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Email Subject Lines: A Guide To Increasing Your Open Rates

April 28, 2022
9:48 AM

An email subject line is arguably the most important part of an email. Not a lot of people know how vital a well-crafted email subject line is, but they do have the power to increase the open rates of your emails. A subject line communicates your email’s value to the recipient and encourages them to read further and engage with your brand by responding to your call to action (CTA).

Unlike B2C, B2B is lagging when it comes to providing their leads with an easy, simple and convenient shopping experience. However, B2B companies from industries such as manufacturing, services and high tech have started to take CX very seriously. In today’s customer-driven economy, B2B companies must get to know their clients at a personal level and build a trustful relationship with them.

Only 47% of marketers test their email subject line before sending it out because even the best subject is useless if it does not get opened. The best subject is usually short and descriptive enough to trigger the curiosity of the recipient. You also have to keep your target audience in mind while designing the email subject line. It is also important to A/B test your email subject line to find out which one works the best because otherwise, your email marketing efforts could go to waste!

In this blog, we will learn what makes or breaks an email subject line. In this post, we’re going to give you some email subject line best practices and show you some examples of subject lines that work.

Why should you give more importance to the email subject line?

Email marketing plays a vital role in keeping an inflow of leads for the sales funnel, generating ROI, and building a loyal customer base in digital marketing. The subject line, pre-header text, email copy, call to action (CTAs) and images are all important components of a well-built email that will help a company in acquiring customers.

The subject lines are what helps you in increasing your open rates and boost your sales. And since a subject line and preheader text is the only thing your recipients can see when they open their inboxes, it is important to make the subject line a balance of enlightening and entertaining. That one line of text can sometimes determine whether it will land up in spam, be deleted, or be opened. So, if you plan to start an email marketing campaign you have to make sure your subject line is powerful, relatable, funny, and makes the best first impression.

According to a study done by Business 2 Community, over 69% of emails recipients report that emails land up in the spam box just based on their subject lines.

Types of email subject lines

Here are the main types of subject lines that will surely increase your open rates

Informative subject line

The informative subject lines give you a brief insight into what email is about. They are usually clear, concise, and to the point and give out the key information so that the recipient gets curious and opens the email for more details.

Self-interest subject line

These subject lines are usually direct and talk about a particular benefit that the recipient will receive by opening the email. They also provide a very clear hint on what the body of your email will contain. This type of email works because people always strive to be better and these emails will motivate them toward that goal.

Personal subject line

Personalization is key to successful email marketing campaigns and this also applies to subject lines. You can personalize the subject line by adding the first name of the recipient. You can also leave behind some personal touches like their last visit to your website, recent purchase, recommendations, etc.

The “How to” subject line

This is a common type of subject line which offers a specific benefit and begins with “How to”. These “How to” subject line is effective because they are relevant and provide value to the recipient. It acts as a guarantee, wherein the recipients will receive the necessary tips to achieve their goal.

Subject line that creates urgency

As the name suggests these types of subject lines create urgency and only one goal, which is to make the recipient take an action. The action can just be to check out a landing page, give a review, subscribe to a newsletter, or make a purchase. These types of emails are also helpful in bringing out a fear among the users or the anticipation of gaining something quickly.

Interesting or relatable subject lines

These types of subject lines usually include a joke or a relatable pun and instantly stand out in your recipient’s inbox. Here you can also talk about some trending topics whether it’s fashion, lifestyle, tech, or sports.

Statistical subject lines

Most people love it when they see statistics or facts to be a part of the subject line, especially in the current day and age where everything is about numbers. This is a great way to provide a proven piece of information to increase the curiosity of the prospects.

Subject lines with offers or discounts

Most recipients except to receive discounts or exciting deals and offers once they subscribe to your newsletter. Adding an offer or discount to a subject line is the easiest way to increase your open rates. When subscribers get something valuable, they will be more interested in checking out your email content.

Holiday themed subject line

Holiday themed subject lines are used to grab the attention of your recipient especially during the holiday season because they are effective and actionable. These relatable Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving or Black Friday themed subject lines bring in the holiday spirit which will attract recipient towards their emails.

How long should an email subject line be?

Every subject line must be under 50 characters as it is the best practice. The subject line must also be fully displayed on many platforms and devices like a mobile.

Mobile users for example usually only see about 30-35 characters in the subject line, and most of us nowadays open the email on our phones. It was also studied that emails with subject lines ranging between 6-10 words were opened more often.

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Characteristics of a email subject line

Clear and concise

Every email must be clear and concise and should not contain a lot of information and keywords into it. If it’s short and to the point then there are chances that your recipients may lose interest in your email and move on to the next ones. A clear well-written subject is more likely to be opened by recipients. So, remember to not make a long subject line as it can land up confusing them and then generating curiosity. You can also make it creative and fun while keeping the message clear and focused.

Urgency

Your email must generate a sense of urgency and make your recipient take the desired action. Communicating the end of a sale or promotion like “Only 2 hours left”, improves the chances for a recipient to open the email. Urgency refers to scarcity and you can create a subject line for numerous reasons such as a discount, special offer, webinar, live event, exclusive offers, a limited number of spots, or products left.

Motivating

A good email subject line must motivate the recipient to open the emails. If your email subject is talking about a particular pain point, is giving a solution to a problem, or helping you achieve a goal then the recipient will be motivated to engage with you. Make sure to avoid being pushy and include a trigger that will develop a curiosity in the minds of the recipients.

Relevant

The subject must be relevant to what products or services the recipients are looking for, their needs, and expectations. You can also make a subject line that talks about a trending topic or a popular ongoing event that can help you establish your company’s brand identity. Making a relevant subject line will show your recipient that you care about their interests. You can also use the customer data to personalize subject lines.

Value

If you don’t add value in your subject lines then the recipient may not be interested in opening the email. So, offer them something valuable in the email and they will engage with you for more information on the products and services you are offering. It can be free shipping, coupon codes, discounts or exclusive offers, etc will suggest to them that something valuable is inside.

Know more about creating a successful email marketing campaign not just with catchy subject lines but also with effective practices that are said to drive sales and increase your ROI

Best practices of creating a subject line

Personalize your subject line with the right tone

Adding personalized elements to your emails will make your recipients feel valued. You can do this by adding their first name, location, recent purchase, last visit, etc. Personalizing with customer data implies that recipients can connect with you on a personal level and this is why it is a great way to increase the open rate. Adding a personal touch will give you a unique advantage and build the trust that a recipient will have in your brand. It will also make the recipients feel like the subject lines were curated especially for them.

Avoid false promises

Don’t promise them something they won’t receive. It is the best practice to be transparent and offers only what you can deliver. The key to building a long-term relationship with your clients is by winning their trust. And offering something you can’t deliver will break the trust that your recipient has in your brand and may end up getting into the spam. It will also decrease your open rate and increase your bounce rate.

Do not add spam words or sentences in your subject lines

Marketers these days tend to add a lot of spam words to their subject in hopes that their open rate will increase. But aggressively sales words (like buy now, order now, click now, apply here, get started now, limited period offer, promise you, gift, etc) will only land you in the spam box without the reader ever opening it. So instead of offering promotions in their face, you can maybe share important information or just give a glimpse of the deal you are offering.

Add a preheader text

A preheader text also known as the Johnson Box is the short text summary that flows the subject line in the recipient’s inbox. It summarizes the information that you will receive in your email before you open it on your mobile or desktop. It acts as a quick blurb on what to expect when they open the email. It gives you the perfect opportunity to grab the attention of the recipients by giving them a brief peek at what the subject line hints at.

Make your subject line action-oriented

The subject line is very similar to a Call to action (CTAs) because they make the recipients click on the email. Which is why you can begin the subject line with an action verb as it will increase the chance of making your subject line more clickable and enticing. It will generate a certain level of curiosity to check what is inside the email. So, a simple CTA subject line like “Click to avail of our limited period offer just for our subscribers” will do the deal for you!

A/B test your subject lines

Testing your subject line is a step you definitely should not skip. A/B testing your subject line before sending out your email campaigns will help you identify the one that will be more effective. You can tweak the subject lines depending on the results. Testing subject lines will give you insight into what your recipients prefer, and their likes and dislikes in order to boost your campaigns. A multivariate testing campaign is another way to check which email subject line will affect your open rates.

Use the right amount of emojis

Emojis have the power to add a little life to your subject line and make it look more interesting. But sometimes adding too much of it can make it look bad. While adding emojis make sure that it is related to the subject line and is appealing. If you add the right emoji, it will help you convey the tone of the message, emotion and connect with the recipient. According to some studies it is advisable to have only two emojis in a subject line.

Do not overuse exclamation marks and capitals

Overusing exclamations marks or making certain words into the capital are very unnecessary. Your recipient will be overwhelmed or worst feel like you are shouting at them. Using a question mark and an exclamation mark in the same sentence also increases the chance of ending up in a spam box. It is the best practice to not add more than 3 punctuation marks per subject line. So, remember to limit punctuation and add capital only when necessary.

Conclusion

Increased open rates solely depends on your subject line. A subject line also has the power to boost your sales and revenue. So, next time you are formulating an email, make sure to focus on adding a subject that is appropriate and will help you increase your open rates. You can also implement these tips and strategies while formulating your subject line.

Another tip we want to add is that you can check out your own inbox to see which emails you have been opening. Remember that subject line have the power to boost your sales and revenue. Keep practicing your skills to create a subject line and do test your subject line before sending them out. And that’s all it takes to watch your open rates shoot up!

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Julie Williams

Julie writes to motivate, inform, and educate people. Her major interests are marketing, artificial intelligence, and related areas. She is passionate about poetry on nature and human psychology. When not writing, she's found dancing or exploring new tourist places around!

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