Personalize *every* single email subject title?

The ONLY way to get the right answer is to split-test
a personalized and un-personalized subject line for YOUR
list with YOUR copy.

Then count heads and see which wins.

Anyone else who says they know which is best for
your list is frankly guessing.

Amateurs guess. Pros test.

Dedicated to mutual success,

Shaun

I "know" the opposite, with all my lists: it's actually better for me not to personalize at all.

This depends on your customer demographics. A lot of my customers and potential customers feel that when you personalize your autoresponder emails, you come across like "someone selling insurance" and they dislike that: typically, they feel it makes you look "like a marketer" rather than "like a valued source of information".

I asked them - last year. I sent out a broadcast to all of my lists, inviting feedback on the subject. I learned from the responses, which were a real eye-opener to me, as well as far more numerous than I'd expected.

I found it a really valuable thing to learn, because some experience has taught me that if you ask only for an email address, rather than for an email address and a name, you can build much bigger lists (and if you're not going to personalize the outgoing email series, obviously you don't need to ask for their names).

I know that some marketers dismiss this reasoning because they believe that "if people won't give you their first name, they're not going to become customers anyway". I don't believe that, at all.

"Your mileage may vary."

My experience is pretty much the same as Alexa's.

My opt-in rate increases when I only ask for the email, and personalization wasn't increasing my open or CTR's of my emails.

I used to use personalization in all of my subject lines, but not anymore. However, I still use it from time to time. My basic rule is that their name would have to sound very natural in the subject line; if it doesn't sound right, then no personalization is used.

That being said, I open all of my messages with a "Hi FIRST_NAME," because that's how I would greet them if I saw them on the street. I dont use the "FIRST NAME" tag in the e-mail body too often, but if it sounds right then I will use it.

All the best,
Michael

You should personalize, but you shouldn't on every email you send. You know, people know about the personalize technique and it isn't working as wonders today as before.

When it sound right, sure, when not, not.

Mike Tyler.

Don't exaggerate doing that...
The best way to know how is best is to make a test to your list and see the difference.
Sometimes people will feel more "important" when you do that but like I said do not exaggerate and better test it.
Also depends on service/product.

I'm sure it depends on your list and it could go either way.

in my experience, I do better without the personalized titles. My theory is that, just like with banner blindness, people have caught on to the fact that the 'personalization' is just automated, and that when they see this it's usually going to be some kind of advertisement rather than helpful stuff.