By: Alchemy Worx

We’re seeing more and more special characters dropping into our inboxes lately – cute symbols like★ and ♥. Do they really make a difference? Are there any problems with using them? And how can they be used to best effect?

Technical issues
The sudden rise in the use of special characters in subject lines by legitimate marketers would seem to imply that rendering and deliverability issues caused by their use are a thing of the past. However there are indications that some corporate spam filters still regard them as suspect, something which B2B marketers will need to take in to consideration.

But just because it’s possible to do something, that doesn’t always mean we should. True, early indications are that subject lines with special characters do get you a lift in key campaign metrics. But this may only be a novelty effect.

Novelty factor
Many subject lines use special characters at the beginning and end simply to try and stand out in recipients’ inboxes – like these examples:

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