How to Write a Better Email Subject Line (10 Steps)
What’s in the email subject line? That is the question, right?
Well, according to the study report, 47% of marketers test different subject lines for performance optimization purposes.
And, it turns out people are far more likely to open your message if you send them one with an attractive or interesting opening salvo. The subject line of your email can make or break it.
It’s important to be creative and compelling enough that people want to click on the message, but not too spammy so that many will refuse from opening up at all.
One of the first things people see when they open your email is its subject line. It’s critical for getting their attention so it should be memorable, interesting, and informative.
Email marketing is a competitive space with so many other brands vying for attention. Do not repeat any part verbatim – edit anything that was repeated to avoid using multiple sentences on one side.
Do you want to send your email content in a way that ensures it will be opened, read, and clicked?
Well, it all starts with the subject line as it was the first sentence the receiver saw. Read on for some tried-and-true tips about what makes your subject lines an engaging one.
Tips to make a good email subject line
Sometimes the best way to get attention from someone is with a friendly, personable message.
In this article, we’ll go over some fundamentals of what makes up an effective subject line and why it’s so important for your email marketing campaigns.
Ready? Let’s dive right in…
1. Sense of Urgency
How do you get people to take action? A sense of urgency can be one way.
In fact, strategically using this in your subject lines will help them see how important it is and they’ll want to act quickly.
You can’t beat the convenience of knowing exactly when you’ll find a sale or promotion.
By communicating this information, your subscribers will be more likely to click through and take advantage of what’s available for that window.
This is also good practice for doing special sales or promotions in a series of emails as long as you’re not overloading their inboxes with spammy content. Or
Use a countdown to increase engagement, simplify the purchase process and make it feel like there’s something exciting on its way.
Bypassing this information in advance you can entice viewers scrolling through their inboxes with an opportunity they know will be at that time period.
2. An enticing email subject line
From the time we get up in the morning to when our heads hit that pillow, there is always some form of communication going on.
Emails may just be one more thing you’re doing every day but they can also have a big impact.
Do you know how some people are just drawn to opening emails? They’re like magnets, you can’t resist their pull.
But other times it’s better not to tell the recipient what awaits them inside that subject line.
In this scenario, you can use mystery in your subject lines to entice people. A good example of this is by telling them something interesting will happen if they open the email.
But do not give away any specifics about what it might be or how long until there’s an update so that curiosity is peaked without being frustrated with waiting too long for information on top-of-the-funnel offers.
Maintaining a sense of mystery (“You will benefit from opening this”) creates intrigue in others; makes them want more.
One of the most effective ways to get people to open your email is by making them curious and exciting.
Encourage teaser phrases in subject lines, such as: “What’s this?” or “Get ready.”
Make sure that while you’re hinting at something else, their interests are still aligned with yours- too obscure and they may think it spammy.
3. Offer Something!
People love free stuff, and this email is no exception. In general, a lot of people hate opening mail because they’re tired or just don’t have the time for it.
Nevertheless, who would not want valuable free stuff?
Here’s where your strategy rolled in. Give your subscriber something useful before or after every sale is made, and you’ll see an increase in open rates automatically.
There’s a reason people open their emails, and it isn’t for an empty subject line.
According to a recent study from MailChimp, people are more inclined to open their email when there’s an offer for “free stuff” directly mentioned in the subject line.
The company analyzed over 2 million emails and found that they were six times as likely to open if this was how it started out.
In fact, we’re guessing you might even get some friend requests too since people love getting freebies offered upfront.
When people open their emails, it’s the subject line that gets them into their inbox which is also an important part of what makes or breaks its success.
As such it should be written with care and consideration to ensure there are no errors in this area.
4. Personalization
Do you know what your customer’s interests are? Or, on a first-name basis with them do they find it easy to open emails from you because of how friendly the tone is.
Your email subject lines can make or break someone opening an attachment in one click!
First of all, you should recognize your customer and give them attention (albeit via email) in a personalized manner.
Experian reports that these emails have 29% higher unique open rates, plus 41% more click-throughs when you include their first name as the subject line of an email sent to them.
When you use your readers’ first names in the subject lines of emails sent to them, it makes them feel special.
Out of all the dozens of emails that enter into your inbox every day, those which mention names in your email subject line will catch more attention, right?
The same thing happens to every email subscriber or receiver.
Secondly, many people are guilty of email marketing sins when they send an email to the wrong audience.
For example, to your subscriber, if you were trying to promote dog foods and someone who owns cats saw this in their inbox. They might even unsubscribe from your mailing list.
Instead, use knowledge about YOUR customers’ needs as inspiration for what type of statements should go into each individual message.
Everyone should feel like part of a conversation instead of just being given orders with no understanding whatsoever.
5. Relevance and Timeliness
When you subscribe to an email list, largely, it’s because you want more information or knowledge on a given topic.
Similar to how curiosity is piqued in an audience member by using headlines that incorporate trending topics while crafting email subject lines.
Not only that, the use of timely headlines can help establish your brand as being associated with reputable sources of info within your industry. Thus, compelling people to open and read your email.
6. Name Recognition
Name recognition also plays an important role when it comes to email subject lines. If you mention a popular figure, it will catch people’s attention so the chance for them opening their emails becomes higher.
For instance, if Justin Timberlake was just mentioned on one of your email subject lines, subscribers would pay more attention than they normally would.
However, it’s important to align your subject lines with the product you are going to promote. Otherwise, they will most likely end up in spam folders from now on.
7. Cool Stories
Here’s another way to make your email subject line fascinating and compelling.
By front-loading it with a clever story that can only be read if opened or clicked, curiosity will likely get the best of them.
Don’t make your email complicated or difficult to read, it might prevent subscribers from opening the email…
Make it engaging and interesting for the reader by keeping it relevant, which will help them stay interested in what you have going on.
Since you’ve learned the fundamentals, it would be good if you can analyze and execute email subject line best practices. So, go to:
What are Email Subject Line Best Practices?
How to Write Good Email Subject Lines
1st Step: To Identify the purpose of the email.
Subject lines are important because they’re one aspect of receiving emails that tell us whether there might be something more valuable than just getting another notification from strangers.
You could even say it helps shape how much value we place on these messages as individuals (or classes) depending on who’s sending them out.
Why do you want to send this email and what message do they have for their recipient? A good way to start your brainstorming is by identifying the true purpose or intent of an email.
Also, think about why someone would open it. Is there a reason other than curiosity or interest in the content of yours that might inspire them?
The above reasons will help you come up with a better email subject line that reflects what people want and need in their inboxes.
2nd Step: Entice with the call to action
Email marketers are always looking to get people clicking on their emails. It’s important that the email subject line has something inviting enough for users.
A call to action with an incentive is probably the best way to make your email stand out. What will entice them enough so that they click on it?
A discount, something free, or important information?
The more enticing it can be for users, the better chance you have at capturing their attention and getting what exactly they want- whether its about yourself or just curiosity.
3rd Step: Multiple email subject lines for Ideas!
For a more engaging and interesting inbox, try out this technique that will have your recipients guessing what they’ll get next.
Do you know what’s the one thing every email has in common? A subject line. The best ones are short, sweet and to the point–they get your attention. But how do you make yours stand out from all of them?
The key is simply varying the words you use in your email subject lines every now then. Try writing a few variations on that same sentence for ideas.
You want to come up with at least three similar phrases before settling on one for good measure.
I guarantee that you’ll find yourself coming up with more incredible phrases when brainstorming.
4th Step: Get feedback from colleagues
To improve the quality of your messages, have colleagues review subject lines. Ask them to give feedback on which they preferred most.
They will be able to review subject lines with fresh eyes and hopefully provide positive suggestions too.
This is an excellent way to get colleagues involved in the business of your company.
Also having multiple perspectives can help you see things from new angles that may have been overlooked before or missed entirely.
This can help provide insight into how other people may react or respond when opening these types of emails that are important but not always easy.
5th Step: Test your subject line
Did you know that even though the majority of people usually click “no thanks,” about 20% always do?
That’s why it is so important to get creative with your subject lines.
The most successful appeals are those with a friendly tone of voice that makes the recipient feel like they’re speaking to an old friend.
Find out which of your email subject line performs best by conducting an A/B test. Take note of whichever one performs better.
After you’ve conducted the A/B test, take your most effective email subject line, use it in an upcoming campaign, and wait for the result.
Final thoughts
We all know that email is the most important form of communication in business, but what happens when you send an invoice or proposal?
Chances are it goes into a spam folder and never gets seen. This means you need some tricks up your sleeve.
It’s important to understand your audience and what they want before you write an email.
The first step is to identify the purpose of the email, whether it be informational or promotional in nature.
Next, entice them with a call-to-action that will get them interested in clicking on the link to read more about your message.
Send out multiple subject lines for ideas. This way you can see what resonates with people and will give them the incentive to open your emails as well as purchase any products you are selling.
Writing a good subject line is the key to getting your email opened. It’s also important that you get feedback from colleagues before sending out an email campaign, or else it may be ineffective in its goal.
The last step for writing a great email subject line would be testing it and seeing how people respond.
Do an A/B Testing and see which one works best by sending out different versions of an email campaign.
In this way, you can see which version performs better without wasting time and money on something that doesn’t work as expected.
What do you think about these steps? Do you think they would help you write better subject lines for your own campaigns?
We’ve covered the 5 steps to writing compelling email subject lines. It’s important that you take note of them and execute them perfectly.
Useful Services For Your Email Marketing Campaign
Wills Blogger list down some of the best free platforms/services that will help you grow your email marketing business.
Email Subject Line Tester Tools
- Test Subject by Zurb
What it tests:
The appearance on mobile devices
The best way to know how your subject line, sender name, and pre-header text will appear is by using this handy tool that instantly previews the copy!
Price: Free
- Email Subject Line Grader by Net Atlantic
What it tests:
The overall effectiveness of copy, word mixture and balance, word count, and type.
This app will tell you whether or not your email subject lines are compelling enough. You’ll receive an overall score on how well they’re written and a list of suggestions for improvement,
Price: Free
- Spam Check by Postmark
What it tests:
It will give you an overall spam score
Price: Free
What it tests:
It will show you the effectiveness of the overall copy.
This tool gives you an overall score for your subject line and tells where and why it lost points. It also has advice on how to make it better.
Price: Free
What it tests:
Sender-ID check, Spam phrases.
This handy email tool checks your subject line and email body for any spam words or phrases that will trip filters. It also ensures you have a clean, un-spammy ID so as not to make the problem worse!
Price: Free
- Headline Analyzer by CoSchedule
What it tests:
Overall copy effectiveness, keywords, word balance, length analysis, and sentiment
Price: Free
What does it test?
Readability of copy
One of the best ways to make sure you are crafting a perfect email is by using this app. Hemingway App will edit your body text for readability, find out if you have too many adverbs and passive voice in it.
Price: Free
Tests it offers:
Click rate and open rate of your subject line keywords.
This tool is going to help you with your email subject lines. All that you have to do is select a business sector and type in your keyword. The main point of what’s happening in this industry or topic will then generate suggestions for an engaging headline.
