Increase your email open rates by optimizing the first 140 characters.

Subject lines play an important role in email open rates, but there's another factor that is too often forgotten. Optimize the first couple of sentences in your message to make the most out of the preview.

A quarter of your recipients will determine whether they'll open your email by reading the preview. That makes the opening sentences of your email even more valuable than they already were. In fact, when WeddingWire optimized their previews, their click-through rate went up by 30%. Hans Dekker of Wiza points out that the most popular email clients show previews of anywhere from 55 to 140 characters, so it's important to use this real estate wisely. Don't repeat info from the subject line. Include useful and specific information. Let users know if the message is time-sensitive. And consider showing your personality right off the bat. Sometimes it's even useful to sum up the whole email right then and there. And, of course, A/B test to find out what works.