Subject lines can make or break your email’s open rate. They need to be concise, powerful, and enticing. Words that evoke curiosity or emotion encourage readers to click, as do numbers and lists. Personalization—including the recipient’s name, location, or purchase history—can increase relevance and improve open rates.
Avoid using excessive punctuation, capitalization, or emojis; these can irritate recipients and trigger spam filters.
1. Know Your Audience
Amid a sea of competing emails, one tiny element can make the difference between an email being opened and an email that gets ignored. That is, the email subject line. Knowing your audience is essential to crafting an irresistible subject line that will get noticed and opened.
Knowing your audience includes understanding their needs and pain points. Often, this involves research, which can be as simple as conducting a survey or holding focus groups with your subscribers. Another great way to know your audience is by looking at what has already worked for them in the past. This can be valuable information that tells you how your audience responds to your products, services, customer support, and marketing efforts.
It is also important to know your audience’s attention span. Most people scan their inboxes quickly, so it is best to keep your email subject lines short and concise. This will allow your subject line to make sense if it is cut off while being read on a smartphone screen or if the email is accidentally deleted. It is also important to avoid industry jargon and filler words, as these can be difficult for readers to understand.
Try to use subject lines that have a sense of urgency, such as “Limited Time Offer” or “Don’t Miss Out.” These subject lines create an element of fear in your recipients that entices them to open your email to learn more about the promotion and take action. It’s also a good idea to include a sense of humor in your subject line, for which you can get inspiration from Emails Nest. Humor attracts and resonates with readers, and it is sure to get their attention. Using alliteration, rhyming, song lyrics, or even emojis are all effective ways to make your subject line more engaging and memorable.
2. Include a Call-to-Action
The subject line is the first point of contact with your recipients and, in many cases, determines whether or not your carefully curated email gets opened. It’s also the one line of text that reflects the value and purpose of your email. That’s why it’s important to take the time to create a compelling, action-oriented subject line that inspires curiosity, excitement, and urgency.
To do this, start by brainstorming subject lines with a colleague, teammate, or even a friend. Getting a second opinion is always a good idea, and it will help you find the right subject line for your email. Alternatively, you can use AI writing assistants to save you time and provide fresh, optimized suggestions based on past data and trends.
Once you have a few ideas, start playing with wording and structure. For example, using alliteration (the repetition of the same letter or sound) can be a fun way to draw the reader’s attention. You can also try incorporating emojis and other emoticons into your subject lines for an added touch of personality. Finally, don’t be afraid to experiment with different types of call-to-action phrases like “get it now,” “buy before it’s gone,” and “limited time offer.” Ultimately, the type of call-to-action you choose should align with your email’s true value and audience needs.
Now that you have a strong understanding of how to craft irresistible email subject lines and know what pitfalls to avoid, it’s time to take your emails to the next level. Incorporating these advanced strategies will help your emails stand out in crowded inboxes, resonate with your audience on a personal level, and increase the likelihood of them being opened and clicked. Just remember, the journey to crafting effective subject lines is an ongoing process—trends change, and your audience’s preferences may shift over time. By continually testing and refining your approach, you can ensure that your emails will be eagerly anticipated.
3. Keep It Short and Sweet
In a world where inboxes are crowded and attention spans short, email subject lines are your first (and sometimes only) chance to grab readers’ attention and convince them that the content inside is worth their time. Mastering the art of crafting irresistible email subject lines is a delicate dance that blends creativity with strategy, leveraging both psychology and data to craft compelling messages that drive engagement and growth.
Curiosity is a powerful motivator, so it’s important to use your subject line to pique interest without giving too much away. Try asking a question or introducing a cliffhanger to encourage your audience to open the email and see what happens next.
You can also use alliteration to create a catchy and eye-catching subject line. This technique uses the repetition of the same letter or sound at the beginning of consecutive or closely connected words to draw the reader in. For example, “How to [do something] this holiday season” or “3 gift ideas for your [brother/sister/uncle/cousin] that you didn’t think of.”
Email marketers should keep in mind that a subject line’s impact can change over time as trends and preferences shift. It’s a good idea to regularly test, analyze, and adjust your subject lines to maintain optimal effectiveness.
In the next chapter of this guide, we will uncover a collection of potent email subject line formulas that you can use to maximize clickability. From generating urgency and curiosity to promoting feelings of exclusivity, we’ll cover everything you need to know to create subject lines that resonate with your audience. So stay tuned! And in the meantime, why not grab a glass of wine and sit down with an employee, colleague, or friend to test out some subject line ideas?
4. Make It Relevant
Email subject lines must be relevant and reflect the content of the message to encourage recipients to open it. They also serve as a first impression that determines whether your email will stand out among crowded inboxes. The secret to creating irresistible subject lines is balancing creativity and data analysis to understand your audience’s interests, needs, and pain points. This can be done through behavioral and demographic data, such as purchase history, location, and website browsing behavior. You can even personalize subject lines by incorporating dynamic tags that include subscribers’ names or locations, as well as personalized offers based on their past interactions with your brand.
Curiosity is a powerful motivator and subject lines that pique readers’ interest are more likely to get opened. Use a question to provoke thought or a teaser to give a preview of what’s inside. The “greedy” factor works too; offering a discount or exclusive offer encourages recipients to take action.
Numbers are also effective at catching attention, especially when placed at the beginning of your subject line. This is why listicles are so popular on the internet. By adding a number to your subject line, you can create urgency and prompt recipients to act fast or risk missing out on something valuable.
Of course, there are some things that should never be used in subject lines, like insulting or vulgar references. While these tactics might boost click-through rates, they will tarnish your reputation and alienate your audience. Also avoid using cliches or phrases that have been overused in your emails.
5. Make It Memorable
In a world of overcrowded inboxes and short attention spans, the email subject line can make or break your message. It is the first impression that your recipients will have, and it can determine whether or not they will open your carefully crafted email or send it to the trash. A great subject line can generate curiosity, highlight benefits, create a sense of urgency, or appeal to emotions. However, writing a compelling subject line can be difficult, especially when you are already struggling to finish other parts of your campaign. This is why it’s important to wait until you’ve selected all of your copy pieces and written your accompanying headlines and snippets before trying to craft the perfect subject line.
Creating a memorable subject line can be as simple as including a recognizable word or phrase. This is a great trick to use when crafting your email subject line for a personal touch that will make your recipients want to click.
Other ways to make your email subject line more memorable include using power words (such as “free” or “don’t miss”), a question or a teaser, and leveraging numbers or lists. However, it’s important to balance the use of these techniques with the rest of your email to ensure that you don’t overuse them. Too many power words can desensitize your audience and cause them to ignore your email. Likewise, overuse of lists and adverbs can create an overly aggressive tone that turns off your audience.