Email Tips: Writing Subject Lines that get Opened

OK. You’ve been gathering customer email addresses on a website form or from a signup list in your store — or maybe you bought a list of names and email addresses from somewhere — and now it’s time to start sending emails. The goal of your subject line is to interest the recipient enough to open your email, right? So put yourself in their shoes. What would make you open the email?

1. Use sentence case or lowercase (DO YOUR FRIENDS WRITE IN ALL CAPS IN THEIR SUBJECT LINES? Then neither should you, because you want to be perceived as a friendly email.)

2. Keep it short — 50 to 55 characters or 4 to 5 words is the conventional wisdom, but a recent study showed that subject lines with 4-15 characters got the most opens (that’s counting the spaces!)

3. Make your message intriguing:
– Ask a question about something that’s important to them
– Tell them what you’re offering, and don’t be cutesy or cheesy about it (tell, don’t sell)
– Create urgency with a time limit like “24-hour sale” or “2 days to respond”

4. Re-read your subject line before hitting send to ensure the recipient will know what you’re promising and that the promise is of value to them

By putting yourself in the reader’s place, you can avoid a lot of email subject line pitfalls. Short, descriptive email subject lines that give the recipient a reason to open and read your message are the most likely to be opened. Period.

Do you send emails to your customers on a regular basis? Please share email subject lines that have worked for you. What other email marketing tips and tricks can you share with our readers?