I’ve just finished reading three articles about email subject lines. Trust me, there were about a million more out there. Interestingly, it turns out that the first three I read were real gems.
Getting emails opened is a topic on everyone’s minds. If you use email as a sales tool, it’s really, really important to write an effective subject line. But even if you’re communicating with an established client or a co-worker, it’s still important to be brief, pointed, and respectful of your relationship.
Before I list the tips that truly made sense, I’m want to emphasize the point made by Brian Clark of Copyblogger and that is—drumroll, please—“email…implies a special relationship with the reader; a relationship that will get more of your messages read, even with subject lines that wouldn’t work in other headline contexts.”
So, an email subject line is really a headline, and if it pops into someone’s inbox, the chances are good your message will be opened unless it looks like spam, sounds stupid, or is obscure.
Five Tips for Better eMail Subject Lines
- Keep it brief ‒ A Bloomberg Businessweek infographic prescribes subject lines of 50 characters or less. I once heard a direct mail whiz suggest no more than 41.
- Don’t go with [No subject] ‒ At the company Go Daddy, for example, employees are allowed to delete any message this header.
- Use “Referred by _____” ‒ This line will probably get you an appointment with someone you want to meet. But clearly, you’re not going to use it unless you’ve gotten permission, right?
- Be clear in your purpose ‒ As the mailchip.com article notes, set readers’ expectations during opt-in. If they expect to receive a newsletter, you subject line should say something like “April 2012 newsletter.” If they want to receive promotional offers, it’s ok to say, “10% off on XXX until August 30.” This advice works regardless of whether or not you’re trying to sell something.
- Be useful ‒ Does your subject line make it clear that the message is useful to the reader? According to Brian Clark, you also need to be sure that it’s ultra-specific, unique, and urgent. It’s probably even ok to be negative, but that can be iffy, so think it through.
Now these five tips are not all you need to know to write terrific subject lines, but they can get you started. To them I’d add, “Don’t be cutesy,” and “Don’t be elliptical.”
What have you found works for you?
Leave a Comment