Subject lines are the starting point of our business email strategies.
We can design the most clever email marketing strategies of them all, but if the subject line is not well targeted, or if it doesn’t catch the user’s attention, the email will never get open, thus the journey will never begin.
If you are trying to increase email open rates with eye-catching subject lines, this article is for you.
How to create effective email subject lines
These ideas might work for your business:
1. Add a CTA -> Call to action.
If you are sending the email with a clear objective, it would be a good idea to state it from the very beginning.
After all, the most important thing in an email is the call to action (also known as a CTA).
By making your intention clear in the subject line, the user will be much more likely to open it if he is interested. And if they’re not interested, they won’t open it, so you won’t waste time with someone who isn’t interested in your products or services.
2. The power of a sense of urgency
A sense of urgency in emails is something that doesn’t fail either. What this does is make the user want to open the message quickly because they feel they will miss out on an important offer if they do not. This is a good option to prevent them from deciding to open it later, mostly because it would probably never happen.
For example, we can try something along the lines of Get a 10% off selected items [limited offer]. albeit with a slightly more elaborate text.
3. Numbers work very well
Statistics indicate that numbers are effective when added in the subject line; meaning email open rates are more likely to increase.
Many studies prove that numbers help us to better scan the information, which comes very in handy when competing with tens or hundreds of emails. After all, we are competing for attention.
An example could be a sentence like Travel to France for only 50€.
4. Don’t make them too long
The shorter and more concise it is, the better the chances of getting opened.
It is recommended that the subject line should have no more than 50 characters; even so, it is the first 20 characters that make a difference.
As for the language to use, forget about using words that are too technical or difficult to understand. Simple language works best.
5. Personalization
Don’t make the mistake that many organizations make by forgetting that you are writing to real people. It is true that there are certain email marketing tools that allow you to automate emails. This can be a good idea, as long as the results look real and not robotic.
For example, adding the user’s name in the subject line is an interesting way to make them feel special when they receive an email especially designed for them.
6. Generate expectations, but make them real
Find a way to generate expectations of what the user may find in case he/she decides to open the message. But don’t engage in the unethical practice of generating expectations that are not real; otherwise, once the user opens the email, he will be angry when he doesn’t find what you have promised him.
For example, if you create an email with the subject line Discover last minute offers, it is crucial that the e-mail contains these offers.
7. Create continuity
A strategy that also works very well when it comes to creating eye-catching email subject lines is continuity. Find a way to write a subject line that continues in the email message.
One resource that can help you achieve this is the ellipsis. A subject like:
Discover the best offer… could work very well.
8. Offer valuable information
If you have a study that offers interesting data to the user, you can take advantage of this and include it in the email. But only do it if the data will really interest you, never just to fill spaces.
Keep these 8 tips in mind and you will be able to create an email subject line that really makes a difference.
