7 Keys To Creating Email Subject Lines That Get Emails Opened

Want to get your marketing emails opened and read?
Well, who doesn’t? You put a lot of effort into the content of your email, making sure it’s concise, clear, with a clear call to action. But all your hard work will go to waste if your recipient simply clicks the “trash” button without even opening your email.
While less than 25% of emails ever get opened, that number raises when you have a well written subject line.
Here are seven ways to compete against the trash button in your recipient’s inbox:
1. Make it urgent. Give your recipient a reason to open your email now. Use words like “today” “short time only” “offer ends tomorrow,” etc. But not every email you send should have a “you need to open this immediately or you’ll lose out on something great” sort of offer. Because when every email from you is urgent-none is.
2. Keep it short. Most email clients can display only 50 characters or less. Any more than that, and your valuable words get cut off. The more compact your subject line is, the better.
3. Make it useful. Why should your reader spend her valuable time opening and reading your email? Whenever possible, describe exactly why your message is valuable to the reader.
4. Make it unique. If your email subject line sounds exactly like everybody else’s, it’ll never get opened. Do your best to make it compelling and remarkable. Peak her curiosity too if you can.
5. Be specific. Make certain your reader knows exactly what’s being promised or asked of her. Tricky subject lines may get your emails opened now and then, but they’ll soon backfire. Be clear, and insert a call to action if you can.
6. Identify yourself. Most people are wary of opening emails from people they don’t know. To make sure your email doesn’t get reported as spam, always tell your recipient exactly who you are. Make it clear in your “From” line or start your subject lines with the same identifier, such as [Daily Writing Tips].
7. Test your emails. How do you know if your subject lines are working? Test them! Try split testing using two different subject lines for the same email message and see which one works better.
Getting emails opened is a challenge for anyone… especially when you have anywhere between 50 and 500 other emails in your recipient’s inbox to vie with.
Better make that subject line good!