7 Major Keys for Successful Email Subject Lines
Be honest, how many unread emails do you have in your inbox?
It’s true, we get a TON of emails every day, and many of them never get opened. But why? It probably has something to do with ineffective subject lines. Statistics show that 64 percent of people will open an email because of the subject line.
Here’s our seven tips for subject line success:
- Connect with your audience
Overall, email subject lines that include the words “thank you” (i.e. A Special Thank You from our CEO) have the highest above-average engagement levels (+62 percent).
- Make it short and sweet
Subject lines with more than three words have a lower-than-average open rate. Remember 40% of emails are opened on smartphones – where the average mobile screen can only fit 4-7 words max.
- Get to the point
Don’t worry about being funny or catchy—being direct with your recipients is far more effective than ambiguity. One study found that a clear subject line gets 541 percent more clicks than one that’s clever.
- Personalize and localize
Personalize a message with a recipient’s first or last name to improve open rates. MailChimp, a popular email marketing company, suggests including a city name. (i.e. 10 Best Washington D.C. Restaurants)
- Set a deadline
If you have a lot of information to convey in the email itself, including a deadline right in the subject line exponentially increases the odds that readers will respond. (i.e. Reply by this Friday)
- FREE STUFF
Emails with “free” in the subject line were opened 10 percent more than those without.
- Use those savvy numbers
Numbers are a great way to set people’s expectations. In fact, a subject line with a number (i.e. the title of this blog ) were shown to get a 57 percent increase in opens.
In 2012, President Obama’s campaigners revealed that their most successful email line consisted of a single word, “Hey.” This email raised more than 2.5 million dollars. Could your company get away with this subject line? Find out.
