16 Awesome Subject Lines For Emails

[dubOnline]

Whenever your thinking about sending out your next email marketing campaign (which should be no less then twice a month) you need to make sure you nail the subject line, hook, line and sinker.

Email subject lines are vital because it needs to pass their spam filter, grab the recipients attention and also get them to want to open your email. If they don't open it, it’s as good as dead.

So without further ado here are 16 awesome email subject line ideas you should try when sending out email marketing campaigns

Bad News ((name)) time is running out - Good use of the ‘rubber neck effect’ and a bit of scarcity thrown in at the end

Thanks ((name)) it’s great to hear from you - People like to be congratulated – it lowers their barrier instantly

((name)) 2 great deals for 1 day only – Antonym headlines which is a method often used by tabloids, word with opposite meaning to another word

A special thanks to you ((name)) – Another easy one to slip in below radar

Have you seen this? - Great way to get them prepped up to click that oh so important link

WARNING: don’t do it… – Another use of the Rubber Neck and a bit of reverse psychology

((name)) YOUR NAME here. please confirm – Getting personal, a bit of bonding and a call to action

OK Open for all your goodies - A free give away, no selling just a good honest email to keep your bond with the list

((name)) We’re about to slam the door on this one – Personal and scarcity in one

((name)) Last chance (tick tock tick tock) – Another example of the latter an A/B split test anyone?

((name)), I’m buying this myself – Shows good will and gives the product value by gaining the trust instantly of the recipient. Providing you have bonded with them first.

No excuses – Just short and simple

((name)) can you do this one simple thing for me? – Personal, a good will favor and a simple non committal call to action

The 3 biggest lies in ‘your niche’ - Curiosity killed the cat, trust and niche specific

I’m sorry ((name)) but I cant keep this offer open for ever – A submissive personal opening with a plea and some scarcity

((name)) you DO realise this is a private invitation don’t you? – A gentle but firm close out normally used after a 3 day sell

So there you have 16 awesome subject line ideas for your email marketing campaign to try.

Not sending yet? get started today and create your very own email marketing campaign

 

[newtonian]

Personally I think the slightly 'softer' lines rather than the scarcity, last chance messages are more likely to be accepted, but I suppose it depends on the customer profile.

 

[deniser]

Sounds very Vistaprint!

 

[MH1]

((name)), I'm buying this myself - Shows good will and gives the product value by gaining the trust instantly of the recipient. Providing you have bonded with them first.

I would love to know where these customer's are...

if only it was that simple.

 

[cmcp]

Here's an idea: why don't you actually describe the content of the email? Every one of those emails would hit my deleted folder without being opened, unless I had unconditional trust with the publisher.

Those teaser subject lines are so tacky I probably wouldn't open them just for that. An email subject line should make sense out of context, as they have to read well in a list of many others.

 

[Waumsley]

Who knows they may still just work if you don't care about how you are perceived

 

[MASSEY]

Here's an idea: why don't you actually describe the content of the email? Every one of those emails would hit my deleted folder without being opened, unless I had unconditional trust with the publisher.

Those teaser subject lines are so tacky I probably wouldn't open them just for that. An email subject line should make sense out of context, as they have to read well in a list of many others.

For people like you and me they would scream "spam". But, for the masses who aren't like you and me, the click rates are high.

You can tell on this forum how interesting thread titles attract clicks in their droves.

 

[Matt1959]

Sounds very Vistaprint!

or Cardell!!

 

[Esk247]

For people like you and me they would scream "spam". But, for the masses who aren't like you and me, the click rates are high.

You can tell on this forum how interesting thread titles attract clicks in their droves.

doesn't mean you'd buy what was on offer in the thread/post that had an eye catching headline though.

it's also about company image. all very well, you get someone to open the email but when they find out it's just spam they delete it and unsubscribe from your mailing list.

oh wait..they are subscribed aren't they? so therefore you don't even need a catchy headline because they already know who you are? right? all legal..right?

All our newsletters say who we are or what the promotion is in the headline e.g. Fathers Day Offers from Esky and within the email are surprise surprise offers relating to fathers day. Phew.

 

[MASSEY]

doesn't mean you'd buy what was on offer in the thread/post that had an eye catching headline though.

it's also about company image. all very well, you get someone to open the email but when they find out it's just spam they delete it and unsubscribe from your mailing list.

oh wait..they are subscribed aren't they? so therefore you don't even need a catchy headline because they already know who you are? right? all legal..right?

All our newsletters say who we are or what the promotion is in the headline e.g. Fathers Day Offers from Esky and within the email are surprise surprise offers relating to fathers day. Phew.

But this is your mistake if I may be so bold,

When you are advertising, you are advertising to the masses. The masses are of lesser intelligence on a whole. So I would imagine your success rate is far better with this spammier type of mail. After all there are more thick people than clever...

You could be robbing yourself here

 

[Esk247]

But this is your mistake if I may be so bold,

When you are advertising, you are advertising to the masses. The masses are of lesser intelligence on a whole. So I would imagine your success rate is far better with this spammier type of mail. After all there are more thick people than clever...

You could be robbing yourself here

ah but no, because our company image is important to our product and our customer.

(and i can only speak of our company, from my experience etc etc)

you're not advertising to the masses, you're advertising to an opt-in list who have already visited your website and know your products so you don't need to spam.

unless of course, you are looking to bombard peoples inboxes with tat in the hope that they buy something from you before they unsubscribe and add you to the junk mail box.

I prefer to play it safe and legal, we only email people who have opted in or double opted in to our membership club.


(NOTE: By YOU i don't mean literally you..i'm saying anyone who does the above in relation to...oh feck it can't be bothered explaining)

 

[MASSEY]

I see what you are saying, if people have opted in then you would not really want to come across as a bulk spammer. Thing is though, nearly all the emails i get i have never once opted into them, so for the "illegal" type spam it could be worth while.

I know i have been tricked by a few spam emails that use my first name in the title.

 

[Deleted member 61074]

Here's an idea: why don't you actually describe the content of the email? Every one of those emails would hit my deleted folder without being opened, unless I had unconditional trust with the publisher.

Those teaser subject lines are so tacky I probably wouldn't open them just for that. An email subject line should make sense out of context, as they have to read well in a list of many others.

What he said^^

Anything with my name in it immediately puts me on guard.

 

[directmarketingadvice]

Every one of those emails would hit my deleted folder without being opened, unless I had unconditional trust with the publisher.

Of course, whether they'd work would depend on the market (have these tactics been over-used on them by others?) and your relationship with them.

There are people who could send me emails with those subject lines and I'd open the email. There are others (whose lists I'm subscribed to) who'd get their emails deleted in a split-second.

Those teaser subject lines are so tacky I probably wouldn't open them just for that. An email subject line should make sense out of context, as they have to read well in a list of many others.

The highest open rate for my newsletter* in the last couple of years was for the subject line "Unfair Advantage". (Without quotes)

Steve

* I need to start writing that again. It's over 8 months since I sent one out! The shame... :redface:

 

[Esk247]

* I need to start writing that again. It's over 8 months since I sent one out! The shame... :redface:

that's probably why they opened it..they were surprised you still existed.

as with anything in business, it depends on your target market and the research you have carried out. Our customers are quite techy based, they open our emails via iPhone and iPad and delete emails with spammy irrelevant titles.

Perhaps with a different target market it would be different. I can only talk from my own experience, i would delete spammy emails and block the sender.

 

[directmarketingadvice]

that's probably why they opened it..they were surprised you still existed.

Back then, they were getting monthly emails from me. When I finally get my next newsletter out, I suspect I'll get a low open rate and a few spam reports because people will have forgotten me.

Perhaps with a different target market it would be different. I can only talk from my own experience, i would delete spammy emails and block the sender.

Fair enough. I can talk from fact because I've done split-testing of subject lines and email copy to find out what works.

Steve

 

[Esk247]

Fair enough. I can talk from fact because I've done split-testing of subject lines and email copy to find out what works.

Steve

Alas, there can be no definitive answer. We have tested a few different email titles and the ones that were most effective where those that had date relevance (Christmas time) and an offer within the email. We tried a slightly more spammy and eye catching title and this lead to a larger open rate but a horrendous unsubscribe rate that wouldn't have been sustainable for us.

So, this just shows that you need to split test your marketing yourself as there is no golden rule. Every company is different, every email database has a different target of people, every company has something different to offer their subscribers. Without testing it yourself, you won't know.

 

[directmarketingadvice]

So, this just shows that you need to split test your marketing yourself as there is no golden rule.

Very true.

And basing it on your own personal preferences doesn't work.

(Nor, by the way, does trusting the "gurus", as a lot of stuff they recommend has failed miserably when I've tested it.)

Steve

 

[cmcp]

Of course, whether they'd work would depend on the market (have these tactics been over-used on them by others?) and your relationship with them.

True, but it's something I don't see any of the big hitters in ecommerce across markets doing. All their emails have something related to the email, albeit littered with bad puns and all that.

I neglected an interesting wee project last year due to time commitments; signed up a dedicated inbox to the top 20 of the hitwise 100, charting the signup process, sent frequency, subject lines, ease of unsubscribe etc... I'm not a marketer but it's one of the things I get asked a lot so thought it might be interesting, as well as tracking the whereabouts of <retailer-name>@example.org email addresses. Still got the data so might finish it off before it's out of date, but it's so so time consuming!