Tips For Creating Impactful Subject Lines To Win Email Opens
How do you win at Email open rates? You do this by creating impactful subject lines, find out how to do it every time in this post.
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Most email marketers focus on crafting a killer email body with interesting opening lines and to-the-point content. But, is a perfect email enough when it comes to launching a successful email campaign?
No, it’s not. According to a report by FinancesOnline, as many as 69% of email users report an email just by reading the subject line.
So, if you aren’t putting any effort into creating impactful subject lines, it’s time that you do. This article contains 10 DOs & DON’Ts of writing an email subject line. Read till the end to find a checklist too.
10 Tips On Crafting Perfect Subject Lines
[DOs of Creating Impactful Subject Lines]
1. Keep It Within 50 Characters
More than fifty percent of email recipients use mobile devices to check their inboxes. And, in 2023, the number’s only going to increase. If you are an email marketer, it’s time to craft subject lines keeping in mind the smartphone users.
The subject sentence must be short enough to accommodate the small screens but long enough to convey the message. This is why the ideal length for a subject line is 50 characters (max).
If you are struggling to keep it within this word limit, then here are some tips for you:
- Try to reduce words like for, to, the, and, etc.
In short, try to use less number of prepositions and conjunctions in the subject
- Don’t go into the details.
For instance, if you are writing a networking email and you want a subject line like this:
Frank from your previous office has asked me to contact you ❌
So, you will think about a few words that will convey the same message without getting into details:
Frank suggests we meet ✔️
Or
Mutual connects suggests we chat ✔️
Remember, the email body is for the detailed message, not the subject line.
2. Address Recipients With Their Names
Yes, addressing recipients by their names is an ancient trend now. Sentences like “Jack, we have something for you” were the earliest step to personalization.
But, if you can do it well, it’s still a good trick. All you need to do is say the right thing with their names. Here are a few examples:
- Jack, quick question for you
- Maria, what do you think about (issue)?
- Oliver, still thinking about (product)?
- Hey Frank, can we talk?
- Hope you are doing well, Dwight
- Jack, free resources for your (profession)
- Happy birthday Maria–here’s a gift from us
- Happy work anniversary, Frank
Happy birthday and anniversary wishes using the recipient’s name on the subject lines is a great subject line for B2C marketers. If you are a B2B marketer, you need to dig a little about the prospect before emailing. Here comes personalization.
3. Personalize Using Their Personal Information
If you are selling products directly to the consumers, use their buying history or pattern to personalize the subject. You can use sentences like
- Are you still thinking about laptops?
- Your dog will love this
- Pam here’s your dream dress
- You will need this on your trip
B2B marketers need to conduct serious research to personalize cold email subject lines. They need to know what’s going on with their prospect’s business and their professional lives. Some of the personalization examples are:
- Congratulations on the award!
- Your new hires will thank you for this
- Your competitor did this. You can do it too
Researching each and every prospect might seem a little difficult. This is why you need AI-based email writing software like Smartwriter. These apps can bring out information about each of your recipients available on the internet. So that you don’t have to follow each of your prospects on LinkedIn.
4. Summarize What’s Inside
How would you feel if you opened a huge gift and found a pen inside?
Wouldn’t you feel cheated? I guess our recipients feel the same when they read an email with a misleading subject. You simply can’t talk about a new product after using “Sale! Sale! Sale” as your subject sentence.
For business-to-business conversations, you need to be even more honest and straightforward. If you are trying to sell a product in the email, use a sentence like:
- Your competitor loves this tool.
But, don’t go with it unless the competitor is actually using it. The tricky part about using these subjects is that you need to provide proof in the email body as well.
Moral of the story: Never fool the customer. Try to summarize the email in a short sentence and make it into a subject line.
5. Use a Straightforward Tone
The first tip for email writing language would be–to use a straightforward tone.
Keep in mind that the recipient has hundreds of unopened emails in their inbox. If you want to stand out, the subject should clearly say why they have your message in their inbox.
This is why it’s utterly essential not to use any complex, misleading, or flowery words.
For instance, you want to email a prospect about an article you have written on “10 Tips to increase email deliverability”.
Now, will you add the entire title to the subject?
Of course, not. Think about how this article will benefit them and then use it as the subject.
Secret tip to 0% spam rate ✔️
This sentence is direct and tells exactly what they will find in the email body.
6. Always Test Subject Lines
💡 A/B testing is the process of trying out two different emails on two different but smaller groups of email recipients before starting a campaign. The email that performs better is sent out to the entire audience.
Around 47% of email marketers do A/B testing before going with a campaign. Suppose you have crafted two subject lines, and both of them sound good to you. In that case, it’s better to try out both versions and see which one works.
Even if you aren’t confused, it’s better to try out the email subject using A/B testing before sending it out to everyone.
[DOs of Creating Impactful Subject Lines]
7. Don’t Use Irrelevant Emojis
The use of emojis in subject sentences is a much-debated topic. Some marketers say they yielded good results, and some didn’t.
Always judge your audience base before using emojis. For example, consumers buying products like clothing items, camping materials, or even pet products might like emojis.
- Your secret Santa is here 🧑🎄
- Your dog will love this🦴
- Party lover? Take a look at this 👗
However, customers who buy business books or philosophy books might not be the ideal person to try emojis on. If you are emailing business owners and decision-makers, try to avoid emojis.
8. Don’t Use Excessive Symbols Or Punctuation
Email marketers often complain about high spam rates and bounce rates. If you also fall in this category, take a long look at your subject lines.
Check if you are using excessive symbols and punctuation. Using subject lines like “Holiday sales for you!!!! Get 50% off now!!” is going to send your mail directly to the spam folder.
Almost all the popular Email Service Providers (ESPs) have spam filters that read excessive symbols or punctuations in the subject line as spam content. This is why it’s super important to avoid using symbols or punctuation as long as you can.
9. Don’t Write Subject Lines In CAPS
Writing the subject sentence in CAPS isn’t as risky as using punctuation and symbols. However, it does affect your readability.
Text written in CAPS is mostly considered as talking in a loud voice. So, the recipient will think you are yelling at them. So, avoid writing any subject like the below examples.
Open this. It’s URGENT ❌
YOU NEED TO SEE THIS❌
DID YOU SEE MY LAST EMAIL?❌
A study by Boomerang says that writing subject lines in CAPS directly affects response rates. So, it’s better to avoid writing in CAPs at all.
10. Don’t Try To Lure The Reader
If you are sending an email to a customer or a prospect, they know that it’s a sales email. You don’t have to lure them using sales-y phrases in the subject:
Get 50% off ❌
Buy today to avail 30% discount on all products ❌
A marketer should never try to lure customers using the above phrases. First of all, using such words will send your mail into the junk folder. Even if it doesn’t happen, the recipient will get irritated soon and end up blocking you forever.
Please note that cheap stunts to lure email recipients will affect your domain reputation in the long run.
Characteristics Of A Good Email Subject Line
Now that you know the DOs & DON’Ts of writing subject sentences, it’s time for a quick checklist. You can use this checklist to judge if your email subject line is the best one or if it needs further editing.
It Should Be Short:
As you read above, the subject line should be no more than 50 characters. But, it doesn’t mean you have to reach that word limit.
Remember, the shorter, the better.
After writing the subject, think if you can make it even shorter. If there’s a way of saying the same thing in fewer words, then do it.
It Should Build Suspense:
The goal of a good subject line is to make the reader curious enough to open the message. The best way to do this is to create suspense. Here are a few examples of B2B mails:
- This will make you rich
- Checkout your competition’s secret tool
- Secret tip to double your ROI
- Say bye to spam rates with this
- Your competitor got 7k customers using this tool
- Our clientele includes Meta. You can join too
- The competitor was featured in Forbes. You can too
Before launching email marketing campaigns, make sure that your subject line can make the reader curious. If you think it can’t, change it immediately.
It Should Provide Something:
Never email your prospects, or talk about random stuff or company updates. Your mail body must talk about providing something to the recipient. Reading your content must benefit them in some way or the other.
In other words, your emails should be value-adding to their lives. If it doesn’t benefit them in any way, soon the recipient will get wary of your mail and block you.
Even if you are asking for feedback, try to provide something in exchange. It can be as small as a 5% discount. In case you fail to offer anything, try entertaining them. A good anecdote or meme can go a long way in building an active relationship with a prospect.
Final Thoughts!
One piece of advice from one marketer to another–never underestimate the importance of the subject line. Keep in mind that Creating Impactful Subject Lines is the getaway to your message. If you fail to write a good subject, chances are your reader is never going to see what’s inside.
This is why I keep telling my fellow marketers to do A/B testing. In times of confusion, split testing will lead your way.
Hope you find this valuable. All the best for upcoming campaigns!
