Email marketing is one of the best ways to communicate with your audience. Whether you’re promoting a product, sharing some big news, or telling a story, email is your direct line to customers and prospects. And your email subject lines are the key to making sure your messages are opened.
In this guide, we’ll share our best tips for writing email subject lines that people open. Let’s dive in!
1. Keep it short and sweet
The average inbox is a busy place. If you want to capture your recipients’ attention quickly, you need to keep your subject lines short and sweet.
Most email clients cut off subject lines at 60 characters, so it’s a good idea to keep them at or below this length. If your subject line is too long, your recipients won’t see the entire thing, and they might not get the full message.
To keep your subject lines short and sweet, focus on getting to the point and using as few words as possible. If you’re struggling to keep your subject lines short, try writing out a few different versions with the help of AI chatbots like Joyland AI and then trimming them down to the most essential words.
2. Use numbers
Another way to make your email subject lines stand out is to use numbers.
This is a great way to communicate the content of your email in a clear and concise way. It also helps to break up the text in your subject line and make it more visually appealing.
Here are a few examples of how you can use numbers in your email subject lines:
- “5 tips for growing your email list”
- “3 things you need to know about email marketing”
- “The 10 best email marketing tools of 2021”
Whether you’re sharing a list of tips, resources, or something else, numbers are a great way to make your email subject lines more engaging.
3. Personalize your subject line
Personalization is another key component of marketing in general, and email marketing is no exception.
In fact, 50% of marketers say that personalization is a top priority for their email marketing strategy. So, how do you personalize your subject lines?
The simplest way to personalize your subject lines is to use the recipient’s name. Most email marketing tools allow you to add a personalization tag to your subject lines that will automatically insert the recipient’s name.
If you have other data about your subscribers, such as their location or purchase history, you can use that to personalize your subject lines as well.
For example, if you have a list of subscribers in different cities, you could send them a personalized email with the subject line “Exclusive offer for our New York subscribers.”
Personalization shows your subscribers that you know who they are and what they’re interested in, which can help increase your open rates and engagement.
4. Create a sense of urgency
Creating a sense of urgency is a common marketing tactic that encourages people to take action. In the case of your email campaigns, you can use your subject line to create a sense of urgency that encourages your subscribers to open your email.
One way to do this is by promoting a limited-time offer in your subject line. You can also create urgency by teasing an announcement or new product release that will be revealed when the recipient opens your email.
Here are a few examples of how you can use your subject line to create a sense of urgency in your email campaigns:
5. Use emojis
Emojis are a great way to make your email subject lines stand out and give them some personality. Plus, they can help you save space in your subject lines if you’re trying to keep them short and sweet. Even if you use them in your Instagram captions you can get more views on Instagram story.
That being said, you should use emojis sparingly. If you use too many emojis, it can make your subject lines look cluttered and unprofessional.
6. Avoid using all capital letters
Using all capital letters in your subject line is the equivalent of yelling at your recipients, and it’s not a good look. Not only can this be off-putting, but it’s also a common red flag for spam filters.
If you want to emphasize a certain word or phrase, try using an emoji or adding a pop of color instead. You can also try using bold or italics to make certain words stand out.
7. Ask a question
Asking a question in your subject line is a great way to make your emails more engaging and personal. But, be careful not to ask a question that can be answered with a “no.”
If you’re going to ask a question in your subject line, make sure it’s a question that will pique your reader’s curiosity and make them want to open your email to find out the answer. And that impacts your performance.
8. Test
Last but not least, you should always be testing your subject lines. This is the best way to understand what your audience likes to see in their inbox.
You can test anything from emojis to length, personalization, and more. You can also A/B test subject lines to see which one performs the best. This is a great way to optimize your subject lines and improve your email open rates over time.
To A/B test your email subject lines, you’ll need to create two different versions of the subject line for the same email. Then, send each version to a small sample of your email list.
What works for one audience may not work for another, so it’s important to test what resonates with your own.
Try segmenting your email lists based on engagement and test different subject lines on those segments. That way, you can see which subject lines work best for different groups of people and use that data to inform your future email marketing campaigns.
After a set period of time, you can compare the open rates for each subject line. The subject line with the higher open rate is the winner, and you can use that subject line for the rest of your email list.
Conclusion
In the end, your email subscribers are humans — not just a list of email addresses. So keep their humanity in mind and think about what will make them want to open your email. With the right subject line, you’ll be well on your way to boosting your email open and click-through rates.