Email marketing can be an invaluable tool if you know how to utilise it correctly, whether you're trying to make a sale or nurture an existing customer relationship. One easy way to make sure your emails get read (and acted upon) is by creating strong subject lines that grab your subscribers' attention. Here are my tips on how to write strong email subject lines.
Once you have read this article and feel confident with email marketing subject lines, it's time to look at the three best email marketing software for 2022. A good software will help you grow your business.
3 Strategies to Write Better Email Subject Lines
Let's start by talking about three strategies you can implement to help write better email subject lines.
1) Give your subscribers something they want
When writing email subject lines, think about what value your content or newsletter offers to the reader. If it doesn't provide any value, why are you sending an email?
2) Start strong - Include the benefit early on in your subject
Carrying on from the point above, people are impatient. You need to offer value and shout about it straight away.
3) Be original - show off your personality
People follow people above everything else. Yes, the benefits are incredibly important, but the way you communicate the value you offer is all about how you can get your personality across. If you're a funny person, be funny!
Aside from these three strategies, here are some other things you can do.
Remember that, as with most marketing, timing is vital. Use your subscribers' behaviour to indicate when they will be most receptive to listening to what you have to say.
Include a call-to-action: Avoid generic statements such as click here or read more – try replacing them with a verb and action that promotes your business. For example, act now and get 20% off! or get ready for summer – click here! Sometimes just getting people involved in your email can be enough motivation for them to open it – so try adding things like polls, contests and surveys.
Moving on from what you should do, we will talk next about the things not to do when writing email subject lines.
3 Things Not To Do When Writing Email Subject Lines
There are straight-up things you shouldn't do when creating email subject lines. Some things can be annoying to your subscribers, which can hurt your business.
Here are three of those things:
1) Don't use words like free in your subject line—it confuses customers. It makes them question whether or not they qualify for that free offer.
2) Don't make unsubscribe links hard to find. You want unactive consumers to unsubscribe. It's not about the number of subscribers but the quality. Engaged and active readers are what you should be searching for.
3) Don't go overboard with -ing words like announcing, updating, changing, launching, releasing and updating. Active words are great, but sometimes people want to know what's been going on.
Now that we've covered what not to do let's talk about how you can boost open rates with your email subject lines.
3 Tips To Boost Open Rates
Sending emails is essential in today's business world. However, not all email subject lines are compelling. With that in mind, here are some tips to help with writing a strong email subject line and boosting open rates.
1) Ensure Your Email Is Relevant
First and foremost, make sure your email is relevant. Readers and consumers have grown used to ignoring irrelevant emails. It would help if you considered your target audience the next time you create an email marketing campaign.
2) A/B Test To Perfect Your Open Rates.
You can't please everyone with one single email. Different people prefer different styles, so it makes sense to test what works for your audience. Try an A/B test—send two versions of an email and compare their open rates. With practice, you will find your sweet spot when it comes to subject lines that convert into sales or leads.
3) Keep It Short And To The Point.
Most readers are busy people who have numerous other things on their minds. It's best not to overwhelm readers with overly long subject lines. Keep your email titles short and sweet, so your customers know what they will get when they open up an email from you. Remember, if they don't open up your email, you will never have a chance at closing any sales or landing any new leads.
Wrapping Up
It is hard to believe that something as small as an email subject line can make or break whether your message gets opened or deleted, but it's true.
A poor subject line can hurt your business, so spend some time thinking about how you can deliver relevant information.
Finally, never send out spammy sales messages—if you don't feel comfortable sending an email, don't. It's that simple.
To end, writing strong email subject lines is all about practice and analysing past performance. Find your own best practices. Just remember, be consistent with anything you do in marketing.
Thanks for reading.
Jack Willoughby