How to write the perfect email subject line

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How to Write the Perfect Email Subject Line

Every year, you hear this silly saying, “Email marketing is dead.” But the reality is that email still exists in abundance and is intended to last the test of time for the foreseeable future. Data does not lie:

In 2018, global email users up to 3.8 billion users.

93% of B2B marketers use email for content distribution.

68% of millennials prefer communication from businesses to by email .

For every $1 you spend email marketing you can expect an average profit of $32.

For every $1 you spend on email marketing, you can expect an average return of $32. Click To Tweet

Now, the subject line of the email will play a huge role in its effectiveness.

Know your recipient

Before you say “well, duh,” take a moment to really understand who is on the other end of the line. Are they potentially extremely busy? Would they appreciate a little humor or a clever pun?

You don't want to hit them the wrong way and a little knowledge can help you avoid that in the long run.

Be personal and have character.

Tailoring emails to their unique recipients is almost a surefire way to get more clicks. Research has shown that emails include recipient's name in the subject line there are almost 20 % higher CTR than emails that don't.

Emails that include the recipient's name in the subject line have almost 20 % higher CTR than emails that don't receive. Click to Tweet

A personalization token such as a name or position in a topic builds a sense of relationship. Furthermore, using a casual tone (perhaps an emoji or two) and sharing something personal makes your email more relatable. These personalized little touches show you know more about the recipient than just their email address.

You can also ask a question directly in the subject line to engage the reader in instant dialogue. Try to keep your question open so the recipient can't just quickly say "no". For example, online education platforms that send out their weekly newsletters might keep the topic “What's Next for Data Science?” or “Will robots take your job?”. These subject lines are quite enticing to click on.

Keep it clear and actionable

Chances are your recipient is checking their inbox on a smartphone. In fact, out 41% of the emails opened today on mobile devices. And since most smartphones only display about six to eight words of a subject line, it's important to keep it "short and engaging."

So personalize your email, be welcoming, and get straight to the point in less than eight words. Don't waste that valuable little space with filler words like "hello" and "nice to meet you" that can easily be included in the body of an email.

Furthermore, you need to treat your subject line as a call to action because your goal is to get people to click and take action. Using action verbs at the beginning of the subject line can make your emails significantly more engaging.

For example, if you're a travel agency sending a special invitation to your subscribers for an upcoming dinner event with the legendary Michael Jordan, the email subject might be “Dinner with the legend of the Bulls. , Michael Jordan" instead of the longer, less action-packed "Special Meal Invitation to Micahel Jordan". Previous emails used “Dinner” to help readers visualize themselves sitting at the dinner table.

Create a sense of urgency

A great way to open more emails and respond quickly is to create a sense of scarcity (limited availability) and urgency (limited time) in the subject line. People love getting new things, but they even hate losing good things.

In other words, the fear of missing out (FOMO) can be an extremely compelling tool to get people to open your emails and act quickly. That being said, be creative and strategic about it. Only use this tactic when there is a real call to action.

For example, if you are inviting registration for marketing events , something like “Only 2 days left to sign up!” is a good way to go about it. Also, if you're running into a huge, time-limited discount on your B2B software subscription, consider something along the lines of “Don't miss out on these massive subscription savings!”

Don't make empty promises

This goes without saying, but never try to get recipients to open your emails by making false promises. You will permanently lose their trust and damage your company's reputation.

So make sure you deliver exactly what you promised, if not more, in the body of your email.

And speaking of promises, if your visitors have downloaded a free resource (such as tutorials or templates) from your e-learning site and you are offering it via email, you should use Short and clear headlines like, “Your free samples are here!” or “Free Tutorials yours waiting!". This is better than a simple “Thank you” because it leaves no room for doubt about the content of the email.

Never use capital letters ALL

While using all caps can grab your recipient's attention and make your email stand out in the inbox, you shouldn't do it. Why? It's simple – people don't like being yelled at. All capital letters are the digital equivalent of shouting at someone, which is clearly not your intention. Likewise, don't overuse the use of exclamation points. That's puerile.

For example, do you actually open an email with a subject along the lines of “CLICK HERE AND GET YOUR FREE Version TODAY” or “Limited Time Great Deals!! !!!!!! ”? Of course not.

These practices are not only annoying, but also look spammy. Instead of using such disruptive tactics to make a difference in people's inboxes, focus on Personalize your email highly relevant and uses pleasant language.

The last word

These tips and tactics are sure to get you on the right track, but what works for other companies may not work for you. And the only solution to this is to split test your email subject lines to find what works best for your audience.

Use your intuition to guess which subject line will make people open your email. attractive though inefficient way to do it. So, A/B test your high-stakes subject lines to answer dilemmas, such as what's better: Statement or question? Funny or sober?

This is how you will optimize your email open rates. At the end of the day, the goal is to get the message across in a way that's engaging, ethical, and not misleading.