Email Marketing: How to write killer Email subject line‍

With the vast majority of email users checking their accounts only once a day, you need to make sure your subscribers don’t end up going straight into junk mail folders. If you want to get your subscribers to open your emails, you need to craft irresistible subject lines that will capture their attention and make them want more.

Subject lines are arguably the most essential part of any email because they determine whether or not it will be opened. Why? Because Subject Lines can influence how much time we spend reading an email as well as how likely we are to take action afterward. So what exactly do you need to know about writing subject lines? Read on…

Keep it short and sweet

As tempting as it might be to cram your entire email into the subject line, especially if you’ve got a long email body, you’ll do yourself (and your subscribers) a favor by keeping your subject lines short and sweet.

If you’re tempted to cram an entire email’s worth of information into the first few letters of your subject line, resist the urge and instead keep your subject line focused on the action you want your subscriber to take.

Subject lines should keep your subscribers engaged and interested without revealing too much about the rest of your email.

Be clear and concise

Your subject line is the first thing your subscribers will see before they even open your email and it’s the first word they’ll read. So, if you want to catch their attention and make them want to open your email, you need to make sure you use this opportunity wisely by being clear and concise.

You don’t want to confuse your subscribers or leave them scratching their heads wondering what to do next. This confusion can cause your subscribers to ignore your email, unsubscribe, or take a few minutes before they’re able to figure out what to do next.

You should also be clear and concise within your email body. Avoid vague language and instead, try to use language that is both clear and concise. This will ensure that your subscribers are able to understand your email and be able to take action accordingly.

Don’t spam

Don’t spam your subscribers. In other words, don’t over-deliver or send them too much information at once. Spamming your subscribers will not only make them feel annoyed, but it will also make them feel like they’re being pestered.

Spamming doesn’t really get the job done which leads to them clicking the “report as spam” button which can have negative effects. What’s more, spamming also does no favors for your business reputation. Why? It portrays a company that doesn’t respect the time of its subscribers and customers.

Show, not tell

You also don’t want to dump a lot of information into your subject line. Instead, show and not tell. For example, instead of writing “How to create an email marketing plan,” try writing “Get your free email marketing plan.”

It’s a small change, but the meaning behind it is different. This little change shows your subscribers that what they’re about to read will be helpful, informative, and actionable.

It serves as a preview of what they’ll get out of the rest of your email. And, best of all, it doesn’t overpromise or promise things that you simply can’t deliver.

Make it personal

Don’t just write “ATTENTION SUBSCRIBERS!” or “Important message for you!” Instead, try to be more personal and show your subscribers that you know them by using their first name in the subject line. For example, “John, I’m excited to get your feedback on our product launch.”

This line shows that you know John personally and that you care about what he thinks. And, best of all, it doesn’t make John feel like you’re trying to push something his way. What’s more, including your subscriber’s name in the subject line also shows your readers that you’ve taken the time to think of them and what they care about the most.

Highlight the value proposition

Show the recipient why they should open the email, by highlighting a benefit or solution to a problem they may have. You can do this by using the following tips.

-Use clear and concise language that clearly states the value proposition.

-Use action-oriented words that encourage the recipient to take action.

-Highlight benefits, not features.

Create a sense of urgency or scarcity

Encourage recipients to open and respond to the email immediately by using language that conveys a limited-time offer or a pressing matter. Here are a few examples to use;

-Use language that creates a sense of urgency, such as “limited time offer” or “last chance”.

-Highlight the scarcity of the offer, such as “only a few left” or “while stocks last”.

-Use numbers and deadlines to create a sense of urgency, e.g. “24-hour sale” or “ends tonight”.

-Make the offer exclusive to create a sense of scarcity, e.g. “for subscribers only”.

-Highlight the potential loss if the offer is not taken, e.g. “don’t miss out”.

Test different subject lines

Here are some of the testing that you can experiment with.

A/B testing: Send two variations of the subject line to a portion of your email list and compare open rates to determine the better-performing option.

Multivariate testing: Test multiple variables (e.g. subject line, sender name, email content) at the same time to see which combination results in the best open rates.

Split testing: Randomly divide your email list into two or more groups and send each group a different subject line.

Behavioral testing: Observe recipient behavior such as open rate, click-through rate, and conversion rate to determine the best subject line.

Track open and click-through rates: Use email marketing software that tracks open and click-through rates for each subject line and use the data to inform future subject line tests.

In a world where the majority of internet users are checking their emails only once a day, you need to make sure you capture their attention with a subject line that will make them want more. Keeping your subject lines short and sweet, being clear and concise, not spamming, and showing, not telling, are all important aspects of writing an irresistible subject line. These are all ways you can make your subject line effective and, ultimately, irresistible for your subscribers.