Encourage your email recipients to open your email by creating targeted messaging specific to the Preview Text. Learn to edit your Email Preview Text displayed with the sender name and subject line in a subscriber's email inbox.
In this article:
- What is Preview Text?
- Edit your preview text
- Personalize your preview text
- Commonly asked questions
- Tips to optimize your preview text
What is Preview Text?
Preview Text is a snippet of copy most commonly displayed beneath the sender name and subject line in your subscriber's email inbox. Depending on your recipient's email client, the Preview Text may appear next to the subject line:
The goal of the Preview Text is to capture your recipient's attention and interest, encouraging them to open your email.
Edit your preview text
- Open the Marketing tab from the Dashboard.
- Click Email Campaigns.
- Select the Email Campaign you wish to edit or create a new Email Campaign.
- In the Visual Editor, select your Recipients with Filters or Segments.
- Then, edit content to customize the Internal Title, Subject, and Preview Text:
Personalize your preview text
Personalizing your emails can improve your Click to Open Rate (CTOR) while also adding personality and a human feel to your emails. Use liquid variables to pull data from your contact information and personalize the Preview Text.
Default Liquid Objects:
| First Name: {{ first_name }} | Address Line 2: {{ address_line_2 }} |
| Last Name: {{ last_name }} | Address: {{ address_line_1 }} |
| Zip Code: {{ address_zip }} | Phone Number: {{ phone_number }} |
| Country: {{ address_country }} | Email: {{ email }} |
| State: {{ address_state }} | Name: {{ name }} |
| City: {{ address_city }} |
Read How to create and use Liquid Objects for more details.
Commonly asked questions
What is the character limit of the Preview Text?
Like everything dealing with email, support for preview text varies. Kajabi gives you the largest number of characters found to be displayed across email clients (140 characters), but remember, no two inboxes look the same. The number of characters displayed will vary based on your recipient's email client.
What happens if you leave the Preview Text blank?
Leaving your Preview Text blank will default the Preview Text to the recipient's email client settings. This means your recipient's email client may display the first few characters of Text found in the Body of the Email in place of the custom Preview Text. If you chose to include the View in Web Browser section at the top of your Email Campaign, this text may display if you choose to leave the Preview Text blank depending on your recipient's email client.
Is the Preview Text with the Classic Editor?
The Preview Text is only available with the Visual Editor accessible in Email Broadcasts and Sequences. It is not available with the Classic Editor.
Tips to optimize your preview text
Secondary Subject Line
Consider your Preview Text as a second subject line in which you can utilize multiple strategies that may not be primary subject line ready.
- Be specific
- Be informative
- Be transparent
Keywords
Create your Preview Text with the character limitations of varying email clients in mind. Depending on your recipient's email client, your Preview Text may cut short in your recipient's inbox. Be sure to place keywords at the beginning of the Preview Text. Crafting your Preview Text requires balance, you will want to design your Preview Text to contain the keywords at the beginning, while long enough to utilize all available space depending on your recipient's email client.
Get Creative
Avoid repeating your Subject Line in your Preview text. Get creative and utilize the additional space to encourage your recipients to open your email.
- Personalize your Preview Text: Use Liquid Objects to pull data from your contact's info to personalize the Preview Text to each recipient.
- Provide a brief summary: briefly explain what your recipient can find in your email.
- Include a CTA: mention important Call to Action (CTA) buttons contained in your email.
- Be honest and transparent: As always, be honest and transparent with your recipients and do not trick them into opening your emails. Your subject line and preview text should aid in helping your subscribers know what to expect when they choose to open your email.
- Encourage scrolling: Highlight a feature or two to encourage your recipient to scroll through your email.
