If you ever email your supporters asking them to donate, volunteer, attend your events or adopt, you need them to open that email. The hard truth is, however, most people won’t read more than your subject line. How can you get them to click “open”?

1. Who sent the email? Make sure your email program settings have a “from” line that is the name of your organization, not the personal name of the individual who sent it or anything else.

2. Do it in five. Because most email programs only display a few words of a subject line, the first five words of the subject line are the most important. Don’t waste them by repeating the name of your organization or with generic filler like “Newsletter” or “Invitation.”

Instead, put together a subject line that will tell your supporters what’s in the email and create a desire to open it, and then make sure it still works even if all they see is the first five words. Sound tough? It can be, but there some great tips here and here.

3. Learn what the pre-header is and how to use it. The pre-header is the little blurb about the content that appears in most email programs under the subject line. You should think of it as almost as important as your subject line — and it should never, ever, be “Having trouble reading this email?”

Make sure you don’t just write a great pre-header; make sure it’s included in your email template above the logo, header image, and everything else. It can be a little longer than the subject line; most pre-headers will display around 9-10 words, even on a mobile device.