Subject Line in Email Marketing - 5 Keys to Success

The next time you open your inbox, take a look at the messages sent by other businesses, or even colleagues and friends. Some catch your eye and some make you want to click the Delete button. How do you determine which one gets opened and which one gets tossed? The sender has something to do with it, of course, but the subject line is almost as important. Without a good subject line, an email will be headed straight for the trash.

If an email marketing campaign fails, it is not always the fault of the message. A good message cannot be read if an email is not opened. That is where the subject line comes in. Readers have countless messages to deal with in an average week. They don't have time for email that sounds like spam or sounds just plain boring. In email marketing, just as in traditional marketing, you must hook the reader immediately.

Subject lines are critical to the success of email marketing campaigns. To avoid having your email marketing messages dumped straight into the trash bin, you must use a subject line that is both intriguing and clear about the purpose of the email. A good subject line takes time to create. Be sure that when writing your email marketing message, you leave yourself enough time to craft a great subject line. If possible, you should also leave time to test the subject line.

Writing a Good Email Marketing Subject Line

Email marketing campaigns succeed or fail on the basis of the subject line. Before sending out your email marketing messages, read these tips.

  1. Get to the point. Remember that most email browsers only show about 50 characters. If you create a long subject line, most of it won't get read. Worse, if the really important part is not at the beginning of the subject, readers won't see it and won't open your message. Have a clear call to action too. Vague messages will not get read.
  2. It's not about you. Email marketing is like every other form of marketing - it needs to emphasize what your business will do for the customer. Your subject line should convey why the customer will benefit from opening the message. Good phrases to use include "save time" and "save money". But don't overuse words like "free" or other hard sell text - the message will sound like spam and may even get blocked by email filters.
  3. Ask a question. Questions make people curious. Some marketers also believe that questions sound like something written by a colleague, making email more likely to be opened.
  4. Personalize. Use your company's name or the name of a real person as the sender and do not abbreviate your company name. Otherwise, the message could look like spam. In the message, use the recipient's name and use text that sounds conversational. People are far more likely to respond if they feel they are being addressed as individuals.
  5. Create trust. Do not mislead or "overpromise" in your subject line. People will come away with a negative opinion of your company.

Test Runs of Email Marketing Campaigns

To evaluate the effectiveness of your subject line, try a few different ones and see what the reaction is. For the test you can use a small portion of your email list or a few friends. When you know what works, use that in your larger email marketing campaign.