Your guide to writing good email subject lines
It’s all in the email subject line.
But why the heck are subject lines so important?
Well, because if they suck, no one will open your email.
It’s that simple.
In fact, according to Hubspot, 64% of people delete or open their emails based on the subject line.
What makes a good email subject line
Maybe we were taught to not judge a book by its cover as children, but I don’t really think we learned that lesson fully, because we obviously judge an email by its title.
But, hey, that’s OK, because 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 (in fact, you shouldn’t), but each has its own time and place.
So here are some ways to make great email subject lines.
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
No one likes to be left in the dark. Honestly, every time a show ends on a cliffhanger, I scream at the TV. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.
I’m looking at you Netflix. Canceling all the best shows…
But that’s besides the point.
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.”
Oh gosh. 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.
Avoid salesy subject lines
Don’t get me wrong, sometimes a subject line that just gets to the point of what you want to offer is appropriate, but for most of your newsletters, stop being so salesy.
People are inundated with offers ALL DAY LONG, so using salesy subject lines just makes people sick to their stomach (or maybe that’s just me?).
A second part to this tip is to not just be selling on your email list all the time. Each and every email should provide some sort of value, whether that’s education, or just good ol’ entertaintment. If you’re doing this in your emails, highlight the value in your subject line!
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. Unless you have a lot of extra help to assist you in A/B testing each newsletter, I recommend that you just take this extra step when you’re in the middle of a launch.
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 my 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 my blog about writing welcome sequences, I showed an email where I talked about the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and at one point said, “I blame Brad Pitt.”
I used that as the subject line of the email.
Stupid. Easy.
Final thoughts on email subject lines
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
How to use storytelling in your email marketing
The best ways to grow your email list
How to write a welcome sequence
What is targeted email marketing?
How Starbucks can inspire your email marketing content strategy
