What is an email preview?

In today’s digital world, first impressions matter more than ever, especially in professional emails. While the subject line is important, adding preview text can make all the difference. Imagine: instead of a boring plain text, your email comes with a preview that instantly encourages the recipient to open the message.

In this article, you will learn how to add preview text to your emails, not just to complement the subject line but also to provide a preview of its content. Whether you’re a professional aiming to improve your communication or a marketer looking to boost email performance, the tips we’ll share will help you make a great first impression.

What is an email preview?

The email preview text is a short line of text that is displayed after the email subject in the inbox. It's an overview that briefly summarizes the content of the email.

Here's an example of an email preview displayed in Gmail.

Note: The appearance of email previews can vary by platform. Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and mobile apps each display previews in their own way.

How to add email preview text to emails in systeme.io

To add a preview to an email created with systeme.io, whether it's a newsletter, a campaign email or an automation, all you have to do is create the email, then add the preview you want to display in the Preview section.

Important: If you don't add a preview to your email, and it remains empty, our system will automatically display the first few words of the email as a preview.

How long should an email preview be ?

Although there's no ideal length for an email preview, it typically ranges between 40 and 140 characters. To ensure it's visible on most desktop and mobile platforms, you should aim to have about 100 characters.

Here are 3 key points to keep in mind when setting the length of your preview text:

1. With many desktop clients, the length of the email subject determines the amount of email preview displayed.
2. Mobile email clients generally display less text in the preview. Most mobile previews are between 30 and 55 characters long.
3. If your email preview is too short, email clients may extract the text from the beginning of your email.

Note: Even if you don't need the whole text, it can be a good idea to write a long email preview to avoid accidentally displaying a line of text from the rest of your email.

Example: The preview of this email was too short, so Gmail used the first line of text from the email as the preview. The result is a little awkward and could have been avoided with a longer preview.

What should you consider when writing an email preview?

A good preview can act as a second email subject line. It's your chance to grab attention and convince more people to open your emails.

Here are 4 best practices for email previews:

1. Add a call to action
2. Don't repeat the subject line
3. Make sure the subject and preview complement each other
4. Avoid using emojis or suspicious words

1. Adding a call to action

To encourage more people to open your email, a call to action in a preview should be short, actionable, and promise a benefit.

2. Don't repeat the subject line

Your subject line and preview should not repeat each other. The preview is an opportunity to expand on your subject line by adding details to create a sense of curiosity.

3. Ensure that the subject and preview text complement each other

Sometimes, your preview text should offer a distinct angle from your subject line to spark curiosity. You can use the preview to complement a great subject line and persuade more people to open your email.

4. Avoid using emojis or suspicious words in email previews

When writing email titles or bodies, it's important to limit the use of emojis, words often associated with spam or links. These elements can trigger spam filters, which can impact the deliverability of your emails and prevent them from reaching recipients.