In this article, let us discuss the importance of subject lines in email marketing. In particular, we will be taking a look at what's been trending in email subject lines over the last few years and what may become popular by 2021.
The good email subject line for sales is one of the most important areas that an email marketer can focus on to help create a strategic advantage for their content and increase open rates. Subject lines are vital because they give a game plan to the reader of what is included in an email. The reader can decide whether they want to open the email based on the subject line.
A subject line gives your audience an idea about what is inside your email. Without a subject line, your audience will not know if the email has value for them. This could very well result in low open rates and even unsubscribes to your emails.
A lot of people ask, "How do I write a good subject line?" While it's impossible to have an exact formula for writing a great subject line, there are some things that have been proven to work overtime.
Things to keep in mind while writing a good Email subject line for sales?
1. Keep it brief
2. Personalize it
3. Make it interesting
4. Offer value
5. Create urgency
6. Include keywords in the subject line
Let us discuss each of them one by one;
1. Keep it Brief
First of all, you must keep your subject line short and brief to ensure that it stands out from the rest of your email's body content. If the subject is too long, then an email client may truncate your subject line and ruin its visibility in a crowded inbox. People prefer short and concise words rather than lengthy and complex ones. If you wish to maintain their interest level in reading more about what you have to offer them, keep the weirdness factor minimal by choosing simple words with one or two syllables whenever possible.
2. Personalize It
You need to make sure that your emails include personalized information such as their name or company name (if applicable). You can personalize the subject line by doing something like "Marketing Tips for [Name of Person or Company]" or "[Name of Person/Company], Here's How I Helped [Other Person/Company]". This lets your recipient know that you did some research and made an effort to learn about them.
3. Make it interesting
You must make your email subject lines compelling and exciting enough to make people want to open them. There are a lot of creative things you can do with this, but there is no golden rule here because different people react differently to different types of content. For example, someone might find humor in your email subject line while someone else may find it annoying or irrelevant. You could try writing creative subject lines that include wordplay, fun facts, interesting questions, or anything else that might spark their curiosity.
4. Offer value
Make sure that your email's subject line contains something that your customer will find useful. Your email may offer solutions to problems or just share useful tips and advice which can be helpful for them in their day-to-day work lives. The main aim is to make people feel like they are receiving a gift when opening and reading through your email's content and you can do this by offering them value in the subject line itself. For example: "How to [x] in [Time Period]" or "[Name of Problem], Check out how [Name of Person/Company] helped [Other Name of Person/Company] with [Name of Problem]".
5. Create Urgency
One of the best ways to get people to open your emails is by making them feel like they can't afford to miss out. When creating urgency, it's important that you do not create a false sense of urgency, as this could lead people into thinking that your emails are spammy or disingenuous. There are a few ways of creating urgency without resorting to trickery:
Acknowledge their pain points and offer solutions. For example, if you were sending an email about social media marketing strategies, you could say something like "5 Days left for 2017 Social Media Marketing Plan - Get Started with these 3 Steps".
6. Include Keywords in the Subject Line
This tip is where most SEO companies go wrong when creating email subject lines. The fact is, most email clients strip out any coding or markup language from your subject line, including HTML tags such as 'a' and 'img'. As a result, the only way you can include keywords in your subject line without them getting cut off is by placing them behind an '@' symbol (just like in an email address). For example: "Email Marketing [subject] for [business name]"
Types of email subject lines and their success rate. Why do they work?
This subject line works because it is personalized and offers value. The recipient will no doubt be interested in the fact that they are being offered information about how to add social media branding to email signatures.
This subject line also works because it is personalized, offers value and creates urgency by requesting an action from the reader. The reader will likely click on this email because there is a good chance that they don't currently have a LinkedIn profile and need one for their business in order to network properly.
This subject line naturally encourages people who read it to respond with a quick reply of 'yes'. This subject line would work because it is an extremely simple question that can be answered with a single word.
Similar to the subject line featured in example 1, this subject line works because it is personalized and offers value even if they have never used or heard of AuthorStream before. The reader will likely want to click on the link because there is a good chance that they are using Twitter for their business promotion and could benefit from using AuthorStream's social media marketing tools as well.
This subject line works because it includes keywords that are related to the event of interest. This would work better if they included a call-to-action or some sort of discount code since it is related to an event.
This subject line also works for similar reasons as example 5, but also adds more urgency by including the fact that there are only 7 days left until the special event begins. Readers will likely click on this email because they want to know what discounts or deals you have prepared for them before the event begins.
This subject line works because it offers value and creates some sense of urgency by something free with no strings attached. Readers will likely click on this email because they want to know why the expert in question has chosen to feature them and what they have to offer.
This subject line also works for similar reasons as for example 7, but it offers a bit more value in that the recipient can pay in exchange for specific advice or service from the featured expert. This would work better if there was a way of contacting the expert directly from within their website.
This subject line is proven to work because it personalizes the email and creates urgency by offering a potential discount. The reader will likely click on this email because they want to know what the offer is and if they qualify for it.
This subject line works for similar reasons as for example 9 but without its personalized approach. This would work better if the person sending the email included some sort of custom message within the body of their email rather than just waiting for a reply from the other party.
1. Hi, I'm looking to schedule a phone call with you this week. Would Tuesday or Friday work best for your schedule?
2. Hi, are you still looking to have someone manage your social media accounts? If so, please take a look at our website to learn more about how we can help!
3. I noticed that you haven't logged into Twitter in over 2 months - would you like me to delete your account for you?
4. We're running a special next month - 20% off all LinkedIn services if you book an appointment before the end of October!
5. I hope you had a great weekend! Could we meet up soon and talk about how we can improve your business's social media presence?
6. Hi, I'm looking to schedule a 1-hour meeting with you this week around 1:30 pm. Is that something that would work for your schedule?
7. Hi, we're offering a free social media workshop on October 16th - it's going to be so much fun! Would you like to join us and bring some of your colleagues too?
8. Hey there, we'd love to speak at your company's event next month if possible! What's the best way for us to get in touch and set up a time to chat about it further?
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1. [Prospect name], regarding your search for a social media manager…
2. [Prospect name], can we schedule a call to discuss your digital marketing needs?
3. [Prospect name], I'm reaching out because I noticed you're still looking to meet with someone. We'd love to help!
4. [Prospect name], just checking in to see if you've made any progress on finding an agency that can handle all of your content writing/SEO needs!
5. [Prospect name], I'm wondering if you've had time to review my proposal yet?
6. Hi [prospect name], would it be okay if I set up a meeting with you next week to discuss how we can help your business grow online?
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8. How are things going on your end? Have you made any progress finding help for your social media needs that match my expertise/services/price point?
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There are many factors to consider when creating email subject lines. It's important to note, however, that even if you follow all of the above steps it will not always mean your email will be opened (although there is a higher chance). There are other factors at play such as timing and personal preference; because of this, it's also helpful to test out different subject lines with small batches of prospects before sending them all. When implementing new strategies like these into your business model it is important to stay flexible, monitor results, and iterate where necessary.
