What makes you open a marketing email and not delete it without a second thought? The subject line. If it’s is generic, forget about getting your users to read it. Creating compelling and engaging email subject lines are key to increasing user engagement. When users open an email, they see the subject line first. It grabs their attention and prompts them to either read or ignore the contents of the message.
Subject lines can also be used to trigger users to take action if you want them to reply, share or reply with information regarding your company. To help you create more compelling and effective campaigns, we’ve outlined some handy tips that will leave your recipients excited about future communications from your business.
The Essentials to a Powerful Subject Line
The subject is the first thing that a reader sees when they open your email. It’s the one thing you have control over to make them want to read your emails.
The best way to get people to read your emails is to:
Focus on Benefits
The best way to get people to open your emails is by focusing on benefits. What can readers expect when they open the email? What will they get out of it?
Stand Out
Don’t blend in with the other emails in your subscribers’ inboxes. Make it stand out.
Emphasize Urgency
Give readers a reason to open the email right away. Let them know what they will miss out on if they don’t open your emails when they arrive.
Subject Lines Best Practices
Grab attention
If a subscriber skims through their inbox, you only have a few seconds (or less) to get them to stop and read your email. Be creative and entice your reader to open the email by grabbing their attention. Use catchy, relevant phrases that will ensure your message is seen.
Be specific
A great way to get a reader’s attention is to be as specific as possible. Your reader may have received hundreds of other emails that day, so what makes yours stand out? Be specific about what the email is about and you will instantly grab their attention.
Use numbers
Research shows that numbers get attention. If you want to grab the attention of your recipients, consider using numbers. For example, if you are emailing about a new product you are launching, you could use: ‘9 reasons to buy our new product’.
Be likable
Your subject line should be likable. Don’t come off as aggressive or salesy. Instead, be likable and let your subject line do the selling for you.
Keep it simple
Don’t go overboard. Keep it simple and to the point. If your subject line is overly complicated or confusing, your reader may not read the email.
Use words that provoke emotion
You want your readers to feel something when they see your subject line. Pick a word that provokes emotion. Happiness, excitement, curiosity, etc. Pick a word that makes you feel something and put it in your subject line.
The Do Not’s of Email Subject Lines
Be careful with humor
While humor can make an email subject line more interesting, you need to be careful. Laughing out loud (lol) and haha are great slang terms used in daily life. But they are not conducive to professional emails. Your recipients are likely to find it unprofessional, unhelpful and may even mark it as spam.
Don’t make it too long
Keep your subject line short and to the point.
Don’t cuss
Don’t use foul language in your email subject lines. No one likes to read that stuff, and many people will just delete it.
Don’t be too vague
If you’re sending a company-wide email, don’t write “New Stuff”.
Don’t be too generic
Don’t just write “Hi There” or “Company News”. Be a little bit more specific
Don’t use spam words
Avoid spam words and phrases, because they will automatically trigger spam filters.
How to Create the Perfect Subject Line
The formula for a perfect subject line is simple: Create Curiosity + Address a Problem + Offer a Solution.
Curiosity
Start off with something that piques the reader’s interest and makes them want to click through and read the rest of the email. This can be a question, an interesting statistic, or a fact.
Problem
Address a problem your customers are facing. This shows that you are a listening to them. It also encourages them to click through and find a solution in your email.
Solution
In your email, you need to offer a solution to the problem you addressed in the subject line. This is the most important part. If you promise a solution, but fail to deliver it in the email, you won’t get the engagement you were hoping for.
The subject line is the first thing that a reader sees when they open an email. A good subject line will make them want to click on the email to learn more; but a bad subject line might make them click the “Delete” button without reading a single word. The best email marketing campaigns are the ones that capture the attention of their audience right from the start. To do this, all marketers need to create an exceptional subject line that will compel the reader to open and read their email.
When you craft the perfect subject line, you’ll see more opens, more clicks, and more sales from your campaigns – so make sure to give this crucial element the attention it deserves.
