No matter what they say, people judge e-mails by their subject lines.
47% of marketers say they test various e-mail subject lines to optimize the performance of their e-mails. That’s why it’s so essential to write subject lines that are compelling enough to entice click-through.
Even though they may seem like a small part of your message, they are one of the first impressions you make on your e-mail recipients. And they are the marketer’s ticket to standing out in a crowded inbox.
What makes a good e-mail subject line?
Before we get to our tips, let’s discuss some basic things about a good subject line. Regardless of your objectives, these are the essential elements your subject line should have:
1. Urgency
A sense of urgency is an efficient method for people to take action. You can strategically create a similar effect in your subject lines.
If you include a known start and end date for a special sale or promotion, viewers scrolling through their inbox will click on it to see what they can get in that time frame. That is also a good practice if you’re counting down the time window in a small series of e-mails – provided you don’t flood the inbox and come across as spammy.
2. Curiosity
Sometimes subject lines work because they convey the message, “You will benefit from opening this e-mail.” However, sometimes it’s good to keep a certain level of mystery – especially if it sparks the recipient’s natural curiosity and interest. Because they call for opening the e-mail to obtain more info, they can lead to a higher open rate. However, make sure that the subject line, while mysterious, still fits your brand. If it’s too obscure, it could be considered spam.
3. Offers
That is where the benefit of opening a specific e-mail comes into play. After all, people love new things and experiences – especially if they’re free or at least discounted. Open with it by including it in your subject line. I’m much more likely to open my daily newsletters if there’s a direct mention of an offer or allusion to “free stuff” in my inbox.
4. Personalization
No two e-mail subscribers are alike – sometimes, the e-mails you send to them shouldn’t be either. These days, marketers have never had so many opportunities to learn about their subscribers’ preferences, occupations, or general likes and dislikes. So if you send them content occasionally, tailor it to that person.
5. Personalization
When we subscribe to an e-mail list, we want to be kept up to date or learn more about a particular topic (more on that later). Like piquing your audience’s curiosity, e-mail subject lines that include hot topics or headlines can develop your brand as an authority in your market – and get people to click to read.
6. Brand awareness
Let’s face it: All of us know famous people we currently admire or used to admire. And if you know your audience’s preferences and interests, you can pique their interest by including the names of these admired, well-known figures in your content – and mentioning them in the subject lines of your e-mails. But beware: This tactic only works if it’s consistent with your brand, product, or service. So make sure it’s relevant, rather than simply mentioning a name for recognition’s sake.
7. Cool stories
At the threat of seeming like a broken record, this is another point where curiosity comes into play. If you include a compelling allusion to a story in your e-mail subject line – which can only be read if you open or click on it – your audience will likely get curious and want to learn more. Again, ensure the story is relevant to your brand. Otherwise, it might confuse your readers and discourage them from opening the e-mail.
Now that you recognize the fundamentals let’s move on to e-mail subject line best practices.
Best practices for e-mail subject lines
1. Learn from successful e-mail subject line examples
When we rack our brains about how to craft our subject line, we often look to examples for inspiration. The clever use of puns or emojis in one of our favorite newsletters can help us find new ways to use our subject line.
2. Keep it short and sweet
E-mail subject lines that are too long get abandoned, especially on mobile devices. With up to 46% of e-mails being opened on mobile devices, we recommend using subject lines less than 50 characters to ensure that people scanning your e-mails read the entire message.
If you’re having trouble keeping your subject lines short, consider which words are less important and where you can leave out unnecessary detail. For example, if you’re sending out an order confirmation, does not “Your order is being refined” look better than “Order # 9435893458358 is being refined”?
The same goes for your regular e-mails: don’t waste your time with the word “Update” or “Newsletter” in the subject line. Some studies suggest that these words can decrease the open message rate, as they signal to readers that the e-mail is part of a series and may intercept the following e-mail.
3. Use a familiar sender name
The recognition as mentioned above value applies not only to famous names but also to well-known ones. When establishing your sender name, be as human as possible. [email protected] looks inviting, not intimidating, to people who open their inboxes.
If you already know your recipients from a previous conversation, use your name as the return address – even if the e-mail is technically from the entire company. The best impression you can leave with your customers is that they are working with you, the individual – not the entire company.
4. Avoid the sender name “No reply”
Thanks to all the spam that arrives these days, most people are reluctant to open e-mails from unknown senders. And even fewer individuals like talking to a robot. Think about that when you call a company and don’t reach an actual human. The same goes for e-mails. It’s frustrating.
Never use “[email protected].” I repeat, never use this e-mail address. Not only does it seem impersonal, but it also discourages others from adding your e-mail address to their address book.
5. Use personalization tokens
Remember that personalization feature we mentioned earlier? Everyone loves the sound of their name. Using customization tokens – like name or location – in the subject line gives a sense of connection, especially if it’s a name. It also increases click-through rates: Research has shown that e-mails that included the recipient’s first name in the subject line had a higher click-through rate than e-mails that did not.
6. Segment your lists
E-mails sent to the entire list may be relevant and helpful to some people but not others – and could lead to complications or aggravation. Why is this restaurant sending me a checklist of the best steakhouses in the area when I’m a vegetarian? Why was this firm sending me case studies when I enrolled in their e-mail checklist yesterday?
Personalize the experience using information from your customers’ actions – from the forms they’ve filled out to the industries they’re into and their personal preferences. In e-mail marketing, you can personalize your recipients’ experience with a little thing called list segmentation.
7. Don’t make false promises
The subject line of your e-mail is a promise to your readers of what you will deliver in your message. Make sure you deliver on that promise – and don’t try to open your e-mail with false promises. That will annoy your readers, who will discover not to trust your subject lines, leading to a reduced open rate and a more excellent unsubscribe price.
8. Tell them what’s in it
Speaking of promises: If your visitor has downloaded an offer and you’re e-mailing it to them, it’s a good idea to use a subject line that says something like “Your new ebook is inside!” or “Your guide is waiting for you!” That works better than a simple “Thank you” in the subject line because it clarifies that something is waiting for you in the e-mail.
9. Pick the right time
Sending an e-mail with the right subject line at the right time can significantly affect open and click-through rates. A prime example? When food publication Eater sent out a “Where to Drink Beer Right Now” e-mail at 6:45 p.m. on a Wednesday – just in time for happy hour.
10. Use concise wording
Remember that people skim their inboxes very quickly – so the clearer and more concise your subject line is, the better. It’s usually better to be brief than to use complex and flowery language – unless you want to entice your recipients with a subject line that’s difficult to understand.
If you decide to use a concise subject line, you should consider what benefit your e-mail will benefit recipients. Please highlight this benefit. For example, “Increase your open rate by 50% today” is more appealing than “How to increase your open rate.”
11. Start with action-oriented verbs
Subject lines resemble calls to action because you want the language to encourage people to click. Subject lines that start with action-oriented verbs tend to be much more enticing, and your e-mails could be much more click-friendly by adding a lively verb at the beginning.
Subject lines that can activate encourage people to click on your e-mail by conveying urgency and excitement.
12. Make people feel unique
The psychology of exclusivity is a strong point. When individuals seem like they belong to the insiders, it gives them a sense of belonging that strengthens their loyalty and makes them respond to your e-mails.
With the correct wording, you can make your recipients feel special – and the effect can be magical. A few ideas for wording are:
- “Just for our beloved customers.”
- “An exclusive offer for you”
- “My gift to you”
- “You’re invited!”
- “Private invitation”
13. Create a sense of importance
There’s a phrase that reminds many of us of classic commercials, “Act now!”
While we don’t advise using this exact phrase in your content, we agree that conveying urgency and brevity in an e-mail subject line can get readers to click (or act) – if it’s worded creatively and strategically.
But since you don’t want to be known as “the brand that cried wolf,” use these subject lines sparingly and limit them to instances where the occasion indeed calls for immediate action.
14. Use numbers
Many companies send e-mails with vague statements in their subject lines. That’s why using dates and numbers is a great way to draw attention to your e-mails, convey a clear and direct message about your offer, and set the right expectations.
Like blog titles, using numbers in your subject line is an effective e-mail marketing best practice. You can use numbers to refer to the title of your article, the web page length of an offer, a particular discount, or the numerical benefit of a particular resource you’re offering – such as “Join more than 750 others at this event!”
15. Ask a compelling question
A question in the subject line can also draw readers in – especially if you ask a question that you know is relevant to your recipients’ buyer persona. For example, you could try, “Are you making these SEO mistakes?” or “Do you know what your website is doing wrong?” That is just one way to pique the curiosity mentioned earlier.
16. Don’t be afraid to be funny
Most people like an excellent pun. It’s a terrific means to delight your receivers and enliven your e-mails. Some of the best funny e-mail subject lines come from JetBlue, with subject lines like “Land wonderful low fares now!”.
Quirky – a community-driven invention platform – phrased one of its e-mail subject lines this way, “Abra-cord-abra! Yes, we said it.” The second part is entertaining and self-referential – and precisely what most people would say after making a dumb joke in real life.
If you’re even a little bit funny, think about how you can incorporate it into your e-mails when it’s appropriate. But don’t go overboard. And also, keep in mind the policy: when unsure, ask a coworker.
17. DO NOT USAGE CAPITAL LETTERS or exclamation points !!!
A subject line that claims “OPEN NOW AND RECEIVE A COMPLIMENTARY TEST” or “50% off voucher today only!!!!!!!!” will not obtain your e-mail opened if anything will possibly overlook your e-mail.
Individuals do not, such as being chewed out and making use of capital letters, and also several exclamation factors can massage people upside-down.
Here’s why. Individuals don’t like being yelled at, and using capital letters and many exclamation points can rub people the wrong way.
Not only are these tactics annoying, but they look spammy. So, try to personalize your e-mails, establish relevance, and use catchy and engaging language instead of appearing in recipients’ inboxes with disruptive tactics.
18. Don’t include a question or exclamation in the same subject line
Here’s a subject line that can automatically end up in the recipient’s spam folder: “Want a solution fast? Act now!”
The quick fix is not the problem in the above example. Nor is it “Act now” – although those words are familiar to marketing spam. It’s both phrases together. All you have to do is ask and shout at the same time. That is a classic e-mail saboteur, and it comes in many forms.
Often, e-mails from web servers are classified as spam if they have both a question mark and an exclamation mark in the subject line. The above is a typical example. A good solution? Please don’t do it!
Not only is this format overkill, but it also alienates your audience. Open-ended questions show ignorance; any good marketer knows their customers better.
19. Use engaging preview text
Even though the preview text isn’t technically part of the subject line, it does appear close to it – and it deserves your attention.
Preview text gives recipients a glimpse of what’s in your e-mail, which e-mail clients like the iPhone Mail app, Gmail, and Outlook display next to the subject line. (How much text is displayed depends on the e-mail client and user settings.)
If you don’t set the preview text yourself, the e-mail client will automatically pull it from the body of your e-mail. Depending on the e-mail content, this can look cluttered and is a missed opportunity to appeal to your target audience.
20. A/B test your subject lines
While these tips and best practices are a good starting point, what works for some businesses may not be a fit for others. That’s where A/B testing comes in. It’s all about finding out what works fantastic for your specific audience.
While it’s alluring to rely upon your instinct to anticipate which topic lines will undoubtedly obtain your e-mails clicked, you must always A/B examine your essential subject lines and readjust the phrasing according to the outcomes. What works most OK for your target market? Long or short movie lines? Include numbers or otherwise include numbers? Questions or declarations?
Now that we’ve gone over our best practices, let’s review the steps to creating good e-mail subject lines.
How to write good e-mail subject lines
Step 1: Determine the purpose of the e-mail
Why is the e-mail being sent, and how does this affect the subject line? Determine the actual purpose or intent of the e-mail and use this as a basis for subject line ideation.
Step 2: Establish the call to activity
What will make the customer click on the e-mail? A discount? Something free of charge? Essential information? What’s luring sufficient to make them intend to see or learn more concerning your offer? A phone call to action with a reward yet to be seen is tempting.
Step 3: Draft multiple subject lines
Write similar subject lines that use different words and tones. You should have a few ideas to choose from so you don’t have to stew over the same sentence for a long time.
Step 4: Solicit feedback
Have colleagues review your subject lines and tell them which ones they prefer. A second opinion can assist you in looking at it from a different angle.
Step 5: Test your subject line
As mentioned earlier, run an A/B test to see which subject line performs best. After the test, take the most effective subject line and use it in your next e-mail marketing campaign.
Some tools to check your subject lines
Litmus Subject Line Checker
Litmus Subject Line Checker lets you instantly preview your subject lines in various e-mail clients. It also provides advanced analytics and complete checklists to improve your e-mail marketing to your subscribers.
There is a 7-day free trial and paid plans called Basic, Plus, Pro, and Enterprise.
Subject Line.com tool
On SubjectLine.com, 400 rules are tested to help evaluate deliverability, filtering, performance, and marketing issues. As the tool says, over 5 billion e-mail subject lines are tested with this tool. The tool is free.
Touchstone subject line tool
Touchstone extracts data from sectors such as telecom and technology, consumer services, financial services, travel, retail, media and entertainment, B2B, and your database. It also compares your subject lines to each industry’s average e-mail subject lines. It helps you analyze delivery rates, clicks, and open rates depending on the subject line test.
There is a free 7-day trial package, and paid plans are available at prices of $69 (Essential), $99 (Expert), and $297 (Enterprise).
Catch more clicks with catchy subject lines
If your e-mails aren’t being opened, they aren’t being seen. We hope you can use our tips to develop creative and engaging subject lines for your e-mails. You already have amazing content to share – now prove it in your subject line.
Hopefully, we’ve provided you with the details you need to make an Email Subject Lines that will dazzle you.
Did you enjoy the post? Fast track implementation by purchasing our Email Subject Lines template so you can skyrocket conversions.