What’s in an email subject line?

Ten tips for effective and memorable subject lines

by Cassie Berman, Agency Relations | December 5th, 2011 | No Comments »

As is the case with many puzzlers, coming up with a winning subject line is a hit and miss operation. Thoughtful experimentation will help you hone in on what works for you and your audience. And while there are no hard and fast rules about subject lines, a little know-how goes a long way. I’ve compiled ten of my favorite subject line tips and included links to some further reading, if you’re so inclined.

1. Plan ahead. Don’t make writing the subject line the last thing on your list. As you’re dreaming up your next campaign, why not start with the subject line? After all, it’s the only part of your email some recipients will see. Moreover, crafting a descriptive subject line from the get-go will bring your overall campaign to a focus. When you’re waffling about word choice, check Google to see what terms trend highest.
2. Mention your brand. Studies show branded subject lines really work, so if you aren’t including your business name, website or publication in the subject line, start now. Branding your emails will result in increased familiarity with your organization and remind recipients why your email is in their inbox.
3. Stay relevant to the campaign’s goal. Make sure your subject lines express the overarching theme and purpose of your message. Decide what you want the recipient to do as a result of reading your email, and begin drawing them toward that action in the subject line (think verbs!). There isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula, but descriptive subject lines that match the tone of the content inside will be most effective. For a content-rich newsletter, informative subject lines work best. Similarly, event invites need to say what’s special about the occasion and provide a registration deadline. And if you’re sending a purely promotional campaign, be upfront about the value inside to convey a sense of urgency, like “Fairytale Books: Celebrate Dr. Seuss; 40% Off Today Only.”
4. Pay attention to your audience. Writing subject lines people love may seem like magic, but unless your audience is made up of Muppets, “a la peanut butter and jelly sandwiches” won’t cut it. Nevertheless, put yourself in the Amazing Mumford’s shoes for a minute and think about why everyone remembers that line. Jim Henson knew a thing or two about childhood appetites, and you’re likely to have the inside track on what your audience likes, too. So have a little fun and design a subject line that puts your audience’s interests first.
5. Be enticing without being pushy. Avoid subject lines that read like something Mr. Radio Announcer Guy would squawk over the airwaves louder than your toddler in the back seat. Email recipients can spot a hard sell a mile away, so anything that sounds like it belongs in the Sunday circular should be rewritten. If you’re struggling to figure out which email subject lines are most likely to convert, try running a few pay-per-click ads with various subject lines to see which one has the highest click-through rate.
6. Avoid spammy words and slogans. Including the word “free” may seem like a good way to get customers in the door, but since spammers throw “free” around like cheap lipstick, your email could wind up in the trash if you combine it with other frequent spam offenders like gratuitous exclamation points, typing in ALL CAPS or terms like “blowout” and “cheap.”
7. Be clever, but don’t get too kooky. When getting attention is the name of the game, it’s tempting to write a Page Six worthy subject line. But since subtlety is lost in the inbox, your reader may pass over your line before taking a moment to get the joke. Check out Matt’s tips for more advice on creating a catchy hook.
8. Test, measure and repeat. Testing variables such as branding, length and punctuation can demonstrate what subject lines carry the most weight with your audience. Coming soon, Emma’s Split Testing feature will give you the ability to send up to three subject lines to a portion of your audience and automatically distribute the winning subject line to the rest. Read more about Emma customers who split test, and learn about Emma’s split testing feature (and a whole slew of other cool enhancements coming your way).
9. Review past results. Emma lets you compare the results of up to five mailings at a time so you can see at a glance just which campaigns — and subject lines — performed the best. Use this information to craft your next subject line, and keep an eye on how it stacks up.
10. Steer clear of industry clichés. One surefire way to stand out from the crowd is to find an original way to state the obvious. Think about it: If a person has signed up for your emails, they probably have emails from similar brands in their inbox. To make sure yours is the email they read, find out what the competition is saying and do something different – tell your audience something they don’t know.

Ultimately, though, a winning subject line can’t stand alone. A successful campaign depends upon the audience’s level of engagement with your brand, the relevance of your previous campaigns and at least a dozen other factors ranging from time of day and general busyness to the blood sugar level of the recipient. The subject line and “from” name, however, are the two main factors in encouraging recipients to open or delete. Sure, there’s no secret formula that will work for everyone, but these ten principles are what great subject lines are made of. Next time you’re grasping at straws, put one of these tips to the test, and don’t forget to report back — we’d love to hear what’s worked for you.

This is part six in our holiday series where we answer email marketing questions provided by our customers. Visit part five here.

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