When it comes to emails, your subject line is the small but mighty phrase that determines whether your message gets opened or lost in the crowd (of equally bad subject lines!). First impressions matter, especially when you want to impress someone to land a job or a project! So, how do you make yours pop? Writing effective subject lines is similar to your quick conversation-starter skills. You want to grab your reader’s attention without being too pushy. In this blog, we are breaking down 8 ways to write effective email subject lines to shoot your open rates through the roof!
- Know Your Audience
It goes without saying – but knowing who you are reaching out to and why is key to impressing anyone (just like marketing campaigns!). If you don’t know this, you can’t approach, address, or effectively market to them. This is your first step to writing killer subject lines that truly resonate. Knowing them can help you highlight the purpose behind your message and develop impactful subject lines.
- Personalize, Personalize, Personalize
Want to boost your open rates? Personalizing your subject lines is a game changer. Use data fields to pull in details about your readers, like their names, locations, or anything relevant to them. Anything that grabs attention! In a sea of generic emails, personalized subject lines can really make yours pop.
That being said – today’s consumers are savvy. They know when brands are trying to personalize, and if you lean too heavily on their first names, they might just tune out. Don’t go overboard with personalization. The saying ‘less is more’ holds true here. Just a little bit can work wonders!
- Set Clear Expectations
Time is valuable, so it is crucial to load your subject lines with benefits. Make it obvious what the recipient will gain by opening your email.
Being straightforward with your audience from the start helps build trust. If your subject lines consistently deliver on their promises, readers will come to rely on you. Anyone who opens these emails will immediately know what to expect!
- Don’t Mislead Your Audience
Misleading your readers while writing email subject lines is a quick way to damage trust. Avoid making promises in your subject lines that your email can’t keep. This tactic is not just dishonest, it also comes off as spammy. If you go this route, you can bet your email campaigns will end up in spam folders before you know it. Or worse, your loyal subscribers will be hunting for that unsubscribe button. It might boost your open rates, but it can also lead to quick deletes, spam reports, and dismal click-through rates.
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- Keep It Short and Snappy
Almost 50% of emails are opened on mobile devices, which presents a new challenge for your subject lines. Smaller screens mean limited space. This can affect how your message is perceived. Most mobile email clients cut off subject lines after about 4-5 words. So, it is crucial to make those first few words count. If you can craft a compelling subject line in 4 or 5 words (or fewer), go for it!
Use powerful words that convey the main idea quickly. For example, instead of a longer phrase like, “Don’t miss out on our amazing summer sale,” you might say, “Summer Sale Starts Now!”
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- Avoid Spam Words
Every email marketer dreads seeing their hard work flagged as spam. After investing time and effort into creating a well-optimized email subject line, the last thing you want is for your email to be one of the five that gets trapped by spam filters.
Spam filters are constantly searching your emails for specific spam words. Here are some red flags to avoid:
- Specific Word Choices: Certain words are associated with spammy content – like earn money, 100% satisfied, etc
- ALL CAPS
- Missing Unsubscribe Button: Emails without a clear way to unsubscribe are often flagged
- Linking to questionable sites can raise alarms
- Overly colorful or varied fonts can come across as spammy
- Overuse of Exclamation Marks (like this!!!!!!!!) can trigger filters
- Strings of dollar signs ($$$$) or pound signs (£££) can seem suspicious.
Of course, you don’t have to avoid these completely, just use them wisely.
- Write Your Subject Line Last
To write effective email subject lines (that are also compelling!), it is best to write them after you have perfected your copy. You will have a better idea of what to include and what not to include in your subject line this way. Your subject line should accurately reflect the content of your email.
- Start with Action Verbs
Subject lines function like call-to-actions. The language you use should motivate readers to click. Actionable subject lines are more enticing and create a sense of urgency. This can boost your email’s click-through rates. For example, instead of a generic subject line like “Local Bangalore Sports Legend Meal,” you could say, “Dine with Virat Kohli.” The word “dine” paints a vivid picture and helps readers imagine themselves at the event, making it more appealing.
Conclusion
Knowing how to write effective email subject lines is important to successfully grab attention and narrowly avoid those pesky spam filters. It is your recipient’s first interaction with your email. It is what will compel them to either click or ignore it. Without an engaging subject line, your email can easily get lost in the crowded inbox. The email subject line best practices discussed in this blog are what you need to craft emails that will get opened (and read too!)
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