There are 9,456 unopened emails currently sitting in my inbox. I, like many others, am flooded with countless emails every day. With so much noise in everyone’s inbox, it’s crucial for your business to craft subject lines that make you stand out.
Many small business owners neglect email subject lines because they spend so much time crafting what’s inside the emails. However, if your email isn’t opened, it doesn’t matter what greatness is inside.
The email subject line is the first thing your customers see, and it can make or break your email marketing campaign, so let’s discuss some tips on how to write email subject lines that make your clients click.
Keep It Short and Sweet
Avoid getting so creative that your subject line feels more like a subject paragraph. When long subject lines get cut off, your intended message is lost. Every email subject line should be catchy and get straight to the point.
Your customers are busy and don’t have time to read a lengthy subject line, so 40 characters or less is the recommended length.
Not only does it help you get your message across faster, but it also makes it easier for customers using their phones to read it. After all, almost 42% of emails are now opened on mobile devices.
If staying under the character count feels too much like a puzzle, opt for word count. According to Invespcro, email subject lines with 6-10 words have the highest open rate of 21%.
This is closely followed by 0-5 words at a 16% open rate. But how in the world can you get your point across and stand out in a cluttered inbox in 5 words or less?
Let Emojis Do Some Work
Emojis have become an increasingly popular way to add personality to messages, so why not use them in email subject lines? Emojis help convey the tone and emotion of the email before your clients even open it to read the contents. Use this to your advantage to entice clicks.
Be mindful of using emojis in moderation and consider your audience.
While it makes sense for a summer camp to use emojis regularly in subject lines, a law firm using emojis on every other subject line could be viewed as unprofessional. Be careful using them — unless your law firm has created a name for itself by being funny and tongue-in-cheek.
It’s worth noting that some email accounts don’t show emojis and instead substitute them for a simple box. Others might even mark emails with emojis as spam and hinder the emails from ever reaching your clients.
So despite them being fun and eye-catching, be mindful while using emojis.
Personalize Your Subject Line
Looking to increase your open rates by up to 50%? Personalization is the answer. By using your customer’s name in the subject line, you show them that you are addressing them directly. When you address a service they’ve used, it lets the client know you’re paying attention and appreciate their business.
Overall, personalization increases a sense of familiarity, captures the customer’s attention and encourages them to click to read the email content.
But personalization is NOT just about popping in a name to the subject line or name-dropping past used services. Segmentation is key. Split up your audience by interests, behaviors and demographics to better tailor your messaging so that it resonates with them.
By doing so, you create more targeted and effective email marketing campaigns, which drive conversions. Save time from manually doing this extra step by using email marketing software to insert the customer’s name into the subject line and schedule the emails automatically.
Maximize Clicks with Numbers
Consider this next quick tip to boost your open rate with just one switch. Using numbers and statistics in your subject line makes your email more appealing to your customers. In fact, email subject lines with numbers have 57% better open rates.
Let’s tweak a subject line together.
How to check for signs of roof damage
While this is to the point and within our subject line word count recommendation, clients are likely to scroll past with the intention of reading later only to forget about the email entirely.
5 signs of roof damage you need to know
While the message is the same, this subject line convinces the reader that this email is a quick browse because they know how many signs they’re looking for. This use of “need to know” also adds a level of importance that is likely to get clicks.
Create a Sense of Urgency
Nothing gets open rates up like FOMO, or the fear of missing out, so lean into email subject lines with time-sensitive wording to encourage your customers to open your email right away.
Use phrases like:
- Last chance
- Hurry
- While supplies last
Another way to create a sense of urgency is to highlight the benefits they’ll miss out on if they wait too late.
For example:
- Don’t miss out on huge savings
- Act fast and get a free gift
- Our 50% off won’t last forever
These types of subject lines help persuade your customers to act swiftly.
Avoid Spammy Words
Watch your mouth — or fingers in this case. Saying the wrong thing in your subject line can land your email in your customer’s spam folder.
Once your business is marked as spam, it hurts your reputation with the client and email system. Good luck fighting to get out of the spam folder in the future.
As a good rule of thumb, avoid these words commonly used by spammers:
- #1
- 100%
- Prize
- Free
- For you
- No (No strings attached, No catch, No purchase necessary)
- This isn’t junk
- This isn’t spam
- Subscribe
- Click (Click below, Click here, Click to remove)
Instead, use words that are relevant to your business and offer value to your customers. If you must, must, must use spam trigger words, save them for the context within your email and use them sparingly.
Get Some Practice In
Sometimes coming up with catchy subject lines is tough. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Head to your own inbox. Take a look at what emails you’ve opened recently and get started making them your own.
Let’s try a practice round.
HomeGoods: Fresh finds & prices worth FALLing for
Our business tweak: New Services to Fall for at [Your Company] 🍂
Make it a weekly habit to find 3 emails you can finesse into your own to help build and strengthen your email marketing.
Test Your Subject Lines
There’s only one way to find the right combination of email tips and tricks that resonate with your unique audience — testing.
Use A/B testing to send out two different subject lines to a small portion of your email list. Then, track the open rates. Choose the subject line that performed the best to send to the remainder of your email list.
This process helps you determine which subject line is more effective at capturing your customers’ attention.
Keep in mind, when split testing, you should only change one element at a time, such as the wording, length or tone. This way you’re able to accurately identify the impact of that specific change.
The art of crafting an effective email subject line is key in determining the success of your email marketing endeavors. By simply following these simple but effective tips, you can boost your open rates and connect with even more of your customers through your email campaigns.
So, apply these tips diligently, and watch your emails capture the attention they deserve.
