I’ll admit to a shocking truth. I rarely turn on my cell phone. It’s very cute, brushed black stainless steel, and fun to open and close. But I really know very little about its functionality.

Since I spend almost every waking moment at my desk pounding the keys, my landline is always within reach. With all the crap and detritus I generally carry around in my head, I don’t need to cram more in than I actually need to use. Hence, having a cell phone that I can turn on and off is all I can possibly bear right now. PDAs? Fuh-gedda-bout-it. (I’m still trying to figure out the allure of texting versus just talking on the phone, but I’ll save that for a different post.)

But many, if not most, of the professionals I look to reach in the B2B world do carry fancy, mega-pimped out super phones and hand-helds. Not only are these folks calling and texting. They’re reviewing and responding to their emails via these appliances, too.

And that means subject heads. So heads-up, copy friends. Here are a few tips for writing these critical little intros by way of Diana Huff, reporting on a recent presentation given by Karen Gedney on how to get your subject lines read and your emails opened:

• Make your point in the first 15 characters: That’s about the average Blackberry screen shows so frontload with strong keyphrases.
• Make it read like an internal memo: Folks will open what looks and reads in a familiar fashion, so use those terms familiar to the internal office communiques — Action Item, FYI, Review Today, and so forth.
• Write the Subject Head first: Like a carrier envelope, the Subject Head is the gatekeeper to the rest of your message. It’s only smart to spend the bulk of your effort getting this one right, especially when you’re looking to work within 15 character max rule.

Diana also adds, and it’s a good one: Send a few test emails to your own phone and that of a few co-workers. See how it looks and reads among all the other emails clamoring for attention?. Does it look right? Does it clearly stand-out or does it get lost in the clutter? Revise and keep testing until you’re sure you have a winner.

Maven’s Maxim
In a world where readability and scanability are critical to getting your message across, you have to write tight and familiar to get noticed. Better learn how to make your point in 15 characters or less if you market your message via email that’s being read on a PDA.