When you are email marketing, the subject line is your first impression. It’s what gets people to open your email and it’s important to get it right. In this blog post, I will discuss some of the things you should consider when writing your email marketing subject lines. I’ll also give you some tips on how to make them better! Ready to take your email marketing messages to the next level? Let’s go…
Elements to Consider for Your Email Marketing Subject Lines
Email marketing subject lines are important because they are the first thing people see when they receive your email. If you want them to open it, you need to write a good subject line that catches their attention. You also want to make sure it is relevant to what the email is about.
Personalize Your Email Marketing Subject Lines
It is important to personalize your email marketing subject lines because it can help you stand out from the competition. When you personalize your subject lines, you are more likely to get people to open your email. And when people open your email, they are more likely to click on the links or take the actions you want them to take.
Some of the best benefits include:
- People are more likely to open your email if it is personalized.
- Personalized email marketing subject lines can help you stand out from the competition.
- When people open your email, they are more likely to take the actions you want them to take.
Here are some tips on how to personalize your email marketing subject lines:
- Use the person’s name in the subject line.
- Use their city, state, province, etc. in the subject line.
- Use their company name in the subject line.
- Use a recent event they were involved in (such as a conference or webinar) in the subject line.
- Use a common interest that you have in the subject line.
Direct and Practical
When you are email marketing, you want your subject line to be direct and practical. This is because it can help you stand out from the competition and get people to take the actions you want them to take. When your email marketing subject lines are direct, people know what to expect when they open your email. This can help increase your open rates and click-through rates.
Some of the best benefits of using direct and practical email marketing subject lines include:
- You can get people to take the actions you want them to take.
- It can help you stand out from the competition.
- Direct email marketing subject lines are clear and to the point, so people don’t waste time.
- People know what to expect when they open your email.
Here are some tips on how to make your email marketing subject lines more direct:
- Keep your email marketing subject lines short and to the point.
- Use clear language that is easy to understand.
- Use action verbs to get people to take action.
- Don’t use “?” in the email marketing subject line (that’s a question, not a direct statement – But there are some exceptions to this).
- Emojis can be used, but try to avoid them if they don’t add true value.
Make Your Email Marketing Subject Lines Brief
When you are email marketing, you want your subject line to be brief. This is because it can help people better understand if the email provides value to them – They can quickly determine if your email message should be read (or not). When your email marketing subject lines are brief, people can easily understand what your email is about. This can help increase your open rates and click-through rates.
Some of the best benefits of using brief email marketing subject lines include:
- You can encourage people to take action.
- It can help you stand out from the competition (as readers can better filter for spam).
- Brief email marketing subject lines are clear and easier to understand.
- People know what to expect when they open your email.
- You can also quickly determine if the email provides value recipients.
Here are some tips on how to make your email marketing subject lines more brief:
Keep your email marketing subject lines short, no longer than 60 characters (about 9 words).
- Use clear language that is easy to understand.
- Don’t use lot’s of punctuation.
- Focus on the single (primary) subject of the email.
- Use an action verb if possible.
Use Clear Language
When you are email marketing, it is important to use plain clear language in your email marketing subject lines. This is because it can help you cut though the noise, increasing your open rates and click-through rates, while getting people to take action.
Some of the benefits of using clear email marketing subject lines include:
- You can get people to take action.
- It can help you stand out from the competition.
- Clear email marketing subject lines are easier for people to understand what the email is about.
- People know what to expect when they open your email.
Here are some tips on how to make your email marketing subject lines more clear:
- Use language that is easy to understand.
- Don’t use jargon or technical terms unless you are sure everyone will understand them.
- Use action verbs to get people to take action.
- Punctuate your email marketing subject lines for clarity.
Use Action Verbs
When you email marketing, using action verbs in your email marketing subject lines can be very effective. This is because they can help increase open rates and click-through rates, while getting people to take action.
Some of the best benefits of using action verbs email marketing subject lines include:
- You can encourage people to take action.
- It can help your email to perform better.
- Action verb email marketing subject lines are often more clear and get straight to the point.
- People know what they are looking to do, when they open your email.
Here are some tips on how to make your email marketing subject lines more action-oriented:
- Use action verbs that help people better approach the CTA action (in your email).
- Make sure the email marketing subject line tells recipients what they need to do.
- Punctuate your email marketing subject lines for clarity.
Punctuation
When email marketing, avoid using “?” and “!” in your email subject lines. This is because it can come across as spammy and make people less likely to open your email.
In reality, this is like asking a question, and shouting. Anti-spam filters often look for this, and apply a negative score.
Similarly, don’t use ALL CAPS in an email subject line – People don’t like to get yelled at.
Emojis
When email marketing, using emojis in your email marketing subject lines can be a great way to stand out from the competition and increase open rates. This is because they add an element of fun and personality to your email.
However, use them sparingly as too many can come across as unprofessional, only use one emoji in a subject line. Never use an emoji unless it provides true value and meaning.
Don’t use emojis to replace words. Instead, use them to compliment your subject line (words).
Test Your Subject Lines
When email marketing, it is important to test your email marketing subject lines. This is because different subject lines can perform better with different audiences. The best way to find out what works best for your audience is to A/B test different email marketing subject lines.
Some of the benefits of testing email marketing subject lines include:
- You can find out what performs best with your audience.
- You can improve open rates and click-through rates.
- You can get more people to take action.
Here are some tips on how to test email marketing subject lines:
- A / B test different email marketing subject lines with a small sample size of your audience.
- Also test different email marketing subject lines with different segments of your audience.
- Monitor open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates.
- Make changes to your email marketing subject lines based on the results of your tests.
What Makes Your Email Marketing Subject Lines Better?
When email marketing, there are a few things you can do to make your email marketing subject lines better. Below is a bullet list of what’s been discussed so far:
- Using clear language
- Using action verbs
- Punctuating for clarity
- Don’t use “?” and “!” in the same subject line
- Testing your subject lines. How do they look on different devices?
- A/B testing
- Use emojis sparingly
Direct and Practical
Email marketing subject lines can be direct and practical. This means that you can get straight to the point without any fancy language. You can also include a call-to-action in the subject line.
Using direct and practical email marketing subject lines can help increase open rates and click-through rates because people know exactly what they are getting when they open the email. It can also help build relationships with subscribers by showing that you are straightforward and not trying to hide anything.
Offers
Email marketing subject lines can have free offers or benefits to make people more interested to open them. You can use words like “free,” “save,” or “discount” to let people know there is an offer in the email. You can also include the amount of the discount, such as “Save 20% off your order.”
Some of the benefits of offering free things (for example) in your email campaign subject lines include increased open rates and click-through rates, as well as the potential to build relationships with subscribers.
As a side note: You can use freebies to get people to sign up for your email list, which can then be used to promote your products or services.
Urgency
FOMO – Fear of missing out. It’s helpful in a marketing context to help communicating a sense of urgency in your email marketing subject lines.
Make sure your email content supports this by providing not only the start date (of a promotion for example), but also an end date.
Creating a sense of urgency is beneficial because it can help motivate subscribers to be more likely to open your email and take action. You can do this by using words (or emojis) that show the offer or sale you are promoting is for a limited time.
Create a sense of importance
It is important for marketing email subject lines to create a sense of importance because it can help better relay understanding to your subscribers – That they should open the email message sooner than later. Again, you can show the offer is for a limited time. This creates a sense of urgency and encourages people to act now.
Personalization
Email marketing subject lines can be personalized to each subscriber. This means that you can include the person’s first name, last name, or even a nickname in the subject line. You can also include other information, such as the city they live in or their favorite hobby.
Personalization can help increase open rates and click-through rates because it shows that you are emailing someone specific and not just sending out mass emails. It can also help build relationships with subscribers.
Curiosity
One way to use curiosity in email subject lines is to make the reader want to know more about what you have to offer. This can be done by using questions or by providing just enough information to pique their interest. Benefits of using curiosity in email subject lines include increased open rates and click-through rates, as well as the potential to build relationships with subscribers.
What are Best Practices for Email Marketing Subject Lines?
Best practices for email marketing subject lines are to keep them short, personal, and direct. You also want to use action verbs and punctuation to make them stand out. Emojis can be used sparingly and should not be used in the same subject line. A/B testing is important to see what works best for your email marketing campaign.
The following list sums up the best practises that help ensure your email marketing subject lines perform better.
Don’t Re-invent the Wheel
Use existing proven solutions, and redirect your energy to other aspects that need attention. If something already works, it’s for a reason.
Get to the Point
Email marketing subject lines should get to the point because people are busy and don’t have time to read long email subjects. You want to make sure that people know what the email is about and what they can expect from it, so that they can decide if they want to open it or not. The subject line is the first thing people will see, so make it count.
Use Clear Language
When writing email marketing subject lines, it is important to use clear language that can be understood by everyone. You want to avoid using jargon or technical terms that not everyone will know. It is also important to be concise and direct in your email subjects.
Use Friendly Sender Names
One way to make email marketing subject lines more effective is to use friendly sender names. This means that you should use the name of the company or organization emailing the subscriber instead of using a generic email address.
When email subscribers see a familiar name in their inbox, it can help increase the likelihood that they will open the email. It also helps build trust and relationships with subscribers.
Do NOT use “no-reply@”
Email marketing subject lines should not use no-reply email addresses because they can come across as unprofessional and cold. Additionally, using a no-reply email address may prevent subscribers from being able to reach out to you with questions or concerns. If you want to build trust and relationships with your email subscribers, it is important to use a reply email address.
Plainly put “No Reply” of “no-reply@…” says “I am not interested in what you have to say” – I’d guess this is not a message to broadcast in your email marketing campaigns.
Do Not Use ALL CAPS
Email marketing subject lines should not be typed in all uppercase letters because it can come across as unprofessional and aggressive. Additionally, using all caps in email subject lines can make them difficult to read. If you want to make sure your email marketing subject lines are effective, it is best to avoid using all caps.
Some anti-spam filters will also elevate the spam score of an email, when the subject line has too many uppercase letters in it.
Use List Segmentation
List segmentation is email marketing best practise because it allows you to send targeted, relevant email content to different groups of people on your email list. This means that you can email people who are interested in the same thing, which can help increase open rates and click-through rates. Additionally, using list segmentation can help build relationships with subscribers by showing that you understand their interests.
Different segments in your campaign should have email marketing subject lines written specifically for that segment of subscribers.
Tell Readers What’s in the Email
Email marketing subject lines should tell readers what is in the email so that they can decide if it’s of interest. This is important because people are busy and don’t have time to read long email subjects. You want to make sure that people know what the email is about and what they can expect from it. The subject line is the first thing people will see, so this is where you should place extra focus.
Employ Humor
Email marketing subject lines should use humor (if possible, and if appropriate) because it can help increase open rates as well as click-through rates. Additionally, using humor in email subject lines can help build relationships with subscribers by showing that you understand their interests.
Compelling Questions Work!
Email marketing subject lines should use Compelling Questions because they can help increase open rates and click-through rates (because of a “sparked” interest).. Additionally, email marketing subject lines that use questions can help subscribers decide if the email is of use to them.
Leverage Preview Text that Engages
While not specifically an email marketing subject line… This does bear including:
Preview text is a short piece of text that appears in email clients next to the email subject line. It is usually around 150-160 characters long and allows email marketers to give a more detailed description of the email content.
Using preview text can be helpful for email marketing because it allows email marketers to give a more detailed description of the email content. This is important because it can help subscribers better capture email of interest to them. Additionally, using preview text can help increase open rates and click-through rates by giving subscribers a sneak peek of what the email contains.
Use Numbers
Email marketing subject lines should use numbers because they can help increase open rates. Additionally, using numbers in email subject lines can help email marketers provide a more detailed description of the email content.
In particular, numbers are quantifiable. This helps elevate your email marketing subject lines from others, where the messages are more vague.
Numbers advertise a clear more direct message, while helping your email get more attention.
Conclusion
There are a number of things to consider when writing email marketing subject lines. You want to use clear language, action verbs, and punctuation in order to make your email stand out. Additionally, you can employ humor, numbers, and list segmentation to increase open rates and click-through rates. Finally, always tell subscribers what’s in the email so they know what to expect.
You can learn much more about email marketing subject lines, by visiting our Small Business Email Marketing posts. As well as find out more about Email Subscriber Engagement.