Email Subject Lines That Get Opened
It’s all in the email subject line. But why the heck are subject lines so important?
Well, according to Hubspot, 64% of people delete or open their emails based on the subject line. If they suck, no one will open your email. So, in this blog post, we will give you examples of email subject lines that get opened. Keep reading!
Email subject lines that get opened
There are a lot of ways to create great email subject lines that get your emails opened. And you don’t necessarily have to use every option in one email subject line, as each has its own time and place. Here are some tips.
Demonstrate urgency
We’ve all waited until 10 minutes before we have to leave the house for an event to get ready.
Why do we do this?
Because that’s when the urgency kicks in.
Urgency is a powerful thing when it comes to copy, and this is especially true in regards to subject lines. So much so that subject lines with a sense of urgency have been found to increase open rates by 22%.
Here’s some examples of subject lines that demonstrate urgency:
Your discount is expiring tonight…
LAST chance for Black Friday deals!
Sale ends tomorrow!
Curiosity without clickbait
If you want people to open your emails, write subject lines that ignite their curiosity.
However, it’s important to do this without being clickbaity. Not only does this make people feel like you’ve wasted their time, it might even make email providers mark you as spam. For clickbaity words to avoid in your subject line, here’s Hubspot’s list of spam trigger words to avoid.
Here’s some examples of this in action:
Big news 🤯
Controversial opinion
Pssst… don’t tell anyone this
Get to the point
People are BUSY. We also have very short attention spans. So, when it comes to subject lines, keep it brief and get to the point. In fact, subject lines that are 21 to 25-words long have been found to have less than half of the open rate as subject lines that are just 6 to 10 words long.
As Mark Twain said, “I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”
Writing fewer words is usually harder than writing more, but you get more bang for your buck.
Here’s some short but effective subject lines that get to the pointy. Notice that they’re all under five words long:
Oops…
My bad…
My greatest hits
Personalization
“Dear Sir or Madam.”
We’ve all gotten emails that start with this. And they are god awful. They just show right away that the sender made zero effort to learn anything about you. They couldn’t even learn your name.
Personalizing your emails is important. Personalizing your subject lines have even been found to make people 26% more likely to open your email.
So use people’s names!
For example:
Hey Sarah, check this out
Thankful for you, Sarah 💕
Sarah, you’re not gonna believe this!
In order to do this, make sure you’re actually asking for names in your newsletter submission form!
Show the value
One of the biggest reasons someone will open an email is believing that it will provide some sort of value.
Whether it’s a case study, your best tips, or even a fun study.
And while subject lines that demonstrate some mystery can be effective, a subject line that tells exactly the value the email will provide is also POWERFUL.
Here’s a few examples:
5 ideas for [pain point]
Steal this free checklist ✔️
The truth about [topic]
Ask a question
Subject lines that ask questions have been shown to have 50% higher open rates. That’s a significant number.
Questions are great because the email feels more like a conversation, not a one way presentation. Let’s get real, no one likes a conversations where the person you’re talking to just talks and talks without asking anything about you. We all (secretly) like to be asked about ourselves.
Want some question examples?:
Need some more time?
Can you believe this happened?
Forgot something?
Emojis are your friend
According to a report by Experian, 56% of brands using emojis in their email subject lines had higher open rates.
Maybe that’s because emojis immediately make things look more fun, or maybe it just has to do with the fact that humans like something nice to look at.
Whatever the reason, don’t be afraid to use emojis. We can all use a little more color in our lives.
Don’t forget to A/B test it out
If you really want to make the most out of your email campaigns, A/B test your subject lines. In fact, A/B testing email subject lines have been found to increase your ROI by 28%.
You can do this by sending one subjection of your email list an email with your first subject line idea, and another subjection your other subject line idea.
Compare the two and see which one had a higher open rate.
Then send the winner to the rest of your list.
While it may seem like a lot of extra work, they can make a big difference in how many people actually open your emails and therefore, take you up on your offers.
A stupid easy way to writing good email subject lines
Hopefully all these ideas have been helpful and inspire your next subject line.
But if you’re ever in a pickle and have no idea what to use for your next subject line, here’s a stupid, easy trick.
Write the email, and then at the end, take the most interesting line and use that as your email subject line.
For example, in this blog about writing welcome sequences, we showed an email where we talked about the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and at one point said, “I blame Brad Pitt.”
That was the subject line of the email.
Stupid. Easy.
Want to learn more?
Just like successful YouTubers spend a big chunk of their time creating their thumbnails, us email copywriters (or business owners) need to spend time on our email subject lines. After all, first impressions matter. A LOT. Hopefully though, this blog has helped you come up with email subject line ideas.
And if you need more help with crafting your emails, here are some more helpful blogs on this topic:
Email sign-offs that are actually good
The best ways to grow your email list
How to write a welcome sequence
How Starbucks can inspire your email marketing strategy
Marketing without social media (15+ strategies for your business)
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