Effective email subject line

by ninon
12 replies
If talking about opening emails, yes, the most important part of the email is the "From" line - people looks who it's from first when deciding whether to open an email, and then the subject line.

But what about subject lines - how to write a subject line, so that more recipients will open emails?

Some tips i'm using:
don't make them very salesly or pushy.
Most people get so much junk mail in their inbox, anything that even hints of spam gets thrown away immediately.

The subject line should tell what's inside - simply describe the subject of email.

Keep the most important words first - subject line has to grab reader with the first couple of words.

It should provide a specific value proposition.

Always test.

And of course deliver great content

What are everyone's thoughts on this?
#effective #email #line #subject
  • Profile picture of the author nykn43866
    Agree, should be short and to the point and most importantly not seem like spam or you're selling something...

    But then again, everything really depends on knowing who your audience is, hence, who you are emailing..
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  • Profile picture of the author BloggingPro
    One of my biggest and most successful lists is one that I give away coupon codes and let people know about sales and the like in the niche. Because of that my subject lines always have a deal placed in them.

    "Limited 45% OFF [product name] only this Friday at [site name]!

    That's the slug line (term stolen from screen-writing industry) and then I just follow through more deals, more savings, and things like free shipping.
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  • I've noticed a lot of guys use the readers name in the subject line. It sometimes looks kinda lame if they include the surname as well, but generally it gets my attention. The key is not to be pushy as you say.
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  • Profile picture of the author Perdant44
    I attended the Affiliate Summit West 2011 this year and in two or three lectures this very subject came up. I remember two 'Super Affiliates' saying that if the subject line did not say Your company name and your network(Clickbank,ShareASale,etc.) they deleted it because they just have too many emails to look at each day.
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    • Profile picture of the author ninon
      Originally Posted by Perdant44 View Post

      I attended the Affiliate Summit West 2011 this year and in two or three lectures this very subject came up. I remember two 'Super Affiliates' saying that if the subject line did not say Your company name and your network(Clickbank,ShareASale,etc.) they deleted it because they just have too many emails to look at each day.

      Yes, emails are more likely to be opened if the recipient can recognize the sender.
      But if your "From" line lists the name of a sender (company), i think there is no need to repeat it in your subject line, which frees up space in it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by ninon View Post

    What are everyone's thoughts on this?
    I completely agree with you.

    And I think the very first tip you've mentioned above ("don't make them very salesly or pushy") is (a) by far the most important one, and (b) the one where many marketers make dramatic mistakes that adversely affect their open-rates.

    Good thread.

    (Mike Hill makes some very good, related points here, too.)
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  • Profile picture of the author big-marketing
    Originally Posted by ninon View Post


    The subject line should tell what's inside - simply describe the subject of email.

    Keep the most important words first - subject line has to grab reader with the first couple of words.

    It should provide a specific value proposition.

    Always test.

    And of course deliver great content

    What are everyone's thoughts on this?
    I think it's much more than describing the subject of the email. Its more about a specific value proposiition as you say later i.e. what's in it for me, the benefit

    But then again, testing can reveal magical things that would surprise you...

    big jason
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  • Profile picture of the author Rob Bright
    Don't me salesy and pushy is great advice also include the readers name as that will help, also from time to time through in one that gets them guessing e.g was this your question rob?

    Also I have found including a P.S with the main link and point of the email underneath the signature helps as well to aid actual click throughs
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  • Profile picture of the author terrelsmith13
    I strongly agree because many recipients use the email subject line to decide whether to open or delete an email.

    A good and effective e-mail subject line can get your email opened in a flash, while a bad one could spell oblivion in the trash or junk file. This may have the greatest impact on your email marketing campaigns' success. It pays to get them right.
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  • Profile picture of the author E. Brian Rose
    Your email subject line is just as important as the content inside. Nobody reads the content if the subject line doesn't draw them in first. The same thing goes for newspapers and their headlines. A lot of thought goes into those headlines.
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  • Profile picture of the author jonat2005
    Two things actually matters to me. The crafty-ness of the email title and more importantly, the sender. I hardly open an email from a sender i dont know
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  • Profile picture of the author mcmillad
    I have recently been getting the subject lines that try to act as if they are from something I ordered. Confirmation department and thinks of that nature. I remove myself from their list because I think if they have to trick me into opening it, it is probably crap.
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