Are you finding it difficult to come up with subject lines for your email campaigns?
The subject line is the first part of the reader’s experience with your campaign and therefore it must be appealing and engaging.
Here are 6 subject line ideas to help you write a better subject lines to help encourage readers to open your email.
1. Personalise the subject line
Have the subscribers name in the subject line. By having the subscriber’s name in the subject line of your email it adds a personal touch that is likely to catch the reader’s attention. This helps the reader feel like you’re connecting with them on a personal level.
For example:
- Sean, are you a zombie without your morning coffee?
- Sarah, 7 out of 10 Americans are completely wrong about this fact.
Ethan, there’s only 3 days left to get 60% off dresses.
By using the subscriber’s first name, you create a feeling that you are speaking directly to them which helps give your email a sense of relevancy that encourages the reader to open the email.
2. Using a question in the subject line
By using a question in the subject line it gets the reader to think about how the subject matter applies to them.
For example:
- Do you check your emails when you first wake up in the morning?
- Are you a zombie without your morning coffee in the morning?
These subject lines work because the reader is likely to relate to these behaviours.
3. Using ‘How to’ in the subject line
The ‘How to’ subject line formula works very well because it forces you to describe the content of the email in very clear language. Take these 2 subject lines for example:
- How to increase your fans on Facebook
- How to get 2,000 new email subscribers in 1 a week
- By reading these subject lines, your subscribers know exactly what they are going to get from opening the email.
The key to success with this subject line is focusing on the benefit. People want the benefit, such as better marketing results or 2,000 new email subscribers. Therefore make sure when using a ‘How to’ subject line to focus on the end benefits the recipient will get rather than the process itself.
4. Using the scarcity subject line
Scarcity is a powerful driver of human behaviour. When something is in short supply, our fear of missing out kicks in and we are forced to act quickly.
By adding a time or availability limitation it encourages readers to open and act on your email before it’s too late. For example:
- Only 3 days left to get 60% off dresses
The important aspect to using scarcity in your email subject lines is relevance. If the reader has no interest in buying dresses from you, they are not going to care that there’s only 3 days left to get 60% off them.
5. Using announcements in subject line
By using words like “New” and “Presenting” in your subject line it gives the reader a feeling that your email contains new information they have not heard yet.
For example:
- Introducing the easiest way to send emails
- Update to our Android App
- See our new portfolio
By using words like ‘New’ and ‘Presenting’ in the subject line, you are letting people know that your email contains new information they have not heard yet and you are encouraging them to open the email to find out more.
6. Using numbers in your subject lines
Using numbers in your email subject lines is a great way to get people to open their emails.
For example:
- 10 ways to build your email list
- 5 steps to sending beautiful email campaigns with CreateSend
In Conclusion
Your subject line is the most important element of your email and is a massive indicator to whether or not someone will open the email. It is vital to put some serious thought into this portion of the campaign creation process.