9 Tips for Writing the Best Subject Line

If you ever feel as if you’re drowning in emails, you’re not alone! Over 269 billion emails are sent every day, bombarding the average person with 121 new emails daily. With over-crowded inboxes becoming the new norm, it’s imperative your brand’s emails stand out among the other 120 messages. To make your emails shine and increase your open rates, follow these nine tips for writing the best subject line.

Your Guide to Writing the Best Subject Line

Use these best practices to optimize your emails’ performance. To get started on revamping your emails, employ one or more of the following elements.

1. Relevance

   When customers subscribe to your email list, it’s most likely because they want to stay updated on your business or learn more about what your company has to offer. Creating subject lines that are relevant to your brand and related topics can appeal to your audience’s interests and compel them to click on your email.

2. Personalization

   When creating your campaign, make an effort to personalize your email. While hundreds of subscribers may be receiving the same message, a unique subject line helps create a more personal conversation and livens up any generic email. Creating different segments of your email list, or using the recipient’s name or location are both easy options to help you achieve personalization in your subject lines and emails.

3. Voice and Tone

   Your brand’s voice and tone should always resonate in your email subject line with every campaign you send. Your audience should be able to recognize who the email is from without seeing the sender’s address just by the tone of the subject line. With subject lines that are easily identifiable, your campaigns have a better chance of standing out in the crowd.

4. Keep it Short

   People open up to 77 percent of emails on mobile devices, so when writing the best subject line, keep it short and sweet. To make sure people scanning their emails on mobile get the gist of your subject line, use 50 characters or less. To even further cut back on unnecessary text, consider adding an emoji or two to help get the job done.

5. Urgency

   Retail businesses are the best example when it comes to creating a sense of urgency in subject lines. “Last Chance to get 40% off!” and “$15 jeans are going, going…almost gone!” are two perfect examples of how to build urgency in your subject lines. Creating a sense of urgency in your subject line urges your audience to click on your email first so they don’t miss out. FOMO is real, so use it to your advantage, but not too often that your audience becomes used to your “urgent” emails.

6. Use a Call to Action

   Using action verbs and calls to action (CTA) in your subject lines helps customers quickly understand the purpose of your email. A good CTA will tell your audience the next step they should take in a direct and easily understood manner.

   For example, a subject line that says “Reveal your March deals” both clearly explains the next step to the reader and even entices them to see what deals you created for them. Keep in mind there are endless CTAs and action verbs to choose from, so don’t be afraid to experiment and find ones that work best for your brand.

7. Use Humor

   Don’t shy away from being silly in your subject lines and emails. Using a play on words or a joke can make your brand seem human and increase your open rates. Puns are an excellent way to promote your email’s subject and get your audience’s attention.

8. Watch Your Grammar

   Writing a subject line is far different than writing a long-form piece, but that doesn’t mean the rules of grammar still don’t apply. It’s best practice when writing a subject line to capitalize the first word and proper nouns, and only using one or two punctuation marks. You want to stand out against the other emails in a person’s inbox, but not for the wrong reasons.

9. Test Different Subject Lines

   Can’t decide which tactic to use for your next subject line? Consider running an A/B split test with two different subject lines to see what works best for your brand and make adjustments based on your metrics. After your test period is complete, use the subject line that performed best for the remainder of your email list.

   While creating the content for your campaigns may seem like the easiest part, keep in mind there’s an exact science to writing the best subject lines. Think your subject lines could use a refresh? Contact the experts at Front Porch Solutions for help creating the best campaigns for your brand.