Build a subject line to shine (get inspired by this 5 tips)

The subject of the email may seem unimportant in a broader context of the email. Still, without a sufficiently impactful subject line, the likelihood is that the recipient will not even open the email. As it is, this means that the subject is the consumer’s first impression of the email received.

For this very reason, decision making between opening an email, throwing it in the trash, classifying it as SPAM, or simply ignoring it, depends largely on the recipient’s judgment about the subject line.

So, don’t forget: the subject can mean a ticket to stand out in a crowded mailbox and, consequently, generate engagement and sales conversions.

Now, let’s see how you can improve the subject line and make it stellar!

Don’t forget these 5 tips when writing a subject line:

First, never leave the subject line empty. It exists for a purpose! It answers the “Why are you writing to me?” question. Then, avoid irrelevant words or generic subject lines that don’t help the recipient discover what the email is all about.

So, when writing a subject, marketers may include campaign deadlines to incite urgency, for instance. Most importantly, they should write the subject line only after the email content is at the end – and never at the start. Why? Because only with the idea complete and finished, it’s possible to have a global judgment of the email. Another helpful tip, do not rush it; take a moment to write the subject line.

One-size-fits-all is an archaic marketing strategy. Today, this won’t work well with your customers. Instead, personalization is now a must-have rule. It makes the email feel custom-made for the recipient.

Hence, the goal is to personalize the subject line by inserting a relevant detail unique to the customer. It can be the name, purchase date, or any other personal data stored in the marketing database.

Then, when your recipients read your subject line, they’ll see details that fit them, making them feel valued. As a result, your email will catch the customer’s eye and stand out from the others in the mailbox.

Long subject lines largely damage your open rates in mobile devices. And, if it’s too long, will be cut off. Then, try to comprise a subject within 50 characters – this will get you to cover a big chunk of the mobile devices.

Therefore, keep the subject line short and avoid details that have no impact on the recipient. Some examples are the words “news”, “newsletter”, “update” and putting the actual purchase number in the subject (“Your order #123456789 can be tracked”) – instead, write something like “Track your order here”.

A subject written with capitalized letters or with many exclamation points can transmit the wrong message to the recipient. Indeed, most of them will interpret that as the brand yelling and bossing him to do something.

Then, the whole purpose of the subject is ruined as it’s unlikely that the consumer will open the email and exists a higher likelihood of that email ending up on the SPAM box. Subject lines are written like this can, from the start, be categorized as SPAM by the email providers. So, solve these problems by avoiding all words in caps and don’t overuse the exclamation points.

Email best practices always recommend doing a split test (also called A/B test). That is, comparing two subject versions against each other.

In other words, both subjects are tested by sending two versions of the email campaign for different segments of the customers’ target. Then, the one with better results is chosen. After that, all campaign’s target receives the winning version (except for the customers who received the tests).

As a result, a split test on the subject suppresses unnecessary risks, allowing brands to avoid wasting resources and perform the campaign with maximum effectiveness. 

Follow our tips and write better subject lines?