You can spend hours crafting a beautifully written email sequence, where every word dances across the page and describes your fantastic new product with clarity and gusto – but what if no one has the urge to read your painstakingly refined copy?
It’s simple, if your subject lines are rubbish then they’re jeopardising your email campaign content. If someone gave you a present wrapped up in a black bin-bag, you’d probably be a bit less enthusiastic about opening it and the sentiment’s the same with emails.
With marketing emails, people really do judge a book by its cover. You have a tiny window of time to grab someone’s attention, so attractive email subject lines are a must.
Here’s how to improve yours:
Short and Sweet
You haven’t got much time to work your magic before someone scans their eyes over another email, so make your subject lines short and to the point. In an age of 140/280 character tweets, you’re better off keeping your subject lines clear and concise. Using a few words can make your subject line stand out amongst more text – around 5-7 words can work well, but it’s all about testing what works on your audience, so remember to experiment and split test.
Make ‘em chuckle
If you can raise a laugh or even just a smile with your subject line, then you can be onto a winner. Never underestimate the power of humour or emotion in marketing – people are more inclined to read your emails if you’ve made them feel a certain way. Don’t go overboard on humour or Dad jokes, but if you can think of an appropriately funny pun or word-play then use it. Saying something unexpected or seemingly random can pique interest too.
Ask a Question
Being direct and grabbing your reader’s attention with a question can be a good way to start a dialogue. Ideally, they’ll read your email to find out the answer or agree/disagree. People don’t like being left on tenterhooks or leaving something incomplete, so hopefully human curiosity will prevail and they’ll check out your content. Spark interest with a teaser question.
Direct Action
Giving your audience a strong call-to-action right off the mark can prove effective. Some people like to be given clear instructions, so if you’ve got a discount, an announcement, a deadline or a new product, getting straight to the point and communicating exactly what’s in your email can work like a charm.
Promise a List
People like lists – everything seems to be a list these days, or a “listicle” *looks up at title of article*. But they work well, they’re easy to follow formats and give clear instructions. So, if you want to lead your subject line with the promise of a list in your email then that’s fine. You’re clearly communicating the value you’re going to provide with your list and if you’re delivering relevant content to your audience then your list should be applicable.
The power of a strong email subject line shouldn’t be underestimated – hook your readers in and persuade them to view your content with an effective line.