[FAQ]

I’m a new intern at a marketing agency here in Manila, and I’m just starting to learn about email marketing. Ano po ba ang difference between the subject line and the preview text?

I understand the subject line is the main title of the email. But my supervisor keeps talking about the “preview text” or “preheader,” and I’m not totally sure what that is or where it shows up. How is it different from the first sentence of the email?

I want to make sure I’m writing both parts correctly for our campaigns.

[Jeff Bullas]

A fundamental question. Mastering how your email appears in the inbox is the first step to a successful campaign.

Brief Answer: The subject line is the bolded, primary headline of an email in the inbox. The preview text is the secondary line of text that appears next to or underneath it, offering an additional summary or hook to encourage an open.

You should think of them not as two separate things, but as a one-two punch of text designed to work together to earn the reader’s click.

The subject line has one job: to grab attention and clearly state the email’s main purpose. It should be concise and compelling, answering the reader’s immediate question, “What is this email about?”. Whether the email contains text, images, or a link to a new video, the subject line must accurately set that expectation.

The preview text, sometimes called a preheader, is the supporting subtitle. Its job is to build on the subject line, not repeat it. It should provide extra context, create a sense of urgency, or reveal a key benefit. It answers the reader’s follow-up question, “Why should I open this now?”.

Here’s how they work together. A subject line might be “Our Mid-Year Review is Here”. The preview text could then be, “Find out which trends are set to dominate the next six months.” The subject announces the ‘what’, and the preview text provides the compelling ‘why’.

A common mistake is forgetting to set a specific preview text. When you don’t, email clients will automatically pull in the first line of text from your email body, which can often be unhelpful text like “View this email in your browser…” or image alt text. This wastes a valuable opportunity to convince someone to open your email.

Cheers,
Jeff

[Author]

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