Email marketing has everything to do with first impressions. Creating appealing email newsletters that your recipients open and click-through is the ultimate objective. There’s one vital step before getting there, though: the email subject line.  We’d hate to be the bearers of bad news, but you only get a few seconds to catch subscribers’ attention and trigger them to read your email marketing message. Your email subject line is the golden key that opens this door. The numbers demonstrate it clearly:

Crafting a catchy email subject line is key to your email campaign’s success. And since a few seconds is your time frame, let us present valuable tips for creating memorable email subject lines that will excite your audience. Sit back and get inspired by the best practices and examples shared in this blog post.

Email Subject Line Best Practices

• Keep it brief and precise. Subject lines are meant to be short. Email subject lines between 30 and 50 characters perform better in terms of open rates. With more than 50% of emails viewed on mobile devices, this practice is a rule.

• • Use personalization. Take advantage of personalization elements to target different audience segments. Don’t limit yourself to adding their name but leverage every data in your possession, such as their location, age, preferences, and purchasing habits.

• Perform A/B testing. A/B testing your email subject lines helps you detect which elements work better for your audience groups and send winning variants to the rest of your email recipients.

• Show relevance and consistency. Great subject lines are supported by data relevant to your prospects’ needs or industry; include numbers and percentages that back data up. Show your leads that you’ve done your research, get to the heart of their pain points, and ensure your email subject lines are consistent with your email content.

• • Avoid spam traps. Stay away from practices like all caps, excess punctuation, or special characters, and don’t use clickbaity words like free, earn money, or click here. Also, avoid incorporating the word ‘newsletter’ in your email subject line because readers tend to think of newsletters as boring content.

• Opt for a personal name as your sender. People prefer to receive email newsletters from people rather than faceless companies. It feels like they’re dealing with an actual person, even if it’s automated. Don’t use no-reply senders either.

• Include a call to action. When you need your email recipients to perform a specific action, why not let them know right from the email subject line? Even better, include the estimated time they’ll have to devote to that action; this will make them eager to act on your CTA.

After reviewing the most effective practices to apply, let’s jump into some email subject lines your audience will love.   

1. Time-sensitive Offers

Deadlines create urgency and make people stop putting things off. Time-sensitive offers or discounts get attention and compel recipients to take immediate action. When prospects read of a proposal that lasts for weeks, they’ll probably forget all about it and act on others within a limited timeframe. “Limited Time Summer Sales,” “This Offer Vanishes in (number) Hours/ Days”, or “50% Discount on (product or service) – Offer Valid Until (deadline)” do the trick as they generate urgency and highlight what the recipient gains from opening your email and performing the action required. 

2. Rushing isn’t Always Bad

Living in an era where time is a significant challenge, providing fast solutions to busy individuals is important. Leading with a business proposition that contains words such as fast or quickly generates recipient engagement and conversions. Phrases like “The Fastest Way to a Healthy Lifestyle”, or “How to Drive Sales Quickly With Social Media” demonstrate you’re the go-to-brand to show them how to get the desired outcome faster. Such wording is perfectly incorporated in email subject lines for sales prospecting because it makes a specific and measurable promise.  Just make sure that the promise is credible and realistic. Also, be mindful of the words you choose to find the middle ground between overpromising and underpromising.

4. Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO)

FOMO is a psychological phenomenon that’s particularly effective in email marketing. Go for subject lines that enhance its effect with phrases like: “Last Chance to Get (offer)” or “Don’t Miss Out on (benefit or deal).” Creating a FOMO environment makes recipients feel left behind while also subconsciously triggering them to open your email and click your CTA.  This type of email subject line is the perfect tool to nurture your prospects, share important company news, or inform them of a special event like a product launch or a giveaway. 

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5. The What Not to Do Example

People hate making mistakes and facing the consequences. The idea behind the what-not-to-do scheme is to showcase them and highlight negative aspects your recipients need to stay away from at any cost. To achieve it, use personal recipient data as well as valuable information about their industry – in the case of a professional group. “The Biggest Mistake (individuals or professional groups) make,” “Epic Fails in (field) And How to Avoid Them,” and relevant phrases are catch-all email subject lines. That’s because they perform a dual role: they make prospects feel part of a group with common problems and convey information about how to avoid false steps.

6. Numbers and Statistics

It’s common knowledge that statistics offer integrity, while numbers give your audience something to be looking forward to. When including them in your email subject lines, readers are most likely to open your email and scroll through its content. Not only that, but they’ll probably read it to cross-check if all the items they have in mind are included in your list.  Using phrasing like “Top 10 Practices For Positive Energy” or “8 Ways to Build Culture in Remote Teams” promises email recipients what to expect. On their part, they somehow commit to reading the entire list and won’t quit reading before doing so.

Conclusion

Creating eye-catching email subject lines plays an integral part in establishing a trusting relationship with your email recipients. But make no mistake: outperforming requires thorough research and careful planning. Remember that crafting email subject lines isn’t about making false promises or overselling; quite the opposite, this is the perfect recipe for leads not to interact with your emails. Get to the heart of your prospects’ pain points to grab their attention, choose brevity and accuracy, and show your brand’s niche expertise right from the email subject line. After all, it is your starting point for nailing first impressions – so make it count.   Author Maria Fintanidou works as a Copywriter for email marketing automation software Moosend, having created the Help Articles (FAQs) and overseen the platform’s translations in Greek and Spanish. She loves exploring new cultures and ways of thinking through traveling, reading, and language learning.