Email marketing is certainly not new. But, with growing competition and new marketing platforms, you want to ensure you’re creating great and effective email campaigns. Email subject line best practices can give you an edge.
Subject lines play a huge role in this. But what does subject mean in email? It’s the first thing recipients will see when it pops up in their inbox. It’s all about making the most of those subject lines and getting that click-through rate (CTR).
If you’re looking to boost your business using effective subject lines, keep reading. We’ll look at how you can get results, examples, and tips to create them. Let’s start!
What Does Subject Mean in Email?
A subject in an email is the line of text a user sees in the inbox related to a new email. It’s like the title of your communication. Hence, the user decides whether to open the email or not.
Creating catchy email subject lines is important because the goal is to get the recipient to open the email. You want to ensure you don’t end up in their spam folder. Knowing how to write a marketing email is only the first step.
When building a title for your email, the priority should be to grab the recipient’s attention. You also need it to stand out against potentially hundreds of competitors in their inboxes.
With access to your customers’ email addresses, there’s a huge marketing strategy opportunity that you need to use most effectively.
7 Email Marketing Subject Line Best Practices
Now that you know why email subject lines matter, let’s consider seven best practices. Keep these in mind when crafting your subject lines for your email subscribers.
1. Keep It Short and Sweet
There are many reasons why an email subject should be short. The key reason is that, in today’s society, our attention spans are very short. We all like fast and easy-to-consume content. Within seconds, we want to have understood what we’re reading or looking at. If a subject line is long and overcomplicated, the recipient won’t read it.
Additionally, 49% of people open their emails on a mobile device. Screen sizes are small, so you want to ensure they can read the entire subject line in one.
It’s a good practice to use 50 characters or less in a subject line. Having a short subject line will encourage you to be clear with the message you’re trying to get across. It’s straight to the point and reduces buffer words when you email clients.
2. Consider Using Emojis
Emojis can be a great addition to an email title line when used in the proper context. It entirely depends on your target audience. Emojis can work on a young audience but may deter an older professional audience. It can be a gamble, but keep track of your CTR to see if your audience is engaging.
In the right scenario, emojis can do you a lot of favors. They grab the recipient’s attention, making the email stand out in their inbox. If you use them well, they can increase your CTR compared to plain text subject lines.
Emojis convey emotion, add personality, and make you seem approachable. Effectively, they can also replace some words to reduce the length of your subject line. Make sure that you use them sparingly. Too many emojis may be overkill, and you won’t be able to connect with your audience.
3. Use Action and Command Words
Using action verbs to create a sense of urgency can be really effective in achieving results. These words can trigger a psychological response in the recipient, grab their attention, and boost CTRs.
Try using words like “Download Now” or “Limited Time.” This will encourage the recipient to open the email as soon as they see it to avoid missing out. Trigger their curiosity and leave them wanting more out of you. That’s what gets the clicks!
Command words set a clear expectation of what the recipient will gain by opening the email. Words like “Get Your Free” or “Learn How To” immediately pique their interest and make action.
It’s all about compelling the audience and making them want more information from you. Think about what the recipient may benefit from by opening your email, then utilize that. These words can be super powerful, so you’ll start seeing responses as long as you use them correctly.
4. Utilize Buzzwords
Buzzwords can be a double-edged sword in subject lines. While they help get the recipients’ attention, you need to use them strategically to avoid sounding like spam.
Buzzwords like “optimize” or “game-changer” may intrigue the recipient, much like action verbs. These call-to-action (CTA) words are about suggesting something new and exciting that the recipient must read about.
Buzzwords are great for encapsulating a more complex subject or benefit in one single word. For example, using ‘future-proof’ may immediately invoke feelings of long-term value, perhaps in a product.
The most crucial factor is ensuring that the buzzwords are relevant to the subject of the email. They aren’t just there to be trendy. You can easily overuse them, and they become meaningless. It’s all about using them in the right place and time.
5. Benefits and Problem-Solving
Offering the recipient benefits or highlighting a problem you can solve can increase the CTR. Many people’s inboxes overflow with emails every day, so they prioritize what seems most relevant and valuable to them.
Be clear about the benefit or solution. That way, the recipient is more likely to open the email to find out more.
You’re also setting expectations for the recipient, giving them a sneak peek of what they’ll get. This level of transparency builds trust and helps them decide whether to act on the email.
Building that trust has so much value, as they’ll likely keep opening emails. In addition, you’ll boost engagement and strengthen your brand image in the eyes of the recipient.
6. Use the Recipient’s Name
Adding a personal touch to an email can never hurt. Creating a sense of personalization and connection makes them feel valued, and you’ll likely get their attention.
If someone sees their name, it triggers a response. That recognition and familiarity intrigues them, and they’ll open your email. It also builds rapport with the recipient, fostering a sense of connection. You don’t even have to do this in every email, or it may feel spammy. But perhaps every other email could include the recipient’s name.
7. Try Different Approaches
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different subject lines and try something new. Just ensure you avoid these email marketing mistakes. You can track your CTR to see what email subject works.
Each recipient is different, so you want to find out what resonates best with your audience. What works for one person may not grab others’ attention. Keep testing new things to see what gets you the best results.
Trends are constantly changing and evolving. What worked yesterday might not work tomorrow. Testing new things allows you to keep up to date with trends. You can adapt your subject lines to see what’s working right now. It does take a lot of guesswork.
However, it eventually gives you data to craft the most effective email titles.
Email Subject Line Best Practices: Additional Tips for Your Campaigns
Now that you know the first steps in beginner email marketing, let’s consider a few tips and tricks:
- Avoid spam tactics: Using all caps or too many exclamation points makes people think your email is spam. It might end in the spam folder or straight in the bin, and you’ll see no CTR.
- Know the purpose: What’s the purpose of the email? Knowing this will help you determine the subject line, giving you a foundation for a good line. Make sure that your subject line accurately reflects the email content.
- Draft up multiple options: Try writing similar subject lines with varying words and tones. Give yourself a few ideas to choose from so you’re not stuck working on one sentence for too long.
- Get feedback: Get family, friends, or colleagues to check your subject lines. Ask if they would open them. Getting a second opinion is really beneficial as it gives you a new perspective.
3 Catchy Email Subject Lines Examples
To get you started, here’s a quick list of three catchy email subject lines you could use to engage your audience.
1. Summer Sales
Subject: [Name], Your Summer Sale Offer is Here [summer-related emojis of your choice]
This subject utilizes a personal touch with the recipient’s name. It also uses emojis to keep it fun and summery. Even simply using “Your” at the beginning is enough to make the recipient feel like it’s specifically for them.
2. Flash Sale
Subject: [alerting emoji of your choice] Flash Sale Ends Soon! Don’t Miss Out
Content: If you receive many promotional emails in your inbox, you’ll recognize the alarm emojis. Businesses use them to highlight sales because they naturally create a sense of urgency. “Don’t Miss Out” uses command words to make the recipient feel urgency.
3 How To [Something Valuable for the Reader]
Subject: How to Write Killer Email Subject Lines Like a Pro
This one is about offering the recipient some kind of benefit or value. The “what” can be anything you want, tailored towards your business. In just 50 characters, you’ve perfectly set the expectation for the recipient.
Fine-Tune Your Subject Lines
Implementing these email subject line best practices can enhance your email marketing strategy. Crafting compelling, relevant, personalized subject lines increases open rates and drives engagement.
Consistently testing and refining your approach will ensure your messages stand out. If you need help with your email marketing, try Beambox.
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