So You Want People To Open Your Emails? Do’s and Don’ts to Making a Great Email Subject Line... Part 1

A subject line often determines whether an email is opened and even, how a recipient responds - and when you’re a business investing the time and money into sending emails, it is crucial to get it right! In business emails, there are typically two types that are sent to customers: notifications and direct updates (newsletters).

Before you send an email, have a specific goal in mind, and know which type of email you are trying. If it’s a Notification email, it should be as direct as possible, letting customers know exactly what the email contains. Direct updates usually don’t have anything to prompt them, so they can be a bit more difficult to pin down.

Here are some general Do’s and Don’ts for making your subject lines as effective as possible! Remember, this is only Part 1! We’ll have more great ideas coming at you soon!

DO Write It First: Don’t leave your subject line til the end, or you will most likely forget it.

DON’T Use Filler Words: Eliminate words like ‘Hello’, ‘Thanks’, etc… Focus on the most important words first, as these are your attention-getters. Filler words can be included in the body of the email, where they won’t take up valuable space.

Ask yourself, how can you present your service to inspire people to want to click/open/buy?

DO Keep It Short: Keep your subject line brief - six to eight words maximum is ideal.

DON’T Make It Generic: Personalizing an email with their name is more effective for increasing your click-through rate. It catches people’s attention, highlighting your email in their busy inbox and piquing their curiosity.

Customers you build relationships with are more likely to open and read your emails. Think of it as lead nurturing. Short and descriptive subject lines work better, and an element of curiosity can increase the open rate.

Neil Patel, 2014

However, DON’T Write It Like a Letter: Using “Dear so-and-so” will make it feel like a marketing gimmick. It can also lead customers to thinking that you got their information from a third-party source, which can have negative connotations.

DO Use Proper Grammar, meaning DON’T USE ALL CAPS, OKAY?: (see why?) This might get someone’s attention, but not in the right way. Think of caps as the online version of yelling.

DO Test Different Subject Lines: This is the easiest way to find out what works well with your customers. Use an A/B scenario with subject lines, and then track the results to see what works better. You can always re-send an email with a different subject line if it doesn’t work well, and play with wording or length accordingly.

Unbounce, 2013

Remember, you can always tweak subject lines and resend emails if the first send doesn’t deliver the results you’re looking for! And if you need more help...stay tuned for Subject Lines Do and Don'ts Part 2, the riveting blog that will help you make a difference in your bounce rate!