Setting Email Message Preheader Text

What is Preheader Text?

Preheader text is a short snippet or preview of an email's content, usually displayed right after the subject line. Most email clients, especially popular ones like Gmail, display this. Preheader text is a good way to complement your subject line with the intent to capture the recipient's attention and improve open rate. 

Here’s how Gmail displays preheader text (underlined): 

Here's how that same mailbox looks on mobile (portrait view):  

By default, email clients will usually display the first few words or sentences that appears in the email body. This can either work in or against your favor depending on what opening sentences you had in your email content. 

Here's an example: 

Opening that first email, you'll see that the email client simply used the first line of text in the email body as the preheader. 

In this case, it makes sense why they had to place that notice at the top of the email, but as a consequence the autogenerated preheader text became pretty useless in giving the recipient a preview of what to expect. 

With Prefinery, you can write your email content any way you like, and still be able to specify the exact preheader text you'd like to appear for your email when it arrives in the user's mailbox. 

This allows you to craft a compelling preheader text that complements your subject line. 

Adding/editing preheader text in an email message

1

From your project dashboard, go to Email > Messages. 

2

Find the email message you want to customize a preheader text for, then click on its Actions dropdown menu and select Edit. 

3

In the Content tab, edit the Preheader field with your own text, and Save your changes. 

The preheader text can be up to 191 characters long in Prefinery, but keep in mind the length of preheader text shown in email clients can be quite short: as little as 35 characters in some cases.

You can send yourself a test email to see how the preheader text looks in the email clients you use. 

Preheader text in your email layout

Prefinery's built-in email layouts automatically show the preheader text for you.

If you edit these starter layouts to make your own custom layout, the preheader variable is automatically included. 

If you've added your own custom layouts, be sure that the preheader value of the layout is set to {{preheader}} as this variable will be dynamically replaced by the respective email message's preheader value upon delivery.

Here's how:  

1

In the Email > Layouts page, under the Your Layouts section find and edit the layout you're using with your email messages. 

2

In the layout editor, in the sidebar click on the Body tab and under Email Settings paste in {{preheader}} then Save your changes.