So You Want People To Open Your Emails? Do’s and Don’ts to Making a Great Email Subject Line… Part 2

It can be a struggle to come up with great content for your subscribers week after week. Eliminate this issue by talking to your subscribers - find out what kind of content they would like to see from you. Then deliver what they asked for.

You can also do this without asking subscribers, by keeping track of how your emails perform. The types of emails that have the best open-rate can be imitated, and sending out that kind of content more often will help keep your readers interested and engaged.

Unbounce, 2014

DO Make It Genuine: Try not to ‘sell’ anything in the subject line. More and more, people are tired of being sold to, and have filtered out sales messages. Giving what you promised is more effective than spamming your customers. If they signed up for specific content, and you send them information they didn’t ask for, they will see you as a spammer and unsubscribe.

DON’T Try To Confuse People: Make it clear who the email is from, so people don’t get confused. Use locations if you are doing a targeted blast (i.e. “great news for our Toronto users!”) to help target your emails better. And let people know what to expect when they sign up. Will you be sending a monthly newsletter? A daily update? Offers and promotions? Telling people what to expect upfront will help your open rates and lower your unsubscriptions.

DO Write Emails that Matter: People open emails that are relevant to them. Usually, for one of two reasons - It’s from a person or company that matters to them, or the subject line is about something that matters to them. You need to make sure that your email delivers on the promise that the subject line provided.

DON’T Worry: Mistakes happen. If you make a mistake on a campaign, don’t worry. Simply sending out another email with “Oops - we made a mistake.” with some reparation (a discount, a coupon code) can easily fix the situation.

DO Use Active Wording: Use subject lines like “X Reasons why…”, “Strategies for”, etc… to emphasize the reasons and/or benefits that your content can provide.

Benefit subject lines contain an implied promise (losing weight, better sleep, earning more money) but in different words. Seasonal subject lines also do well if timed properly. Creating urgency in the subject line also calls people to action because it creates a sense of anxiety (“Last chance to…” “Today only!”). Exciting words like ‘new’, ‘sneak peek’, and ‘off’ (as in $X off) are exciting for people to read.

DON’T Assume Your Email Will Only Be Seen On a Computer: Make sure your subject lines are mobile ready. Many people open emails on their phones now, which may mess up your formatting if you’re not prepared for it.

Unbounce, 2014

If you’ve hit a marketing plateau, DO Mix It Up, Try Something New: There is never a bad time to try a new subject line, or try and increase your subscribers. Bring back the A/B test to see if something new works better than what you were doing.

Subject lines can be a bit tricky, and may require some practice before you get a message and method that works for your customers. However, it is not nearly as daunting as it seems! Following these simple Do’s and Don’ts will help to get you typing away before you know it.