Choosing the Right Subject Line

How to Ensure Your Email Doesn't Go Unnoticed or, Worse, Land in Spam?

The subject line and sender are the most crucial factors determining the success of your entire email marketing campaign. The sender should be a person with a name or nickname. Emails from a known sender are more likely to be opened. Always pay attention to sending newsletters from the right address, and for increased openness, use different email addresses, e.g., name.surname@example.com.

Good subject lines are key to good open rates. Without a compelling subject line that captures the reader's interest, you won't achieve the basic purpose for which you sent the email in the first place.

Tips for crafting the subject line:

• Take your time for the subject: spend at least as much time on the subject as on the content itself,
• Keep the subject short and to the point: limit it to 20 characters,
• Testing: most mass email tools allow subject line testing – always take advantage of this feature,
• Use personalization: include the recipient's name in the subject (e.g., Ana, I have something for you),
• Utilize the following tricks: add Re: to the subject line, ask a question, intentionally make a grammatical mistake, add a target group (e.g., This email should only be opened by women/only those who love the sea, etc.),
• Find inspiration in the tabloids: use as dramatic subject lines as possible (e.g., Shocking News from Sri Lanka),
• Ask for help: people like to help, so ask for help in the subject line (e.g., Please help with the survey),
• Insert emotional symbols: use an emotional symbol to hint at the email's content (e.g., Must-read statements :)),
• Be mysterious: don't reveal everything to arouse interest in the reader (e.g., It Ended in Tears),
• Avoid exaggeration with sales words and capital letters: most readers will delete an email with words or phrases like free, discount, action, or large printed words in the subject. There's also a higher chance the email will end up in the spam folder,
• Don't forget the preheader: the preheader provides an additional line to convince the reader to open the email.