Five Tips for Writing Subject Lines That People Click On

Your subject line is the first thing people see when your email appears in their inbox—and it has to attract attention. It’s competing for your prospect’s time with everything else in their inbox, some of it urgent, as well as the rest of the Internet.

Here are a few tips for getting readers to open your emails—despite all that competition.

Highlight what’s in it for them. Why would a reader want to click on your email? What are they getting out of this exchange of a few seconds of their time? Is it information they need and want? Is it a discount or something free? What are you offering?

Your emails should always offer something of value, and feature that in your subject lines. Bear in mind, however, that some words and phrases will get you filtered into Spam automatically—here’s an updated list of words to avoid. https://www.automational.com/spam-trigger-words-to-avoid/

Create a sense of scarcity. Limits of time or supply can do a lot to get people to click. It’s no coincidence that salesy language like “Act Now!” or “While Supplies Last!” is so ubiquitous—it’s because they work. Again, as in the last paragraph, be sure to avoid words and phrases that might get you filtered into Spam when you use this technique.

Personalize your subject line. There are more options than just using your prospect’s name. What’s their purchase history with you? What’s their profession? What do you know about their likes and dislikes? Segmenting your list into different categories and then writing personalized subject lines for each is a great tactic that can raise your open rates.

Make it timely. Is there something in the news that’s both relevant to your business and your audience’s lives or livelihood? If so, they’re probably looking for information about it—and you can raise your open rates by sending them an email that helps them regain a sense of control.

Make it true. Avoid making false promises in your subject line. Whatever you promise, make sure your email delivers it. Otherwise you could damage your readers’ trust in your emails—and in your business as a whole.

If your email open rates aren’t as high as you’d like them to be, it might be worth it to take a look at the subject lines you’ve been using, and try a different tactic. If you aren’t sure how to improve them, try several different subject lines that meet one or more of these criteria, and test them out. That way, you can fine-tune your strategy toward what works best for your audience.

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