How To Craft Better Email Subject Lines
Do you ever feel like you're sending your emails into a black hole? You put time and effort into crafting the perfect message, but it never seems to get the response you were hoping for. Maybe the problem isn't with your content - it could be your subject line. A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that their email's subject line is just an afterthought, but it's actually one of the most important parts of the message. It's what grabs attention and gets people to open your email in the first place. So how do you craft better email subject lines? Check out these tips!
Why Is A Subject Line Important
Your subject line is the doorknob to your email. It's the first thing that people will see. It should entice them to come in, even arouse curiosity about what's behind the door. Your subject line should help people decide whether or not to open the email. If it doesn't, then you risk having the email end up in spam or getting filtered out by Gmail's priority inbox (where users can specify which types of emails they want to see).
How To Craft An Effective Email Subject Line
So how do you craft better email subject lines? There are a few things that most good subject lines have in common: they're concise, they're creative, and they're catchy. Let's break it down a little more:
Be Concise - Don't write a novel for your subject line! Instead use words with strong emotional impact or questions that will make people want to click on them.
Be Creative - Use humor, sarcasm, puns, or anything else you can think of to add some flavor to your emails.
Be Catchy - Don't use hard-to-spell words, avoid cutesy abbreviations, and don't write subject lines that people have to decode. A good email subject line should be as short as possible while still getting your point across. It should be obvious what the email is about just from the title alone.
Be Relevant - Your subject line should reflect the content of the email. If it's about an event that happened last week, then don't write "New Event"!
Be Precise - Don't assume people will know what you're talking about if you use abbreviations or terminology that could have multiple meanings for different people.
Examples Of Good And Bad Email Subject Lines
There are a lot of different ways to write an email subject line, but not all of them are effective. Some subject lines are too vague, while others are too specific. Here are a few examples of good and bad email subject lines:
Good: "You won't believe what happened at the office today!"
Bad: "Office meeting"
Good: "This sale ends tonight!"
Bad: "New Sale"
Good: "Check out my new blog post!"
Bad: "Blog post"
Tips For Crafting Better Emails
Good subject lines are concise, creative, and catchy. They should be as short as possible while still getting your point across. It should be obvious what the email is about just from the title alone. Your subject line should reflect the content of the email so that people know what they're going to get if they open it. Here are a few tips for crafting better emails:
Keep it short - People are busy and might not read the full email if the subject line is too long.
Use numbers - Numbers are interesting to people, so they are more likely to open the email.
Make it personal - People are more likely to open emails if they think it's relevant for them.
Don't host your list on an external site - People are less likely to open emails when there is a chance it will go to their spam folder.
Be sure you have permission to send emails - Otherwise, your email might get reported as spam.
What Are Some Other Ways To Get Someone's Attention In Your Email Inbox
There are a few other ways to get someone's attention in your email inbox:
Send "teaser" emails - Teasers can be short and sweet and your recipients might open the email if they think it looks interesting.
Use subject lines that provoke questions - People will want to know more if you use a question in the subject line.
Include attachments for maximum interest - Some people will only open an email if there is a file attached.
In your p.s. at the end of your email, promise them what they can expect in your next email
The Importance Of Personalization When Writing An Effective Subject Line
Personalization is a key ingredient in crafting an effective email subject line. Like Dale Carnegie once said, "a person's name is the sweetest sound in any language."
This can be tricky because if you're going to bother addressing the reader by name, but then give them a generic marketing message clearly meant simply to get them to buy something, then the incongruity there is going to turn a lot of people off. So, "Danny, here's your chance to save 50% at our National Pizza Day Doorbuster Sale" just feels weird. But, "Hey, Danny… do you love pizza a much as I do?" or "Danny, did you even know National Pizza Day was a thing?" both feel much more natural AND are far more evocative. Especially if you're not a pizza chain. Why in the world is my bank/dentist/library/etc. sending me an email about pizza?
[A Note Here: Yes, these two examples are also incongruous, but differently so. Incongruity between the sender and the subject matter can arouse curiosity if the the message feels personal and intimate. Incongruity between saying my name like you know be and then shoving a generic ad in my face feels like a bit of a violation.]
Craft your emails with care by taking into account who you're sending them to and what their interests are before coming up with ideas for titles.
