When sending an email requesting feedback or answers to a survey, your focus should either be to acquire more information about the recipient or to gauge and improve customer satisfaction. Formulate these emails knowing that the goal is to receive a response, so tone down any kind of pitch or hard sell that might distract from this purpose.
Another idea is letting the recipient know what the email is about in the subject line. When Expedia and Ticketmaster did this, they saw an increased average read rate of 10.5% and 28%, respectively. If the review is of a product, make sure it shows up on the product page, alongside other reviews, as this contributes to positive feelings regarding user-generated content. Finally, send time is important, as you want to factor in a realistic amount of time; if someone downloaded an ebook, allow time for it to be read. If someone ordered something, think about how long it might take to be used.
3 Best Practices
- Embed the form for feedback on your website. That way, you can direct people back to your website after they’ve responded and display select o ers that cater to their interests and habits.
- Consider off ering a reward or incentive. Whether it’s entry into a drawing or sweepstakes, or a small discount or free gift of some sort, give your subscribers a reason to respond.
- Provide logistical details. Let the recipient know what the survey entails (how many questions, how long it should take) and play up the urgency if the timeline to respond is limited.
10 Subject Lines
First name personalization has good results when used in an email subject line, so consider this option for your feedback emails. RetentionScience studied 267 million emails from 543 retail campaigns. Those with a subscriber’s first name in the subject line got a 2.6% higher open rate than emails without personalization. Especially when you are asking for feedback, a first name adds a caring touch.
- You have a new item to review
- What are your thoughts, [name]?
- [name], your opinion matters
- We’d love your feedback
- Write a review to win
- Tell us what you think
- A penny for your thoughts, [name]
- Invitation to take a survey
- Your feedback is appreciated
- Take our survey and enter to win
5 Calls to Action
Another best practice for call-to-action buttons is to be prepared for the fact that many email clients block images by default. If your customers take the time to open your email, make sure they can read it and follow through on the CTA, even if the images are shut off .
Some ideas to get them clicking and answering your questions:
- Talk to Us
- Review Item
- Write Review
- Take Our Survey
- Share Your Mind
Dynamic Content Suggestions
When people are looking to review something or take a survey, they may also be interested in promoting your social media or buying something else. Consider adding AVARI dynamic content in the form of a social feed with a hashtag or product recommendations, as in these examples:
- Encourage satisfied users to help spread the word about your products. Add an Instagram block asking your audience to post using a certain hashtag.
- Remind customers what they liked about the product or service they’re reviewing. Add in personalized product recommendations to help make an upsell.
