably impressive, and the implications for those engaged in email marketing are profound.

Retailers often include a ‘free delivery’ message at the top of their email, but a plain line of text can easily get lost among the rest of the content. So here BHS have used animation to flick through two key delivery messages. It’s a simple but effective way to ensure the information doesn’t get overlooked, and also saves valuable space at the top of the email.

Birthday emails, refer-a -friend programs, unusual send times…this line up of six special emails from July has a bit of everything. Take a look and get inspired for your own campaigns.

We saw an influx of GIFs in our inboxes throughout August so in this month’s favorites we’re showcasing some of the interesting and effective ways brands continue to use animation. Check the top six out below – they might just spark an idea for your own campaigns.

From hundreds of emails that landed in our inbox in June, here’s a selection of some of our favorites. From charity newsletters to abandoned cart triggers and the best Father’s Day messages, each one had something special to offer the subscriber.