The first thing a reader sees in an email is the subject line. It is what subscribers see in their inbox, and the subject line decides whether they open that email. Most marketers try and test different subject lines to optimize their emails, their performance and improve click-through rates (CTR).

Subject lines may seem an insignificant part of the email. However, the quality of email subject lines not only influences open rates, but also click-through rates and bounce rates. In the absence of a good subject line, your email marketing campaign may not perform well.

Tips on Creating Catchy Subject Lines

Every business sends emails keeping a specific goal in mind. Advertising a product, providing a service, entertaining the audience, or providing any information, any of these could be the subject of your email. The subject line should serve as a cue for your email.

Let us go through a few tips that could help you draft an email with a catchy subject line:

Learn from successful examples of email subject lines

Whenever we wonder about our subject line, we frequently look for examples for inspiration. The clever use of emojis or wordplay in newsletters can assist with new ways to draft a subject line for marketing emails.

Keep it brief and simple

Email subject lines will get shortened if they are too long, specifically on mobile devices. With a substantial number of emails being opened on mobile devices, a subject line with fewer than 50 characters is recommended to ensure that the people who scan your emails can read the message entirely.

Use a familiar name of the sender

When you set your sender’s name, you need to be as human as you can. If you have met the recipients from the conversation previously, use your name as the sender, even when the email is coming technically from the firm as a whole.

Avoid ‘no-reply’ sender name

Most people refrain from opening emails from unfamiliar senders. Also, not many people like having conversations with a robot. It is recommended to not include ‘[email protected]’ as the sender. Not only will it make the email less friendly, but restrict people from including you in their address book.

Use tokens for personalization

Implementing personalization tokens including name or location in the email subject line adds a sense of rapport, particularly when it is a name. Everybody likes the sound of their names. Additionally, it augments the clickthrough rate. A little personalized touch signifies that you know about your recipients more than their email addresses.

Segment your lists

Though email blasts going out to an entire list may be relevant and supportive for some, they need not be for others and can cause frustration or confusion. You can personalize the customer experience by extracting information from the actions that they have already taken from the forms they have filled out to which industry they come from, and to what are their preferences. In email marketing, your recipients’ experience can be personalized with the help of list segmentation.

Do not make false promises

Your email subject makes a certain promise to your readers about what you will offer through your message. You need to ensure that you do good on the commitment and do attempt to get your email opened using false promises. This can lead to a lower open rate and a greater unsubscribe rate.

Communicate to the recipients what’s inside

If your recipient has an offer downloaded and you are delivering it over email, it is a good idea to draft a subject line like, ‘Here’s your new e-book inside!’. It clarifies that something is delivered in the email.

Time it right

Sending an email with the perfect subject line at an appropriate time can make a significant difference in click-through and open rates.

Make use of summarizing language

You need to keep in mind that people check their inboxes in a jiffy, so the more concise and clear the subject line is, the better. When you draft a concise subject line, think of how your email can assist the recipients. You need to make that benefit clear.

Recommendations

• Start with verbs that are action-oriented which might help in driving the action of your email marketing campaign.
• Make your people feel special. Use dynamic fields to send personalized emails with their names in the inbox.
• Develop a sense of importance, it will help you capture the attention of your audience and increase the chances of email being opened.
• Ask a compelling question. Keep it concise and clear. The subject line should be able to convey excitement and urgency.
• Do not be afraid to get creative and punny. Convey your message in just a few words and increase the likelihood of opening.
• Do not use all capital casing or overuse exclamation marks or special characters. Using all capital can make the subscriber think of it as spam.
• Do not include an exclamation and question in the same subject line. These symbols can give the impression of a spam email.
• Use preview text that is engaging. It is the text that appears right after your subject line in the email, ensure it is attractive and engaging.
• A/B test the subject lines. One should always A/B test the most promising subject lines and improvise the results.

Wrapping up

Your business can boost the open rates and click-through rates (CTR) with encouraging subject lines. Consider the above tips and guidelines to frame the best possible subject lines for your subscribers. Great content with a catchy subject line can help you reach your email marketing goal.

Not certain about how to initiate your small business’s marketing efforts? Explore our website and book a cost-free demonstration today to access additional marketing tips