Hey, it’s Brooks. Welcome to Mondays with Money Marketers, where Wall Street meets Madison Avenue.

As a quick reminder: We’re an email marketing agency for financial service firms. We use email to drive leads, increase conversion rates, reduce churn, and boost your bottom line.

We taught ourselves how to do everything above by growing our own newsletter, The Street Sheet, from 5,000 subscribers to 160,000 subscribers (and counting).

We then took what we learned and started helping companies like J.P. Morgan, SoFi, Empower, Benzinga, and more with their email and content marketing.

Every Monday, we share tips and tricks we’ve learned that you can implement yourself.

Before we dive in, here's a link to my calendar if you'd like to discuss how we can help you generate more business.

In today’s edition:

• One trick to increasing open rates

• Opening the door for retail investors

• Another Robo-Advisor Bites the Dust

First time reading? Sign up here

LINKS WORTH A LOOK

🗣️ Marketing News & Insights

• Why Tory Burch, The RealReal, Saie, and more are posting on Substack (Substack)

• How Powerade’s March Madness campaign takes aim at Gatorade (MarketingDive)

• In 2025, Skip the Trends and Focus on the Fundamentals (AdWeek)

💼 Industry News & Insights

• CFP Board releases ethics guidelines for AI (CityWire)

• Regulators, lawmakers open the door for retail investors (Private Funds CFO)

• Post-Roaring Kitty: Meet the new class of day-traders attracting swaths of followers online (Business Insider)

🤔 Honorable Mentions

• The Power Of The Right Question (Meaningful Money)

• Another Robo-Advisor Bites the Dust (MorningStar)

• Morningstar is shuttering 'Office' in 2026 and steering its orphaned RIAs to Black Diamond to get revenue cut in deal (RIABiz)

DEEP DIVE

How to Write Effective Preview Text for Your Newsletter

Email marketing is a game of first impressions. While most marketers obsess over subject lines, the preview text—that small snippet of text appearing next to or below the subject line in an inbox—often goes overlooked.

Yet, this tiny bit of real estate plays a crucial role in your email’s open rate. A well-crafted preview text can boost engagement, clarify your message, and spark curiosity that leads to higher conversions.

In this post, we’ll break down what preview text is, why it matters, and how you can write compelling preview text for your newsletter. Plus, we’ll share some real examples to guide your strategy.

What is Preview Text?

Preview text is the short summary or teaser that appears next to or below the subject line in most email inboxes (Gmail, Apple Mail, Outlook, etc.).

If you don’t manually set your preview text, email clients will often pull in the first few lines of your email body—sometimes leading to awkward or incomplete messages.

For example, without optimized preview text, your email might display something like this:

📩 Subject Line: Big News: We’re Launching Something New!
📄 Preview Text: Can’t read this email? Click here to view it in your browser.

That’s a wasted opportunity. Instead, a well-crafted preview text could say:

📩 Subject Line: Big News: We’re Launching Something New!
📄 Preview Text: Get early access before everyone else. Spots are limited!

This creates intrigue and entices the reader to open the email.

Why Preview Text Matters

1. Boosts Open Rates – Your preview text provides additional context and reinforces the subject line, increasing the likelihood of an open.

2. Prevents Confusion – It gives readers a clear reason to open your email instead of skipping over it.

3. Complements the Subject Line – If your subject line is short or vague, preview text can clarify the message.

4. Improves Mobile Readability – On mobile devices, where subject lines get cut off, preview text often serves as the deciding factor for opening an email.

How to Write Great Preview Text

Now that we know why preview text is important, let’s dive into how to write it effectively.

1. Keep It Concise (But Not Too Short)

Most inboxes display 35–140 characters of preview text. The sweet spot? Between 50–90 characters to ensure readability across devices.

2. Complement the Subject Line

Your preview text should expand on your subject line, not repeat it. Think of them as a dynamic duo:

✅ Subject Line: The Market’s Shifting—Here’s What You Need to Know
✅ Preview Text: Our latest insights will help you stay ahead of the trends.

Rather than:

❌ Subject Line: The Market’s Shifting—Here’s What You Need to Know
❌ Preview Text: The Market’s Shifting—Here’s What You Need to Know

Redundancy kills engagement.

3. Use Action-Oriented Language

Encourage the reader to take action. Examples:

• “Claim your early access today.”

• “See how top investors are reacting.”

• “Download your free guide now.”

4. Create Urgency or Exclusivity

FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) is a powerful motivator. If applicable, use urgency or exclusivity to drive engagement:

• “Only 12 spots left—don’t miss out.”

• “Exclusive insights for our subscribers only.”

• “Prices increase at midnight—lock in your rate.”

5. Use Curiosity to Spark Interest

If you can make the reader curious, they’ll feel compelled to open your email. Examples:

• “This strategy saved our clients $2.3M—here’s how.”

• “What we learned from 1,000 failed trades…”

• “The investment mistake 80% of people make.”

6. Avoid Spam Triggers

Certain words can make your email look spammy, decreasing deliverability. Avoid excessive use of:

• “FREE!!!” (Too many caps/exclamation points)

• “Congratulations, you won!”

Instead, use natural and conversational language.

Examples of Strong Preview Text

Here are a few subject line + preview text combinations that work well:

✅ Subject Line: The Best Stocks to Buy This Quarter
✅ Preview Text: Our analysts break down the top opportunities right now.

✅ Subject Line: How to Lower Your Tax Bill Before Year-End
✅ Preview Text: These strategies could save you thousands—see them here.

✅ Subject Line: Big News: Our New Platform is Live!
✅ Preview Text: Be among the first to explore our new features.

Final Thoughts

Your preview text is one of the most underutilized tools in email marketing. By taking the time to craft a compelling message, you can increase open rates, boost engagement, and drive conversions.

Next time you send an email, don’t let the preview text be an afterthought—make it work for you.

Need help optimizing your email marketing? Money Marketers specializes in content and email strategies that convert. Let’s talk.

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