How to write Email Subject Lines that sell?
First impressions count. So, make your email subject line stand out!
With their email inboxes overflowing, most people spend just a fraction of a second evaluating the email subject. It does not matter how good your email copy or offer is. If your subject line does not immediately capture your recipient’s attention, they will likely not open your email, send it straight to trash and move on to the next message.
Crafting quality subject lines is crucial for effective email campaigns
Your email subject line is the single most important sentence of your entire email. If this single line of text does not get your recipient to open your email, all your hard work in creating the perfect email will go unnoticed. According to Invesp, 47% of email recipients open emails merely based on the subject line, while 69% report email as spam based on subject lines alone.
If you are looking to create email campaigns that sell, these are important statistics to watch out for. Your ability to drive sales via email campaigns depends on whether or not your emails get opened. This short, one-line description of your email may be your first and only shot at connecting with a customer or lead.
With 86% of business professionals saying that email is their preferred method of contact, it is important to invest a little extra time on your email subject lines in order to boost email open rates, avoid the spam folder, and get your message in front of the right people. In the next few minutes you will be able to discover some tips on crafting subject lines that sell!
Less is More
After reading a good amount of studies on the optimal length of the subject line, one thing is for certain: Less is definitely more.
We understand you want to make your subject line descriptive, but surely you can be descriptive and offer your recipients a compelling reason to click with about 17-35 characters long. With studies suggesting that 50% of all emails are opened on mobile devices (iPhones show 35-38 characters in portrait mode. Galaxy phones show roughly 33 characters in portrait mode), there more of a reason to keep your subject lines short and sweet.
And if nothing else does it for you, a short subject line stands out in a busy inbox and can spark a recipient’s curiosity, encouraging them to click through and open your email.
Invoke curiosity
Curiosity killed the cat, yet it can increase your email open rates! Start creating a story in your subject line, build up excitement yet to not give out all the essential information, in order to invoke curiosity and boost your open rates.
When writing subject lines, it is important to remember that while clickbait will increase open rates, it will not drive sales if you do not deliver in your email. Therefore, be sure to always deliver on what you say you will do. With all that being said, here are some examples for your curious subject lines, which you can build on:
-It is finally here…
-Can you keep a secret?
-Where does all the plastic go?
-For your eyes only!
Focus on Pain points
If you understand your targeted audience, you should know their most significant pains. Use those pain points to get readers to open your emails, in order to solve their problem. Offering a solution to avoid pain or avoid missing out is a killer copywriting tactic!
Rather than stimulating fear, the pain-solution approach stimulates pleasure. When offering a solution of this kind, your subject line can include words like “easy,” “simple,” and “quick,” as they are taking the prospect away from pain. Like some of the below:
-Fix your back pain with this simple solution
-7 quick ways to relieve back pain
-The antidote to stress
-Stop wasting money on clothes
Add Personalization
Of course, we would not leave personalization out of this. About 80% of customers are more likely to purchase from a brand that serves them personalized offers, so it’s no surprise that personalizing your email subject line will help increase open rates among other things. According to a study from Backlinko, personalized subject lines boost response rate by 30.5%
Referring to your recipients by name is something they will appreciate and will grab their attention. Even a slight touch of personalization, can help foster trust and even strengthen long-term relationships.
Here are some ideas:
-Great chatting at (event)
-George recommended I get in touch …
-Helen, meet Stan
-George, 🎁 Here’s a gift to make your weekend
Start telling a story
Everyone loves a good story, but it is always hard to find. When it comes to sequences or drip campaigns, storytelling is a great way to get people hooked with your subject line. In addition, your prospects will not forget you. Research from Forbes suggests that we are 22 times more likely to remember a fact when it has been wrapped in a story, simply because a story is more memorable
We are obviously not saying that you can not tell an entire story with your subject line, but you can introduce your story or provide a teaser. Using storytelling tactics such as descriptions, personal experiences, case studies, etc. can make your recipient better understand your message. This means they are more likely to open an email in order to read the story. So, take a moment to think of your story and capture the attention of your subscribers with a catchy subject line about it. Like the examples below:
-I survived the second lockdown. Read how
-How I turned failure into success.
-What no one tells you about college.
-Turning a Small Business Into a Big One
Give out numbers
There are people who love a good story and there are others who love data. Data is a great way to appeal to prospects that respond to logical pitches.
A study by CoSchedule of 155 million emails also showed that subject lines that included numbers experienced a 206% higher clickthrough rate than email subject lines without numbers.
Using numbers and data in your subject lines will get your emails noticed, demonstrate a clear and straightforward message about your offer, will save you valuable characters and set the right expectations for your readers, helping boost open rates.
So, here are some data-driven email subject line ideas that could help:
-How to increase conversion by X%
-150,000 subscribers love reading about us
-14.5% sales increase with marketing automation
-Save 30 minutes of your time
Create urgency
There is no way for your recipient to understand that you want them to take immediate action when your email comes in—unless it’s right there in the subject line. One of the best ways to stimulate sales from your emails is by creating urgency in your subject lines. Email subject lines that create a sense of urgency can generate a 22% higher open rate.
While too much urgency too early in a sales process may turn people off, it is an effective way to complete a lead nurture sequence and encourage people to take action. Using urgency labels in your subject line (like brackets and caps), can also help, breaking through the clutter of their inbox and grabbing their attention. Take a look at these examples:
-You have until 11:59pm TONIGHT to sign up for a dream vacation
-Say goodbye to these offers
-[URGENT] Only 9 spots left. Seats are running out fast.
-Stop EVERYTHING! ALL Dresses 50% off
Add dosages of humor & some emojis
We all need a bit of fun in our lives. Although your end-game is to increase sales, injecting a bit of humor and personality into your subject line can help you come off as more human to your recipients. People are more willing to buy more when in good humor. It doesn’t matter whether it’s apparel or coffee—if you’re making prospects and customers giggle when reading your emails, you’ll stay top of mind.
If you make your subscribers laugh, they will have to open your email and you will stay top of mind, while it has also been said that when in good humor people are more willing to buy. Being humorous requires more creativity, but rest assured your efforts will not go unnoticed.
However, do not over do it, humor is not for every brand. if your audience isn’t accustomed to clever wordplay, jokes, or senses of humor, it might backfire. Try it, by all means, but tread carefully.
Check out these ones to get an idea:
-Ohh…This is fun…Another email
=How To Avoid These 10 People at Work
-Please, don’t drool over this email.
-SALE UP TO 70%! (Sorry for shouting)
Test and try!
With all the above being said, it is always important to run A/B test to see the effectiveness of your subject line. You send out two versions—or even more—of the same newsletter, with the only difference being one variable on your subject line.
Compare your subject lines, using different variables, such as length, use of questions, personalization, and so on. You should constantly tweak and test your subject lines to see what resonates with your unique audience.
It goes without saying that you can always improve your email subject lines and a 1% increase in open rates can drastically improve email performance.
When it comes to writing your email subject line, there’s no magic recipe and no one-size-fits-all. It is important that you realize it, in order to approach each subject line differently. Take these tips as a guide and craft subject lines that drive opens, clicks, and conversions to achieve the results your business has set out.