How to write subject lines that zing

Email Subject LineEmail marketing is one of the best ways to develop a relationship with your customers. Yep – even us nerdy accountants can use email marketing. But let’s not confuse email marketing with spam.  Nobody wants spam.

The key to maintaining high open rates with your email campaigns is to craft catchy subject lines for every email you send out to your customers. You need to get their attention, and amongst a very crowded inbox you need to stand out.

These ten proven tips will show you how to quickly grab attention with compelling subject lines that get results.

10 tips for crafting irresistible subject lines

  1. Keep it brief – You want to give your reader just enough to pique their curiosity. Short and sharp. A good rule of thumb is to aim for subject lines that stay within 50-55 characters.
  2. Shake it up – Varying your subject lines from newsletter to newsletter will keep things interesting for your readers, and make it more likely they’ll click.
  3. Make an offer – Who doesn’t love a special subscriber discount, rate or deal?
  4. Create urgency – A subject line packs a more powerful punch when it comes with a time-sensitive offer.
  5. Ask a question – It’s hard to ignore a compelling question, especially if it ties into your customer’s fears. For instance, “Are you losing money with this common mistake?”
  6. Customize to your customer – It’s been shown that including your subscriber’s name or making a location-specific offer can significantly increase open rates.
  7. Make them feel appreciated – Reach out to your customers with a reward for signing up, a birthday gift – or just because. People find it hard to resist “Something special, just for you.”
  8. Specify a benefit – Be very clear up front what’s in it for your reader, leading off with a strong verb. For example: “Increase your wealth by 60%!”
  9. What not to do – Is there anything that inspires more curiosity than being told not to do something? Don’t miss your chance!, Don’t leave money on the table and Do not open this email all have the same effect on an email subscriber.
  10. Create a numbered list – Readers want to know 5 proven ways to lose 10 lbs by Christmas or Top 10 money-saving tips – which is why subject lines like these make great headlines and blog titles, too.

Other factors can impact whether your readers click on your email, ignore it, or send it to the trash.

For instance, when you send an email can influence open rates, so take care with timing. Sending an email at midnight just because that is the only time you have to send it, might not be wise.  By the time your audience reads your email, it could be so far down their inbox, it gets lost.

Monitor your metrics to see when your readers prefer to receive emails from you – and take a look at this useful infographic to learn more about open rate trends.

Of course, there’s nothing like offering consistent outstanding content to prove to your readers that if they open an email from you, it’ll be worth their time. Always hone in on how you can provide value to your email subscribers a sure fire way to keep them coming back for more!

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