Did you know that the majority of the recipients decide to open your email on the basis of your subject line? An effective email campaign depends on it. An attractive one gets opened fast, while a bad subject line buries your email in the depths of the inbox.
If you want to know how to increase your open rates through your email campaign, stay with us. In this blog, we will explore the best practices of an email subject line, examples, proven formulas, mistakes to avoid, and much more.
30-Second Summary
Want to increase your CTR and open rates? This guide is the solution. Learn about the importance of the email subject line and how it contributes to open rates.
Discover when to use these subject lines, best practices, formulas, A/B testing guidance, mistakes to avoid, and ready-to-use examples for every type of email.
Why Subject Lines Matter?
According to research by Zippia, around 47% of people open the email just because of the subject line, and 69% people report it as spam because of it. It means that subject lines are the backbone of your email marketing campaign.
Email subject lines are important for some other reasons as well.
Attract attention: Subject lines are the first thing your recipients notice. An effective line can grab their attention and encourage them to open the email.
Set expectations: A well-crafted subject line tells what to expect from the content of the email.
Avoid spam filters: Using certain phrases and words can trigger spam filters, causing your email to end up in the spam folder. Avoiding such trigger words ensures deliverability.
Boost open rates: An engaging subject line increases open rates, which is especially important in email campaigns.
Increase engagement: Catchy email subject lines encourage people to open the email and read further, click on links, or take other desired actions.
When to Use Email Subject Lines?
Without a subject line, there is a high likelihood that your emails will get marked as spam, deleted, and overlooked.
Newsletters: A clear subject line ensures that your subscribers recognize your newsletter instantly.
Promotional Emails: Curiosity-driven subject lines make your customers open your promotional emails.
Re-engagement Campaigns: Any subject line for a re-engagement email, like “we miss you” or “still interested?” can bring inactive users back.
Transactional Emails: Even with shipping updates and order confirmation, subject lines are important for reassuring customers and building their trust in your brand.
Event Invitations and Reminders: You can drive attention through the urgency subject lines, such as “3 days left to register.”
Internal or B2B Communications: If you are emailing your colleagues, clients, or partners, a clear subject line ensures that these busy professionals prioritize your email.
Email Subject Line Best Practices
These best practices make your subject line stronger to yield better results.
Front-load the important words: Put the message you want to deliver early, as many inboxes, particularly phones, truncate after 30 to 40 characters.
Do not use clickbait: While igniting curiosity is necessary, a misleading subject line can hurt the trust of your customers in your brand.
Keep it concise: Aim for 5 to 9 words (30 to 60 characters) for your campaigns. It should be shorter for audiences who use mobile devices to read emails.
Use personalization: Personalization makes users open your emails faster. Use merge tags to personalize each subject line with the user’s name or location.
Avoid spammy formatting: According to Mailchimp, the best practice is to use 3 punctuation marks per subject line to avoid looking spammy.
Leverage preview text: Preview text is an extension of your subject line. Plan them together for maximum impact.
Be careful with emojis: You should use only one relevant emoji per subject line. Use them to support the message rather than replacing words, as it can hurt deliverability.
Subject Line Length: Practical Guidance
Understanding the optimal subject line length is essential as it can make or break your campaign.
- The best practice is to limit the subject line to 30 to 60 characters to make it visible on mobiles and webmail users.
- Short subject lines are easily scannable. However, if you want to expand your message, use the preview text.
- The rule of thumb is not to exceed 50 to 60 characters for general campaigns. If your audience is heavy on mobile use, stick to 33 characters.
Subject Line Formula and Examples
Neil Patel has shared some proven email subject line formulas in his Email Marketing Unlocked series. Below is a concise summary and examples of how you can use them.
Report Formula
Highlight new findings. For example, A new study shows that 72% buyers trust reviews more than ads.
Data Formula
Utilize surprising statistics and numbers. For example, 42% marketers doubled CTR with this simple trick.
How-To Formula
Show your recipients a clear benefit. For instance, How to remove stains without scrubbing.
Inquiry Formula
Use a question to spark curiosity. For example, Are your emails always landing in the spam folder?
Endorsement Formula
Opt for authority and quotes. For example, AI is the future, here’s how you can leverage it.
Open Loop Formula
Ignite curiosity without telling the whole story. For example, I made a mistake and it cost me 500 followers.
Empty Suitcase Formula
Use the word “this” without going into details. For example, This is how your competitors are winning customers.
Announcement Formula
Make your recipients excited by using words like “New” and “Introducing.” For example, Introducing our AI-powered email subject line generator.
Scarcity and Urgency Formula
Show deadlines and limited availability. For example, Only 3 hours left to claim your bonus toolkit.
Punctuator Formula
Use punctuation to stand out. For example, Wait… did you forget your free trial?
Shorty Formula
Use only one to three words that create the most impact. For example, Quick Question or Tomorrow?
Digital Marketer’s Top 10 Picks
Distract Attention: “You won’t believe what is trending right now.”
Make a Prediction: “3 trends that will change digital marketing forever.”
Report News: “Meta launches new AI tool today.”
Quote Authority: “Marketing is storytelling, here’s how brands prove it.”
Invitation: “Your seat is waiting.”
Free Gift: “Free email templates inside, open now.”
Curiosity: “This tool helped me achieve email campaign success.”
Flatter Readers: “Only our VIP readers got this deal.”
Promise Benefit: “Increase open rates in just 3 steps.”
Ask a Question: “Want to feel energetic like a 12-year-old again?”
Subject Line A/B testing
Every audience responds to the emails differently. Therefore, conducting A/B testing is necessary.
What to Test?
- Length: short vs long
- Personalization: name vs no name
- Tone: clarity vs curiosity
- Emoji vs no emoji
- Presence of numbers, dates, and offers
How to Run the Test?
Test one variable at a time: Change only the subject line. Keep send time, email content, and segments identical.
Sample size guidance: Do not conclude by testing on a small group. HubSpot suggests each variant should be exposed to around 100 recipients to get meaningful results.
Run length: Let the test run long enough to get responses across time zones and send times. For single campaigns, 12 to 48 hours are good, while for lower-frequency sends, the time gets longer.
Measure beyond opens: Measure CTRs, conversions, and revenue per recipient, rather than just monitoring open rates.
Iterate: Use winners as new control and keep re-testing variants regularly.
Additional Tip: A test that increases CTR (not just open rate) is more valuable, as it shows that the subject line encourages the audience to engage with the email.
30 Ready-to-use Email Subject Lines
This section categorizes subject lines that you can use.
For Newsletters
- Here is our monthly newsletter, open now.
- 5 must-read articles for this week.
- Exclusive content: Get access by subscribing to our newsletter.
For Promotional Emails
- Get 30% off for the next 48 hours.
- Exclusive: early access and free shipping.
- A special holiday offer, just for you.
For Personalized Emails
- Happy Birthday, John: Surprise inside.
- Sarah! Check out these amazing looks.
- Welcome to [Your Product]. Here is how to get started.
For Cold Emails
- Introducing new Energy Bites, a perfect pre-workout snack.
- Let’s chat about (any topic).
- Reaching out for a potential partnership.
For Follow-Up Emails
- Our next steps
- Still Interested?
- A Friendly reminder: (desired action)
For Professional Emails
- Checking in: Add required update.
- Thank you for responding.
- Connecting for (specific reason).
To Create Urgency
- Only 3 seats left! reserve yours now.
- Final hours, your coupon expires at midnight.
- Hurry and avail the last chance of our VIP offer.
For Reminder Emails
- Hurry up! Time is running out.
- Only 2 days left to save big.
- Will we see you this Tuesday?
For a Non-Response Email
- Did we miss your reply?
- Know this about (certain topic)?
- Saying no?
For Meeting Requests
- Requesting a meeting on Thursday.
- Time for a quick touch base?
- (Company name) + (Company name): (Date)
Common Mistakes to Avoid in Subject Lines
Misleading subject lines: Do not use deceptive or exaggerated language to make recipients open your email.
All Caps or excessive punctuation: The use of all caps and excessive punctuation can feel spammy, and recipients might not open the email.
Making false promises: The subject line should have the same promise that is in the content body of the email.
Being Vague: The subject line should be specific and provide value to the readers.
Final Thoughts
The subject line is the first thing your recipients see when you hit that send button. A good subject line will encourage them to open and read your email and even take the desired action.
A vague, spammy, or deceptive email subject line can hurt your image and the trust of your customers.
Therefore, in this blog, we compiled some effective and ready-to-use email subject line examples along with other important information. Use it to crack the code of increased open rates and conversions.
For more updates and information about the digital world, visit The Digital Advice.
FAQs
What is the Best Email Subject Line Length?
The ideal length for the subject line is 30 to 60 characters, as shorter lines perform better and are fully visible on mobile phones.
How does an Email Subject Line impact CTR and Open Rates?
A subject line is the first impression. A well-crafted one sparks curiosity and encourages people to open the email. As a result, it boosts your CTR as subscribers take action according to the email.
Do Personalized Email Subject Lines Improve Results?
Yes, adding a recipient’s name, location, or product interest increases open rates significantly. Studies show that you can boost your opens by 15% as personalized subject lines feel more relevant.
What Tools can I use to Test and Generate Email Subject Lines?
You can use platforms like Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, Customer.io, and Klaviyo to A/B test your subject lines. Tools like SubjectLine.com and CoSchedule Headline Analyzer can score your subject lines before sending.
