5 Best Practices for Email Subject Lines

Yes, we're judging emails by their covers. Or, in this case, their subject lines.

Try to recall the most recent brand email you received in your inbox. Did you open it, and why or why not? Was the subject line attention-grabbing? Did it sound too clickbait-y? It might not seem like the most important factor in a branded email, but the subject line is the receiver's first impression of the message, and it could very well be the make or break of whether the email is opened or not.

Read on for our advice on how to craft the best subject lines for emails in your marketing campaigns.

Know your purpose

What is the purpose of the email? What action do you want readers to take? These two questions are essential to know when drafting your subject line. The purpose of the email will help guide what tone your subject line should take. 

If you want readers to make a purchase before a limited-time sale is over, the subject line should take on a sense of urgency. If you want them to register for an event, the line should offer the benefits of doing so.

Keep it short and sweet.

If you don't listen to any of our other advice, at least take this one piece with you. Keep your subject line short and sweet. 

According to HubSpot, 46% of email opens take place on mobile devices. Not only does the subject line get cut off on mobile devices if it's too long, but the appeal of the email should effectively grab the attention of the reader in as few words as possible. 

We recommend keeping your subject line under 50 characters. Check out some of our effective examples below.

Check out even more examples of short and sweet subject lines from HubSpot here.

Cut the clickbait

The subject line of an email is like a promise to your readers of what will be waiting for them when they open the message. It can be hard to resist, but it's important to not be tempted to use clickbait in order to get more opens. You want the subject line to be enticing but not misleading. 

For example, if you're only offering a 15% off deal, the subject line shouldn't say "Get ready for our BIGGEST markdowns of the year!" Readers will be expecting larger sales than you're offering, and while it may hike your open rate, it could leave people disappointed and disillusioned toward your brand.

Don't overuse punctuation.

This one is simple. Not only should you be concise with your words, but you should be concise with your punctuation as well. Using one exclamation point conveys an exciting message, but two or more exclamation points feel unprofessional and forced. Similarly, using more two or more question marks doesn't convey any more mystery than using just one.

Offer exclusivity.

People love to feel special. And when they feel special, they'll keep coming back to your emails for more. Some examples of subject lines with this tone include: 

A gift for you

Your exclusive offer awaits!

You're invited!

Bonus Tip: Write engaging preview text.

The preview text that displays next to the subject line is almost as important as the subject line itself. It can give further context to the subject line or provide more information about a sale, event, or download. The readers who might not be convinced by a short subject line can be pulled in by the preview text. Not customizing your own preview text is a missed opportunity to engage more readers. 

See some of our effective examples below. 

Need help launching your email marketing campaign? Connect with us by sending a message below! 

How to Choose a Podcast Topic

There are currently over 2 million active podcasts in the world, according to Podcast Insights. With so many podcasts in circulation, choosing a unique topic for your own podcast is crucial. People want something new and something that has never been done before. Choosing a topic, then, is much harder than it sounds. We have tips on how to choose the right topic for your podcast.

1. Start with your passions.

Our first tip is to brainstorm a list of topics you already discuss or work with every single day. Write down things you could talk about tirelessly. Maybe you're passionate about gardening or oil painting or crafting. Think about your hobbies, interests, and what you enjoy doing, either at work or in your free time.

At the end of the day, your podcast topic doesn't necessarily need to cover the most popular or trendy material. It needs to be something you are passionate about. If you're bored with what you're talking about, the audience will undoubtedly be bored, too.

2. Narrow it down.

Before going any further, decide what broad genre your podcast will fall under: Comedy? News? Education? Narrative fiction? This will help you determine what general direction and tone the podcast will take before you decide on your specific topic. Browse the categories of podcasts in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or another podcast listening app to spark some ideas.

Next, think about what overall niche your podcast will live in. Do you want your show to cover marketing? Sports? Technology? Narrow your topic down a bit to fit in a general category.

Check out this list of podcast topic ideas: https://www.buzzsprout.com/blog/untapped-podcasting-ideas

3. Relate it to your industry.

If you're creating a podcast for your business, you can relate your topic to your industry. You could choose a topic that is at least somewhat related to the industry in which your business exists. For example, if your company is in the food or food service industries, your show could explore international cuisine or the history of your favorite dishes.

Of course, this is not a hard-and-fast rule. You can always build a podcast around a niche that is totally unrelated to your industry, but if you're stumped on ideas, it could be a good starting point to think about topics related to your business.

Looking for a podcast about building podcasts? Check out Podcraft: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcraft-how-to-podcast-craft-a-fantastic-show/id821720737

4. Narrow it down again.

Now that you've narrowed down your idea once to a broad category, it's time to narrow it down even more. This is where you want your topic to get really unique and specific. Instead of creating just another marketing podcast, you could create a podcast centered on marketing for moms who own small businesses or social media for businesses in the healthcare industry.

Your topic should be as special as you want your listeners to be. People want to learn new things specific to their lifestyles and identities, and they are searching for solutions to their unique problems. Your show should be the one that makes them think, This podcast was made just for me!

Making your topic more specific will narrow down your potential audience, but it will make the listeners you do attract more invested in and loyal to your podcast.

5. Choose your episode topics.

Once you have your specific podcast topic, brainstorm a list of ultra-specific subjects you could cover in your episodes. Think about your potential listeners and what their interests, curiosities, and problems might be, and address those in your episode topics.

This is the step where you make sure that your podcast's topic is unique enough to stand out to the audience but not so specialized that there isn't enough to talk about for multiple episodes and even seasons on end. If you find yourself struggling to find topics under your subject matter to discuss in episodes, you may have to return to step 4.

If you're ready to start building a podcast for your business, contact us today to see how our team can help you create the best podcast for expanding your brand.

Read more posts about podcasts below.

5 Best Websites for Free Podcast Music

5 Things Every Podcast Needs

Need help launching and promoting your podcast? Shoot us a message!

How to Leverage Pinterest for Your Business

We've already shared why your business needs to be on Pinterest. (Have you read it? Are you on it already? Good!)

Now that you're there, you may be asking yourself: where do I go from here? How do I grow my business with Pinterest?

Remember that Pinterest is more of a search engine than a social media platform like TikTok or Instagram. Users come to Pinterest to discover new products, recipes, and ideas, rather than purely for socialization or entertainment. So, it's important to make your Pins as searchable and clear as possible.

Top Tips for Pin Creation

Use SEO in Pin Titles

Text is Best

Strong Images and Brand Visuals

Clear Board Descriptions

Quality over Quantity

Use Hashtags

Solve People's Problems

IGTV and Video

How to Sell on Pinterest

Influencer Campaigns

Shop the Look

List Items as Individual Pins

Claim All Accounts

Use Product Pins

Organic vs. Paid

Looking for help with your Pinterest strategy and content creation? Reach out to us below!

Your C-Suite Needs to Be On Social Media

Random begs, encourages, implores you: get your leadership team on social media. Even if your company already has a robust social presence, your leadership team needs their own. Here's why.

Employee Advocacy

In case you missed it on the Random blog, we wrote a whole post on why employee advocacy is key for your company's growth. Let your leaders lead on social media as well“it will inspire employee engagement with the advocacy program, demonstrate the initiative's importance, and model behavior.

Thought Leaders

Buzzy term, but it matters. Leadership can establish themselves as top-of-mind, influential, and trusted sources of information through a conscious social media presence, boosting company prestige and their own marketability.

Company Character

As more and more businesses flood the market, consumers and collaborators alike want to know: why buy from your company? Why work with your company? The ethos and character exemplified by your leadership on social media will influence those integral decisions. 78% of employees prefer to work with a company whose C-Suite is active on social!

Brand Loyalty

Humans love humans, and people prefer to buy from a face or presence they recognize and enjoy. 82% of consumers are more likely to trust a company whose C-Suite is on social and 77% are more likely to buy.

For Executives Who Hate Social Media

Don't worry, we see you, and we understand.

  1. It doesn't need to be personal.
    Your life is your own, and you don't always need to be on! Keep your private life private.
  2. It doesn't need to be clever.
    Social media, communications, or PR teams can curate and recommend posts and content for C-Suite members to share.
  3. It doesn't need to be a constant stream.
    Have a consistent weekly posting cadence, but no need to stress about being Gary Vee and posting multiple times a day, every day. He is an outlier!

If you need help building a social media strategy for your leadership team (or your business as a whole), give us a shout below.

A Guide to LinkedIn Employee Advocacy

LinkedIn Employee Advocacy isn't exactly what it sounds like; while we at Random are all for providing people with ample benefits, robust lines of communication, and developing a healthy work-life balance, employee advocacy on LinkedIn is about your employees advocating for your business. It's the LinkedIn equivalent of an influencer campaign, but (often) virtually free.

Employee Advocacy Statistics

Pretty good, huh?

Step One: Establish Clear Goals

A successful employee advocacy campaign begins with a clear goal. There are many functions an employee advocacy campaign can serve: 

Step Two: Find Your Ambassadors

Which of your employees should you recruit to be your first employee advocates? If you're a small company, the answer may be everyone! If you're a large company, start with leadership and your most social-savvy team members.

If the company's top brass get on the employee advocacy train, it's far more likely that other team members will follow suit and understand the importance of your advocacy campaign.

Social media masters will make the launch of your new initiative smoother. Think also about what teams would have the biggest impact on social media. Sales, marketing, and human resources are all excellent places to start. After onboarding your experienced employees, over time you can add those who are more apprehensive about social media. Provide lunches and seminars to educate new additions, and enlist your first recruits to help teach and train as you grow your employee advocacy network.

No matter what, remind employees of how their participation in an advocacy program benefits them: greater power and influence in the company, and a larger professional reputation.

Step Three: Content and Contact

Recommend content to your new employee advocates. Content could include articles, polls, quizzes, sales, job listings, photographs, statistics, fun facts, surveys, events, webinars, and more.

Follow the 4-1-1 Rule for every 6 pieces of content:

Be sure that no more than 25% of the content your employees share is company related. Your audience will lose interest quickly if employees exclusively share dry company content. People on all social platforms want content that they'll find useful and interesting.

LinkedIn Elevate, GaggleAMP, Bambu from Sprout Social, and Hootsuite Amplify are just a few of many tools that can be used to manage employee advocacy. However, if these aren't feasible for your company due to price or company size, sending a simple weekly email to employees with recommended articles to share, company information or blogs, and promotional content will suffice. If you use an email, be sure to include headlines, short shareable blurbs about the content, and native links to allow employees to share with ease and clarity.

Step Four: Report Results

Be sure to continue to monitor growth and results, ideally with a report at least once a month to ensure your strategy is working.

If you use an employee advocacy tool, monitoring the impact of employee advocacy will be relatively easy! Otherwise, you'll have to manually pull data from your employees' posts, such as link clicks and engaged demograhics, as well as other KPIs such as sales, website traffic, and job applicants.

Check out these great employee advocacy tools: https://www.oktopost.com/blog/top-10-employee-advocacy-tools/

Step Five: Longevity

Employee advocacy is a long game. Keep the ball rolling by reporting successes and growth to employees, adjusting your campaign strategy as needed, and offer fun reward initiatives for engaged employees.

Finally, good luck! If you'd like to chat more about employee advocacy or any other social media needs you may have, reach out to us below.

5 LGBTQ Podcasts You Need in Your Life

Happy Pride Month! These 30 days are about honoring the past and current contributions LGBTQ people have made to our world. Visibility is crucial for both finding community and celebrating individuality. Queer people being able to share their stories is one of the most powerful forms of visibility, and podcasts are one of the most powerful platforms for storytelling we have today. 

Whether you're a history nerd or obsessed with pop culture, here are 5 of the best LGBTQ podcasts you need in your life this Pride Month (and year-round, really).

1. QUEERY with Cameron Esposito

For the classic podcast lover.

This show is full of humorous, yet intimate, hour-long conversations between stand-up comic Cameron Esposito and LGBTQ artists, musicians, authors, actors, and more. Some notable guests include Brandi Carlile, Nyle DiMarco, and Hayley Kiyoko. Together, the interviewer and interviewee cover what it means to be queer in creative industries and in the modern world as a whole. 

Check out this episode:

2. Making Gay History

For the history buff.

This podcast is a series of portraits of LGBTQ trailblazers told through the host's recorded archives. Many of the episodes highlight the long-forgotten heroes and witnesses of the AIDS crisis and gay rights movement, including Randy Boyd, Jill Johnston, and Meg Christian. Their website even includes more background information and archival photos for each episode. Making Gay History is an incredibly necessary and enlightening project for both LGBTQ+ people and allies looking for a better glimpse into the history of the queer community.

Check out this episode:

3. Keep It

For the pop culture lover.

This show features fun banter about everything from the newest blockbuster movies to the best destinations to travel to as a gay person. Even with high-profile special guests like Gabrielle Union and Kristen Chenoweth, listening to the episodes feels like you just happen to be dropping in on a casual conversation between friends. If you're looking for a podcast that explores music, movies, and pop culture moments through a queer lens, this show is perfect for you!

Check out this episode:

4. Teenager Therapy

For a coming-of-age audience.

This relatable, heartfelt show is made by and for teens and young adults. In their own words, the hosts are five stressed and sleep-deprived teens, covering a wide variety of mental health topics. Their episodes span from dealing with confrontation to understanding your gender identity and sexuality. The short episodes are a must-listen for high school and college students who want to know they are not alone in the struggles they are facing.

Check out this episode:

5. One From the Vaults

For the history buff, again.

One From the Vaults is a powerful look into a topic that is still in the process of being uncovered and relayed: trans history across the Americas and Europe from the last 150 years. Host Morgan M. Page brings you all the dirt, gossip, and glamor from trans history. These stories remind us that being trans is an identity that has existed since the beginning of time. And until history books start including the stories of trans and gender nonconforming people throughout history, this show stands in as a great teacher.

Check out this episode:

What LGBTQ podcasts have you been loving lately? Give us some recommendations in the comments!

How to Use Reels if You Hate Being On Camera

Courtesy of Instagram

Whether you're a small business or an individual creative, social media like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook provide ample opportunities to expand your audience.

Instagram Reels is a short-form video feature and a fairly new addition to Instagram's line-up of tools.

Video content has proven to capture and hold an audience's attention better than photo or text alone--according to Hootsuite, video posts on Instagram have a .76% higher Engagement Rate (ER) than static photo posts (a meaningful difference in ER), and an additional Hootsuite experiment suggested that Instagram Reels were helpful in driving traffic and increasing subscribers. All signs seem to say: Instagram Reels is definitely an effective tool for increasing social media engagement!.

However, many find appearing on-camera to be daunting, uncomfortable, even terrifying. 

What even is Instagram Reels?

With Instagram Reels, you can create short videos up to 30 seconds long, easily editing clips together, applying filters or Augmented Reality (AR) features, adding text, or including music from Instagram's music library, original audio from you or another user, or voice over. Functions like Remix allow you to record your own Reel and add it side-by-side to another Reel, so you can collaborate, hop on trends, or add your own commentary or riff. Video editing tools are included in the feature and are easy to use.

Instagram Reels is Instagram's direct answer to the wildly popular platform TikTok, and a clear indication of the increasing power and popularity of short-form videos, especially among younger audiences. 

Instagram is clearly making competition with TikTok a priority: they recently announced that Instagram Reels reposted from TikTok, as evidenced by the TikTok watermark, would be punished by Instagram's AI with reduced visibility and decreased promotion to potential new viewers.

While it's easier to build an audience from scratch on TikTok, thanks to the app being video-only and their powerful proprietary algorithm, Instagram Reels are incredibly potent for Instagram users who already have a following--whether than be large or relatively small.

Instagram Reel Ideas and Inspiration

If you hate being on camera, fear not: how-to videos, behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, and news are the four most popular video subjects on Instagram Reels, and none of them require showing your face or doing a dance!

There are dozens of ways to make engaging Reels if you have stage fright:

Instagram Video Tips

Similar tips apply to Instagram Reels as any Instagram video.

Examples of Faceless Instagram Reels from Influencers

Use the Explore tab in Instagram to find inspiration for your own Reels, or check out the content from your favorite influencers.

Here are some popular Instagram influencers making use of Reels without putting themselves on camera to get your wheels turning:

If you're ready to add Instagram Reels to your social media strategy, contact our team today.

Why Your Business Will Be Better if You Listen to Taylor Swift

As the world is taken by storm, yet again, by Taylor Swift, we should all take note of what she, as a businesswoman, keeps getting right. With the re-release of her Red album breaking records and popping up in everyone's feed Taylor continues to deeply connect to her audience and make an overall impact on the world. By looking closely, it's obvious why“she listens.

Her fans knew she would be re-releasing her albums, but Red held a special place in their hearts. Not only was it Taylor's first dip into pop but on social media, since its original release in 2012, the album took on a life of its own (despite being one of her least awarded works). A whole autumnal aesthetic was created around it. The emotional song-writing was worshipped by writers and fans alike. And the longest song on the album, All Too Well, became a fan favorite.

Now nearly ten years later Taylor took back all that feedback and put it into practice with Red (Taylor's Version). She finished building that universe the fans built around the album. She released the original ten-minute version of All Too Well. She made a short film around the song. She made a music video for a never-heard-before song on the album, I Bet You Think About Me, and left subtle references to the storytelling in other songs.

Taylor embraced public feedback. She took what was important to her audience and let them know she was listening by giving them what they wanted and maybe a little bit more. This not only brought her great success but a deeper, stronger connection with her fans.

In the case of a business, this translates into observing your target audience. What's important to them? Is there something they're interested in? Is there something currently happening in the world that matters to them?

Listening to people and taking their opinions into account breeds loyalty and appreciation. It also makes your brand feel smart and human. 

With Red (Taylor's Version) gathering so much attention in the media and jumping to the top of the charts, brands like Starbucks, Sour Patch Kids and Target took advantage of a huge part of their customer base being fans of Taylor. A lot of them used humor, dishing out jabs to the possible ex-boyfriend that inspired Taylor's songs.

It all goes back to giving the people what they want. Sometimes it's not even about your brand, but about forming a community and a genuine bond with your audience. And liking the same things brings people together. Agreeing that All Too Well was a masterpiece that tore us all up is more than enough proof of trustworthiness.

If you're looking for help building a community around your brand, reach out to our team today. We're also available to chat about Taylor Swift any time. 

5 Things To Do When Editing A Podcast

The world of podcasting has expanded beyond belief, becoming a diverse and dynamic method through which people can share new stories with the world. Podcasting is relatively accessible, with basic equipment, editing programs, and hosting software being a small but worthy investment. For those who are interested in starting a podcast or are already in the midst of things, here are five general things to do and keep in mind while editing. 

1. Outline

Before you edit”or even record an episode”you should have a good understanding of how you want the episode to sound and some basic topics you'd like to cover. The specificity of this outline depends on the structure of your podcast. Even if your format is a free-wheeling discussion, it's important to nail down a basic narrative arc to keep in mind when recording and editing. How will the episode begin? What are the transitions from topic to topic? What's the episode's climax? Where are the ad breaks, if applicable? What's the episode's resolution? Keep track of this outline when you edit, making sure your edits help further your proposed narrative arc.

2. Listen

Whether you sat in on recording or you're listening to the raw audio afterward, you should always take notes of specific phrases, words, or times that need the most attention in post-processing. Listen for unrelated tangents that don't contribute to the conversation or for short excerpts that can be distributed on social media. 

3. Clean

Depending on the sound your show is going for, you may decide to heavily edit the audio or take a more hands-off approach. Um's, coughing, and heavy breathing are not listeners' favorite noises and might warrant a select-and-silence. We're all guilty of starting sentences we don't finish. Obviously, everything is context-dependent, but more often than not, these half-baked phrases should be removed to tighten up the discussion and keep things flowing. Did your guest say something that shouldn't be aired? Something that's factually incorrect? Depending on your podcast's guidelines you can either cut these sections, record an insert during post, or update your show notes with disclaimers or corrections. 

4. EQ 

Besides cleaning up the spoken word, it's worth taking a few extra steps to improve the quality of your audio as much as possible. Equalization, or EQ, is the process of modifying specific frequencies. There are many different aspects to EQ editing. One thing you can do is use a high pass filter to remove low-frequency noises, like the AC running, fans, or other room/white noise. 

5. Listen

Take a break. Return to the podcast with fresh ears. Now, listen as an audience member. Are there any missed coughs, bumps, or half-finished cuts? Can you follow along with the conversation? Are there any sections that feel too long? Did the podcast episode meet or exceed your initial expectations?

These five basic steps and concepts are important for ensuring that your podcast sounds as good as possible. Of course, it's always nice to have upgraded audio and recording equipment, but there are many pre-and post-processing tips and tricks you can use to optimize whatever you may have.

If you're ready to level up your podcast, reach out to us hello@thatrandomagency.com

What are Google Web Stories?

What are Google Web Stories?

Web Stories on Google are immersive, full-screen experiences that appear within Google search and Google Discover. The stories are hosted on your own website and powered by AMP technology (open-source HTML framework).

This is different from stories on Facebook or Instagram because they exist on the Google platform and your website, but similar in that they allow you to publish a succession of images, videos and audio.

Because of Google's massive search engine capabilities, the opportunity to be seen in search or images is very compelling. Content publishers have been early adopters of this feature, repurposing blog posts, articles, videos, and social media stories.

Benefits of Google Web Stories

Google Web Stories are engaging. They bring an immersive experience to your site that both mobile and desktop viewers can enjoy. Furthermore, you own the content”this is a major difference between Web Stories and social alternatives. Because you own the content, you have the ability to repurpose the asset across other platforms such as email, digital brochures, etc. 

There is no time limit or expiration on the Web stories”they can be featured as long as you like and won't get lost in a timeline like on Facebook and other social platforms. Google Web Stories have no design restrictions beyond making sure that they meet the general technical requirements. Additionally, using the live-story attribute on your Web Story will notify a user in real-time that you have added a new page, which is useful if you are covering breaking news or developments.

Google Web Stories also allow for unique ad opportunities to integrate with AdWords, SEO tie-in, and other ad options. Web Stories can even operate like programmatic ads in that you can flow them with the rest of your story. Depending on why you are creating the story, you can add CTA boxes, links to landing pages and links to product pages.

How do I use Google Web Stories?

Google Stories are code-heavy, so it may be difficult for a layperson to decipher how to use them. Partnering with a programmer may be the best option for the tech-averse. There are many WordPress plugins, however, that make this integration process easier.

Options for Non-Coders:

Google Web Stories provide fresh and compelling options for capturing the interest of your online audience, whether for engagement, awareness, or advertisement.

If you're ready to start leveraging Google Web Stories for your brand, contact us today to see how our team can help you build a custom hashtag strategy for your business.