Nearly 40 percent of email recipients decide whether or not to open an email based on the subject line. As the same time, nearly 70 percent of email recipients determine whether or not an email is spam based on the subject line. Clearly, there’s a need a pay particular attention to your subject line if you want to increase the odds that your email will even be read.
Limit Your Words
Most email service providers cut subject lines off after about 50 characters. Avoid having the important part of your subject line cut off by limiting yourself to about 5-7 words.
Don’t Get Too Aggressive
If you get too aggressive by insisting on a sense of urgency to open an email, it’s likely to be ignored. Instead, clearly provide a reason to pay attention to your email other than the fact that it’s “important.”
Use Action Verbs
You only have about 2-3 seconds to catch the eye of someone quickly checking their emails. Actions words like “get,” “save,” and “join” tend to get people’s attention quickly by implying an invitation to be a part of something.
Avoid Attempts at Humor
It takes skill to deliver a funny or witty line effectively. If this isn’t your strong suit, avoid attempts at humor in your subject lines that may be taken the wrong way.
Use an Interesting Stat
If there’s some unique or mind-blowing stat that applies to your business or the products or services you offer, drop that in your subject line. Just make sure any stats you use are accurate and phrased as directly as possible.
Avoid Filler Words
Any words that aren’t really not necessary, including articles and excessive adjectives, should be left out of your email subject lines. Keep the message as clear and concise as possible.
Choose Appropriate Wording
The phrasing of your email subject lines should be based on a knowledge of who’s likely to be reading those emails. If, for instance, you’re targeting high-tend buyers, words like “sale” and “save big” aren’t likely to resonate as well as terms like “new” and “exclusive.”
Evoke an Emotion
You’re writing email subject lines for humans, not search engine bots, so don’t be afraid to tap into human emotions. Something like “we miss you,” for instance, can be used to target previous customers who haven’t made a purchase in a while. It’s also fine to be a bit mysterious with your subject lines to entice curiosity.
Don’t ‘Shout at People
Never use all caps in an email subject line. People will be just as annoyed as they are when their friends do it in instant messages or texts.
Make It Personal
Again, remember you’re writing subject lines for real people. Make your subject lines personal by using words like “you” to automatically connect with the reader. “Half-Off All Shoes,” for example, is more effective as “Save Half on Your Next Pair of Shoes.”
With more and more consumers accessing their emails from a mobile device, email marketing is still as relevant as ever when it comes to keeping customers engaged. By taking the time to fine-tune your headlines, you’ll increase the odds that your message will actually resonate with your intended audience.
