Have you ever sent out the perfect email with an amazing offer to only find out that no one really opened it?
That can be a frustrating feeling and one that we want to teach you how to avoid today.
While the content in the body of your email is really important to your audience, I’d argue that the most important part of your entire email is your subject line. All for the simple fact that if no one opens your email due to an uninspiring or bland subject line, then no one’s going to open the email to find out more anyway.
Before diving into our tips on how to write captivating subject lines, let’s look a little more closely at why it’s such an important topic.
Why Do Email Subject Lines Matter?
Subject lines are important because they provide a preview of what the email has to offer and give readers one last chance at deciding if it’s worth opening.
Since open rates can make or break an email campaign, we want to teach you how to write subject lines that deliver on their promises and compel your audience into taking action.
For example, take an email that promises a 30% off coupon code on the latest product. A great subject line might read:
“30% Off Our Latest Product.. but Act FAST!”
This is catchy and will certainly get people’s attention because they’re more likely to click if they’re even slightly interested in your product.
It also tells them that they have a limited time to take advantage of the offer.
This is just one example, but you can think about all sorts of headlines that would work well for your business including. There are plenty out there, so don’t be afraid to experiment and see what works best for your business.
Great, so we’ve covered why email subject lines matter. But we haven’t looked at how to write them yet.
Before you run off writing something in a hurry, I want to break down the main components of any good subject line:
7 Tips for Writing Email Subject Lines that Work
1. Set aside enough time to write a good subject line
How much time do you think it takes to write a good subject line?
It could take anywhere from five minutes up to an hour depending on the complexity of your email and how long the body content is. It’s not difficult, but it does require some thought so that you don’t send out any emails with lackluster or boring subject lines.
Take the right amount of time crafting your subject line will make or break your email’s success.
A good rule of thumb is that it should take you about as long to write an email’s subject line as it does to write the actual email itself.
2. Understand the language your audience uses
A good way to figure out the language your audience uses is by spending time on social media networks like Twitter and Instagram.
Ask yourself questions, like:
- How do they talk?
- What phrases are popular there?
- How often are they using acronyms?
- How do people abbreviate things on those networks and how can you apply that to your emails as well?
You’ll be surprised by what you learn if you take a few minutes to analyze the language your audience uses.
3. Create curiosity
Another important part of the email subject line is to create curiosity.
How? By promising something that will be intriguing for readers so they’ll want to find out more or get a better sense of what you’re offering.
You might do this by teasing them with some information about your offer, such as: “Imagine Getting Your Very Own X” or “Want to Learn How To Y?”
For example, I could write an email subject line for this blog post:
“How To Write Email Subject Lines That Sell!”
It’s short and sweet with the promise of providing helpful advice on how you can write email subject lines that sell. This is a great way to attract readers who are interested in increasing their sales.
Knowing what your readers want is the whole point of writing an email subject line, so always keep this in mind no matter where you’re sending or marketing to!
4. Keep it short so the whole subject line appears
Another thing to keep in mind is that subject lines are short.
How many characters can you fit into a line?
You should never exceed 128-characters (including spaces) because it’ll make the whole email look messy and difficult for people to read on their phones, especially if they’re scrolling through other emails at the same time.
5. Use stats or numbers with exact figures (don’t round)
Subject lines should also include stats or numbers.
How many people could be interested in your offer? How much does it cost? How long will the campaign last?
You can use exact figures here but remember: don’t round up or down!
An example would be: “72,318 customers LOVED this tip!” instead of “70,000 customers LOVED this tip.”
This is important because exactly numbers are more believable. After all, what are the odds that 70,000 people exactly loved your email?
When you get into the specific digits, you’re more likely to see open rates increase.
6. Keep expectations realistic (don’t over promise and under deliver)
One of the biggest mistakes that companies make is promising people something they can’t deliver. This could be because there’s a limit to how many items are available, it might not work for everyone or you’re still in beta testing and don’t want to launch just yet.
Whatever the reason may be, always keep expectations realistic when writing an email subject line.
For example, “Soon you’ll be able to use your favorite app!” might sound good at first, but it could leave people frustrated when they realize the next day that their version of the iOS or Android operating system isn’t compatible with this upgrade and instead have to wait for one more year before being eligible for a release date.
When writing subject lines, always be realistic about what you’re promising to your readers and make sure it’s something they can actually get.
7. A/B test EVERYTHING
Subject lines should always be tested because they’re so easy to change.
Usually, you’ll have two different options for how to write email subject lines that sell, and it’s up to you which one is better. You can do this by sending out the same exact message with just a small tweak in the wording of your subject line (or rewording it completely).
It’s super important you A/B test everything because it lets you rely on data-driven strategies rather than “going with your gut.”
If you commit to improving these components of your email subject line, it’d be near impossible not to see your open rates improve. And at the end of the day, these strategies are only getting you steps closer to increasing your sales.
And that’s all for now! These have been 7 tips for writing more effective email subject lines that will boost conversions and sales in no time.