I was doing keyword research and suddenly heard the discussion about email preview text between our CEO and Marketer. I was curious as I only knew about the subject line but not about the preview text.
I have cleared my confusion from Google and wanted to write a blog post on this topic. While researching I found this keyword, what is the recommended amount of characters for preview text?
According to my research, the recommended email preview text should be between 40 to 90 characters. However, it depends as different email platforms and devices have their own character limit. So, I would suggest you write the preview text up to 90 characters but keep the important things under 50 characters.
Keep reading the blog post to find out more about it. So you can understand everything and write effective text within the character limit.
What is Preview Text
Preview text is the short overview of email content that takes place just after the email subject line. It is also known as a snippet or preheader text in different email clients. Usually, the email clients automatically fetch the preview text from the body content.
However, we can also add a custom preheader text which will be used as preview text. But make sure to write the text in a way that attracts readers to open the emails.
Why Preview Text is Important for Email
It is not just a placeholder text. Similarly, like the subject line, it also has its importance. Let’s explore the most important benefits.
Better Open Rates: The preview text takes place right after the subject and gives a sneak peek of the main content. A well written preview text that properly aligns with the subject can attract the readers. As a result, you can get better open rates from your emails.
Improved Mobile Experiences: The email recipients can’t see the full subject on their mobile devices. So you can use the preheader area to optimize the email and ensure a better experience for the mobile users.
Recommended Characters for Preview Text
As I have said earlier, you should keep your preview text within the character limits and keep the important things at the beginning. In this way, you can make sure all your important words are seen by the readers no matter which email platform or device they are using.
Now the question is, what are the character limits for different email platforms and devices?
I had to do some research to find out the correct answers. I have searched and explored different articles across the web. Then I also manually tried it on different platforms and devices.
Here is the breakdown of my findings:
Gmail: It displays from 90 to 119 characters on desktop and from 40 to 90 characters on mobile.
Outlook (Desktop/Web): It shows around 35 to 55 characters only.
Apple Mail: It displays up to 140 characters on Mac and up to 90 on iPhones.
Yahoo Mail: The character limits on Yahoo Mail change between 45 to 70 based on browser and screen size.
Thunderbird: It shows a longer preview window with the character’s limits from 100 to 120.
✅ Key takeaway:
From the above discussion, we can come to the point that, for desktop devices, the range is between 90 to 140 characters. And for mobile devices, the range is between 40 to 90 characters.
So we should try to keep all the important things within 40 to 90 characters. And add additional words to utilize the extra character limitations.
Best Practices for Email Preview Text
Adding preview text is not just about meeting the character limits. You have to add some extra effort to bring the best possible results. Here are some of the proven tips and tricks to write effective preview text.
Keep it Short and Concise
As there are limitations, you should try to keep the text as short as possible. It is tricky to keep it short and convey the message at the same time. However, you must master it to get the best results from your email marketing efforts.
Align with the Subject Line
The text should be attractive but it also should be aligned with the email subject. An ideal subject line and preview text encourage readers to open the mail. Here is an example:
📩 Subject: 97% of Visitors Leave—Here’s How to Stop Them! 😱
👀 Preview Text: This 10-minute fix can skyrocket your conversions! 🚀
Create FOMO
The text also creates the FOMO (fear of missing out) effect. It will increase the curiosity and the readers can’t control themself until they start reading the email. Here is an example:
📩 Subject: 🚨 Last Chance! You’re Missing Out on More Leads!
👀 Preview Text: Every second you wait, leads slip away! Act now! ⏳
Personalize
According to a study, personalization can increase the open rate by up to 26%. So don’t miss the opportunity, to personalize the subject line or preview text to get the best output.
Optimize for Multi Devices
As I have already explained, the character limits vary for different devices. So if you only focus on the preview of the desktop, the mobile users may find it hard to understand the email context. As a result, the open rate from mobile devices will be low. So make sure to write the preview text and subject line by keeping both of the device types in mind.
Send Test Mail
Before start sending the emails to the real subscribers make sure to test the output by sending a test mail. All popular email marketing tools have these features. So make sure to use it to see how your emails look on different email platforms and devices.
Conclusion
That’s about the character limit of the preview text. Make sure to follow the recommendations and learn from the findings. I hope now you can write better text and get the best results from email marketing. Don’t forget to let us know, whether this blog post was helpful or not. You can write your suggestions and feedback in the comment section.
