Key takeaways
- The subject line is the most important element of an email campaign, if recipients don’t open it, the rest of the email is wasted.
- Personalize subject lines (first/last name, city or state) to make recipients feel the message was made for them.
- Use proven subject-line structures: “Reason Why,” Benefit and Question. “Reason Why” lines are cited as the most effective.
- Keep subject lines short and to the point, about 50 characters is a good length.
- Include preview text alongside the subject line to encourage opens and finishing the read.
- Don’t treat the subject line as an afterthought, spend time crafting it to improve engagement.
Introduction
When you’re building an email marketing campaign, chances are you’re spending time planning the best course of action. While you’re carefully crafting your content, however, don’t forget to take the time to master the fundamentals!
Imagine you’ve finally finished your campaign creation process and are ready to start sending out emails. You’re confident that your emails are engaging and will catch your audience’s attention, and you can’t wait to get started. Now, let’s consider the worst-case scenario when it comes to email marketing — no one opens your email. Instead, they send it to their trash or spam folder, and move on with their day. How will that affect your business?
Interesting and interactive content is great, but even the most refined emails will do absolutely nothing if no one opens it. That’s why you should take the time to ensure that you’ve mastered the fundamentals of the marketing email. The most important part? The subject line.
Let’s take a look at some of the best strategies to creating the best subject lines possible.
Make it Personal
While this might not be feasible for every market, one of the best things you can do to help increase the chances of the recipient opening your emails is to personalize the subject line. Sp, what does this mean, exactly?
Personalizing the subject line of your emails means including things like the recipient’s first or last name. This suggests the email was made just for them, even if it’s actually being sent out to many different people. Consumers like to feel as though they’re investing in businesses that appreciate them on a more personal level. Including their name in the email and the subject line helps perpetuate that concept.
You can also include a city name, or even a state, in the subject line. Doing this helps the recipient feel as though the email was created for them and has their interests at heart. This vastly increases the chances that it will be opened.
Make it Impactful
When it comes to subject line creation, there are a few different structures you should consider following. These are subject line structures that have proven to be effective at encouraging readers to open your email. Some of the most popular include those that emphasize:
- “Reason Why”
- Benefit
- Question
When it comes to email subject lines, those that reference “reasons why” are the winners by far. You’ve probably seen this kind of subject line used often, in fact, and for good reason. “Reason why” subject lines refer to the following:
- 5 Reasons Why Email Marketing is Awesome!
- Top 3 Reasons Why Subject Lines Are Important
These draw readers in and pique their interest. Use this to your advantage when it comes to your email marketing campaign!
Benefit and question subject lines also help draw the reader in. If someone believes they’re receiving information that has a clear value to them, they’re more likely to read it. Similarly, a subject line that piques a reader’s curiosity is more likely to be opened. These are two structures that are great at encouraging recipients to open up and read their emails.
Make it Short & Sweet
The last thing you want is to create a subject line that’s so long it bores your reader before they reach the end. Keep your subject lines short and to-the-point. Fifty characters is a good length: long enough to catch attention and offer some information about an email’s contents, but short enough to be read quickly and easily.
Use Preview Text
Do you add preview text to your email marketing? You should! Preview text adds just enough to your subject lines to encourage recipients to open them and finish their entertaining read!
The most important element of your email marketing campaign is the subject line — so don’t allow it to be an afterthought! Take your time to create something engaging, and your readers will thank you.
FAQ
Because if recipients don’t open the email or they send it to trash or spam, the content does nothing, so the subject line determines whether your message is seen at all.
Include personal elements such as the recipient’s first or last name or geographic details like their city or state, to create the impression the email was made just for them.
Use “Reason Why” lines, Benefit-focused lines or Question lines. “Reason Why” subject lines are winners by far for drawing readers in.
Examples include “5 Reasons Why Email Marketing is Awesome!” and “Top 3 Reasons Why Subject Lines Are Important.”
Keep subject lines short and to the point. Around 50 characters is suggested as a good length.
Yes. Preview text adds just enough to the subject line to encourage recipients to open the email and finish reading.
Avoid overly long subject lines that bore readers before they finish. Also don’t treat the subject line as an afterthought, take time to craft something engaging.
