What is Preheader Text?
Preheader text is the small preview text that appears next to or below the subject line in most email clients (e.g., Gmail, Outlook). It gives recipients a "sneak peek" into the content of your email before they open it, and is a key contributor to open rates and overall campaign effectiveness.
For example:
Subject: "Product Updates Q2 2025" Preheader: "Check out the exciting new releases from Nexl"
For example, this is how pre header will render the email on mobile:
Why Should You Use Preheader Text?
Using preheader text is valuable for several reasons:
Improves Open Rates: Well-crafted preheaders can complement your subject line and entice recipients to open the email.
Sets Expectations: It provides additional context or clarification to your subject line.
Enhances Personalization: You can leverage merge tags to dynamically personalize the preview text for each recipient.
Prevents Weird Defaults: Without a preheader, email clients may display random text from the email body (e.g., “View this email in your browser”), which can look sloppy.
How to Add Preheader Text in Nexl Campaigns
Where to Find It
In Nexl Campaigns, go to your campaign editor.
Navigate to the Settings tab within your campaign.
Look for the new section called Preheader Text.
How to Use It
Enter your desired preheader text directly in this section.
You can include merge tags to personalize the preview text for each recipient. Merge tags must follow our merge tag format. For example: %recipient.primary_email%
Hi %recipient.primary_email%, don’t miss your July insights!
Save your settings. The preheader will be rendered as part of the email preview and used when the email is sent.
Preheaders can also be tested using the Send Test Feature
Tips for Preheader Best Practices
Keep it short: Aim for 35–80 characters. Many devices truncate long text.
Complement the subject line: Think of them as a duo — the subject grabs attention, the preheader provides context or urgency.
Avoid redundancy: Don’t just repeat the subject line verbatim.
Test merge tags carefully: Ensure your merge tags are correct and fallback values are in place to avoid rendering errors (the guide above notes that incorrect merge tags won’t render properly in preheaders).
Additional Notes from the Current Implementation
Persistence in Templates: If you save a template with preheader text, the preheader will be saved and retained when the template is re-used.
Mobile-friendly: The preheader should work properly on mobile clients — verify by opening a test email on your mobile device.
AI Generation Support: The feature is compatible with AI-generated email drafts, so you can combine AI-driven content with manually curated preheaders.
Testing Recommendations Before Sending
Check how your preheader renders in email previews inside Nexl.
Send a test email to yourself to verify how the preheader looks in different email clients.
Test personalization using merge tags to ensure they render correctly.
Confirm that loading a saved template properly retains the preheader.
Preview on both desktop and mobile.