Writing up a perfectly crafted e-mail can take its sweet time. You draft it, edit it, delete it, get a cuppa, give it one more go, and finally send it off. So the last thing you want is it to remain unopened and unloved.

But if you don’t crack the code of the e-mail subject line that’s what will happen. Whole e-mails sequences unread, or even worse, marked as spam. One wrong word or too many emojis and it will slide right down into page 58 never to be seen again.

The Crux of It

In one of their cracking marketing studies, Invespcro found that 47% of people open emails based purely on the subject line alone. That’s a whole lot of influence on the inbox.

Seems crazy, right? Such a small aspect of a marketing campaign but so so important. More open rates means more e-mails read and more potential click throughs to your site. It’s the launching pad for the journey from unqualified lead to paying customer.

The ten types of subject lines I’ve provided below can be applied to whatever you’re up to. Promotional emails about your new product launch. The discount you’re doing for Black Friday. All of it works.

Before we come to that though, I want to go through a few rules that can and should be applied to every subject line you come up with.

Keep it Snappy

The subject line has to be catchy. Not in your face slogan and crimbo jingle catchy, but short and to the point catchy.

The average person receives 121 e-mails a day. There are way too many for a long, introspective subject line on the reasons why your new scented candle is amazing. If it isn’t bitesize (not much longer than 70 characters), and can’t be read in a glance, people will pass straight on to one that will.

Take a look at this study Backlinko did on outreach emails and their subject lines. The sweet spot is between 36-50 characters. Keep it close to this bracket and you're on the right track.

(Source Backlinko)

Added to this, stuffing in a whole host of characters doesn’t go down well on mobiles. The smaller screen width means they break off at strange places on the line and make it harder to read.

This might not be a problem if mobiles were never used, but they account for 46% of all email opens. That’s a lot of people you can’t afford to forget about.

Don’t anger the iphone user on their commute to work sat squished into a crowd of other commuters. Give them what they want or they’ll ignore you forever.

Watch the Spam Trap

Getting sent into the junk box at the first hurdle is a real kick in the teeth. If it happens to you, know that you’re not alone. Coschedule found that 69% of emails get marked as spam because of their subject lines. It can be a hard one to crack.

As you can see in the chart below, a huge amount of e-mail is spam. The last thing you want is to ruin your reputation by continuously ending up in the category.

(Source Propeller)

Algorithms can’t always be predicted so sometimes it will just happen, but they’re a few things to avoid to maximise your chance of staying out in the open.

1. Using spam trigger words. These are often connected to blatantly bogus selling techniques. The equivalent of the oil haired salesmen slyly promising you the world on your doorstep. You can get more info on the specifics here.

2. Overusing caps and exclamation points (and any other symbols). TrYiNg tO StAnD OuT like this will get you chucked straight into the bin. Let the writing speak for itself.

3. Misrepresenting the body text. The subject and what’s in the e-mail need to align. You can rarely get away with deceiving the receiver with a crazy, non-connected line just to grab their attention.

When it comes to spam, it’s best to be as sincere as possible and not overly sell-y. Bring out your authentic side, try not to be too outlandish in your claims, and you should be fine.

Set Industry Specific Benchmarks

Another way to know if your lines are working is to compare it to the data on open rates.

You need to be specific here though. Hubspot found that the average across all industries was just below 21%, but that it varied between different industries. In electronics? You’re right at the bottom. All about real estate? You’re standing tall at the top.

(Source Hubspot)

Making this comparison allows you to know how much time you need to spend on improving your lines and if you need to invest in someone else who can make it happen better and faster.

Equally, it might be pointless putting resources into something that’s already over-performing compared to the industry standard.

Test, analyse, adjust. The trusty trio.

The 10 Ways

Whatever the e-mail is for, play around with the following ten ways of juicing up your subject lines. Experiment. Move the words around. See what works best.

1. Personalise It

Go back to the last time someone remembered something about you after only meeting you once. Felt pretty good right? It makes us think we matter. That we’re not just another stranger they met along the way.

The same goes for e-mails. When there are thousands of generic ones being sent to us each month making the receiver feel like you care is essential. Everybody wants to feel the love.

Especially when it's a rainy Tuesday morning and they’ve just been told off for coming in late by the boss for the fifth time that month.

You can see in the chart below just how much consumers expect that personal touch. And if you aren't doing it, and over senders are, you're going to be struggling to compete.

(Source Salesforce)

There are a few ways to do this.

1. Plug in Their Name

Ex: You could do this at the beginning ([name], we’ve got what you want), or the end, (It’s all in the [topic], [name]).

2. Mention What You’ve Got in Common

For single prospects, this might mean hunting around, finding what they’ve posted recently, and basing your subject line around it.

For sending out bulk emails this will be more around what they’ve already shown interest in i.e. you and your products.

3. Put in Referrals

Granted, this is mainly for lining up cold prospects, but if you can utilise it any which way you can it’ll help hugely. Building trust in the inbox is hard, and referrals go a long way to making that easier.

Ex: [person] told me you’re who I need.

4. Compliment Them

Make the prospect blush about their recent promotion or product launch.

Or if the e-mail is triggered after someone opts in, congratulate them on making the first step towards the intended goal.

2. Get them Salivating

Mention the benefits that someone will get if they open the e-mail.

This is the obvious one. The go-to when you’ve run out of ideas. You know your business, you know your target audience (hopefully), so give them what they want.

Here are three ways to do it.

1. The No Fuss Approach

Sometimes all you want to do is get to the point quickly. Especially if your offer is already tantalising.

Ex: Get beach bod ready

2. Using Numbers

Plugging in some digits ramps up the impact levels. It feels all the more impressive.

Ex: Increase your productivity by 10x

3. Asking a question

Anything that makes the e-mail feel more human is a good move. And questions do this. They replicate the feeling of real life conversations. Just like you’re down the pub with a mate.

Ex: Want to worry less about sleep?

3. FOMO them

Yes, I made that into a verb. It’s too powerful a thing not to.

When people feel like what’s inside the e-mail is urgent they are more likely to open it up. Scarcity induces that inkling of fear that you’ll miss out on something when others will be reaping its rewards.

Take a look at the stock total Amazon cleverly places underneath the price and makes larger than all the other text on the page apart from the title. It takes your eye away from the price and makes it the most important piece of info on the page. This is the kind of tactic you need to channel.

(Source Amazon)

You can try this in an e-mail subject line by using:

1. A deadline

Announcing that it’s the final day or giving a countdown makes the urgency feel so very real.

Ex: 9 hours left to get your perfect beach bod

2. Negative outcomes

Explaining what’ll happen if they don’t open up raises your authority and shows them the consequences of their inaction.

Ex: Don’t let your summer beach bod slip away

4. Arouse their curiosity

One option is to give everything away in the subject line. To get the offer right out on the table. The other is to create that element of intrigue and make people want to find out what comes after. Just like that old school pre Netflix Sunday night drama with its cliffhanger ending.

Take the e-mail I received the other day from MEAction. The subject line plus the eyes emoji make it tantalising. They are telling me that what's inside is rare, and by that logic, something worthwhile to me.

As well as this method of writing a vague but intriguing line, here are 2 others ways to get the reader curious.

1. The Revelation

Making big announcements about yourself can make it seem like there’s a mysterious load of information coming to the openers way.

This can be really effective when you combine it with vulnerability. It makes your seem more real and authentic.

Ex: The two biggest mistakes I’ve made so far

2. The Result

Putting the prize in the subject line can make the reader desperate to know how it happened. This is something you often see in get rich quick schemes. But you can avoid their ridiculousness if you stick to case studies that actually happened.

Ex: How [company] increase their open rates by 20%

5. Press on Their Paint Points

Connecting with people by talking about their problems first is a well known strategy for increasing response rates. Everyone wants solutions to what keeps them up at night. The same goes for subject lines.

Here’s a couple you can use.

1. The Improvement One

We all know we have problems lurking beneath the surface that need addressing, but we don’t always want someone to rub salt in the wound. Showing someone you understand their issues at the same time as giving them an idea of how to go forward can work wonders.

Ex: Lose that extra fat with easy to stomach diets

2. The No Nonsense One

Ok. The opposite is also true. Sometimes you just have to hit them hard. People appreciate honesty. They also want someone who can see what’s going on and what needs to happen to overcome it.

Ex: Your emails are losing you customers

6. Make It Useful

This approach applies when you’re putting some free content in the email that will help the reader in some way.

And as there’s never a time when people don’t want good quality free content, it’s something you can always do, even when you’re wanting to promote your product for the final time.

People will more likely read your email if you give them something value-based first. It makes it seem like you actually want to help them and not just sell them your products.

The article/open info platform Medium are a good example of this. Each week I get several personalised e-mails from them with subject lines offering me useful content. I always find it tough not to click on them.

Here are a couple of other examples for you.

1. For Tips and Guides

Ex: 5 Ideas for working more efficiently

2. For Curation

Ex: The best marketing articles published this week

7. Use News

Subject lines are best when they’re relatable. They need to connect with people’s interests. And what better way to do this than relate what’s inside your email to what’s been going on in the world.

There’s a reason why newspapers and new tv programmes are so popular. It’s not just because people like to stay informed. It’s because they read and watch like real life soap operas. They grab attention. Just what you want for your e-mails.

A good example of a company grabbing receiver's attention with people who are often in the news is the question and answer forum service, Quora. Take a look at how much this one about Elon Musk stands out (Elon is never not in the news...).

This question works on so many levels.

People love to hear about people failing but still being successful. It's goes back to that need for a good story, and in this case, the classic hero story - another Hollywood trope.

Equally, when we are constantly shown examples of apparent genius's earning billions of dollars, it makes us feel better about ourselves knowing they've been through tough times. They become more relatable. And so does the subject line which it includes it.

Here are two broader ways you can think about doing this.

1. Make It Industry Specific

Keep people updated on the latest goings on in your industry. If they’ve signed up to your email list they’ll be interested and will want to be in the know.

Ex: [Company] shows us the way to do it

2. Use Current Pop Culture

The more general and popular the topic the better. Everyone cares about Trump. Everyone cares about Covid. Use them to your advantage.

Ex: Why the pandemic is your chance to shine

8. Prove Your Worth

Selling a product? Say how many it’s helped. Providing content? Say how it helped.

When people immediately see a trustworthy example of something that could also help them they are much more likely to click through.

Two possibilities:

1. The Case Study

There’s nothing like real life examples of your best work to get people impressed.

Ex: How we helped [company] generate 5x revenue in 4 months

2. The Numbers Game

Announce the number of people you’ve helped out and how it’s benefited them.

Ex: 2 Million of our customers are beach bod ready

9. Keep it Short and Sweet

The super bitesize subject line is the hard hitter of the email world. Some statistics have shown that it performs worse than the middle range of 40 characters, but used sparingly, in the right way, it can still work.

It sticks out from the rest and leaves you wanting more.

Take this deadline e-mail from clothes rental company Onloan. (I haven't shown you where it is, just to prove my point!)

Your eye is immediately drawn to it. 3 words. One relevant emoji. Simple.

Here are a few options for different e-mail types.

1. Welcome E-mails

Ex: Hey

2. Re-engagement E-mails

Ex: Still here?

3. Abandon Cart E-mails

Ex: Got lost?

10. Get emotional

When you're sending out thousands of e-mails a month, analysing their success rate, adjusting bits here and there, it's easy to forget that it’s real-life people on the other end.

And real-life people have emotions. They feel sadness when the festive period comes and goes. They feel joy when the sun’s finally out. Tap into this. Humanise your subject lines.

Here are two types for you.

1. The Ending

No one likes a break up. No one likes goodbyes. But they never fail to strike a chord with us.

Ex: Goodbye, [name]

2. The Over the Moon One

No one likes a half hearted greeting. It’s deflating and uninspiring. Show people you really care that you’re writing to them. That you’re seriously overjoyed.

(And you probably are if they respond the way you want them to...)

Ex: You made it! Welcome to the club :)

The Wrap Up

There’s no certainty that one kind of subject line will always increase open rates. If you come across someone online claiming that they’ve found THE killer one then it’s time to get skeptical.

It’s all about knowing what works with your audience and having a good think about if it’s the right time for it.

For instance, chucking in a load of numbers to your subject line before Black Friday probably isn’t a great idea as every other company under the sun will be doing it. You’ll just get lost in the crowd.

Curate a few different ones using the ten types above and test them out. Then tweak things as you go. Simples eh?

Ping me a message if you’ve found any of them useful.