Subject lines might not matter much in personal correspondence — but professional (i.e., marketing, sales, and pitch) emails are a whole different game. As research from SuperOffice indicates, 33% of subscribers decide whether to open an email based on its subject line. In other sources, this figure is almost two times bigger. And that’s not surprising, considering that subject lines, along with the sender name and the preheader (aka preview text), are the only things people see before they click open.
Here’s what it looks like in a typical Gmail inbox:
Obviously, the more compelling the subject line, the better chances an email has of getting opened. What’s more, quality subject lines protect your emails from landing in spam, which is good for your email deliverability. That means your professional emails need professional subject lines if you don’t want your email open rates to disappoint you. Yet coming up with good ideas on demand might be challenging.
To help you write subject lines that will actually grab your subscribers’ attention, we’ve put together this list of tried and tested email marketing tips.
But in reality, it’s not always possible to do all at a time — so, some of the components usually prevail. Depending on your strategy, you might want to make your subject line read more compelling, more emotional, or more to the point. But whatever you do, the key to creating a subject line that works is to clearly understand why you’re using a certain technique, and to what end.
As for the techniques themselves, there are plenty in email marketing. Here are some of the best practices for you to try. If used responsibly, they will help your subject lines perform better so that your business could get the most out of your email marketing.
The ultimate goal of a professional email is to compel the reader to take action. That’s why there are CTAs in such emails, whether it’s an e-commerce promotion or a collaboration pitch for a social media influencer. But what use is a great CTA if the recipients don’t open your email in the first place?
That’s where featuring action-oriented verbs in your subject lines can help. These verbs, also known as “action verbs” or “action words”, refer to doing rather than being, and thus prompt the reader to take immediate action: open the email and click on your CTA without contemplation.
Here’s what it looks like in an actual email. In this example, starting with “complete” instantly informs the recipients of what they’re supposed to do and eliminates the guesswork.
From: Michaels Stores
Subject line: Complete your order now and save with this coupon. 🙂
Feeling “special” helps people feel better about themselves, boosts their confidence, and bolsters their sense of identity. So, naturally, they tend to feel grateful to those who make them feel that way. In terms of email marketing, that means brands who make their customers feel “exclusive” stand better chances of winning the latter’s loyalty.
To make your subscribers feel special, use words and phrases containing the word itself, its derivatives, or synonyms: “specially for you”, “special treat”, “just for you”, “special/exclusive offer”, etc.
Take a look at how clothing brand Volcom utilizes this technique to create a feeling of “exclusivity” with its simple but effective subject line.
From: Volcom
Subject line: 🎁 It’s for you…
This technique works great for e-commerce companies. But it is also applicable to other professional email subject lines. For example, sales pitches that make recipients feel special will likely get more attention than generic ones.
Compare:
“Curiosity killed the cat”, they say — but people (as well as cats) still cannot help being curious. Curiosity is an integral part of human nature — and marketers can (and do) use it to their advantage. Particularly, when it gets to crafting exceptionally compelling subject lines for professional emails.
In this email from the blogging platform Medium, the subject line is a question most people ask themselves these days — so, who wouldn’t want to know the answer? Luckily, it’s right there in the email body (part of it, that is).
From: Medium
Subject line: Why is food so expensive?
Chances are, you’re quite familiar with all those “last chance”, “today only”, “limited number”, etc. email subject lines. What all of them have in common is creating a sense of urgency by playing on FOMO (fear of missing out) — one more human emotion often leveraged by marketers. Too primitive, you might say — however, it works!
In the example below, “ending tonight” coupled with the discount create a sense of urgency by leveraging FOMO (a deal is expiring in a few hours, so the subscribers are going to miss the discount unless they hurry up).
From: Atoms
Subject line: Ending tonight: 15% off for Back 2 School
The best email subject lines are often simple and straightforward, research by Sean Bestor revealed in 2019. Common sense also suggests that at least some people have neither time nor inclination to guess the meaning of vague/mysterious subject lines. That’s why being clear and putting value forward often is the winning strategy.
As the length goes, it’s usually best to err on the side of conciseness to avoid your subject lines being cut off. Generally, the recommended length is around 40-60 characters. However, a recent report from GetResponse indicates that subject lines containing 61-70 characters have the highest open rates, while 241-250-character subject lines demonstrate the best CTRs. So, don’t panic if you need a bit more than 60 characters — but do try to put the most important words first.
Here’s an example of a subject line containing 87 characters:
From: Best Buy
Subject line: Today only: Save $320 on Arlo Pro 4 12-pc. spotlight camera security bundle, plus more.
People trust other people, not brands. That’s why “social proof” — i.e., content from regular customers — is a powerful way to convince your subscribers that your products or services are really worth trying.
In email marketing, utilizing UGC works in a similar way to social media marketing or any content marketing, for that matter. Just pick a few best reviews — and don’t forget to feature the most flattering quotation in the subject line. The email below is a typical example.
From: Paro
Subject line: 5 ⭐️ reviews: “So simple and quick to assemble…”
Most subject lines are plain text, so the ones with visual elements naturally stand out. However, research data is controversial: for example, a Return Path study indicates emojis increase open rates, while a later research by Nielsen Norman Group shows emojis in subject lines increase negative sentiment instead. So, make sure emojis go in line with your communication strategy prior to deciding whether to feature them in your subject lines.
Another thing to consider is the number of characters available. Sometimes, symbols speak louder than words — but other times, saving space is a better strategy. And of course, moderation is key when it comes to emojis.
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These days, people know clickbait for what it’s worth. That means emails with clickbait subject lines are almost certain to end up in the trash; moreover, anti-spam filters can also recognize clickbait and filter it out. The ultimate outcome will be your damaged reputation — both sender score and brand reputation with your customers, that is.
But how do you know whether a subject line contains clickbait? Well, if you feel it might, it’s definitely a red flag — and a reason to come up with a different version.
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Email personalization is a long-standing best practice to improve open rates, and personalized subject lines are one of the most common examples. Thanks to email automation, including personal data such as the recipient’s first and/or last name, location, birth date, and more in a subject line can now be done in just a few clicks.
A more advanced way to personalize is by segmenting your email list and sending out different content to different segments, accompanied by subject lines to match the email body. Personalized holiday emails are also a staple of email marketing, along with individual offers and triggered emails.
Here’s a typical example of a birthday email with a personalized subject line.
From: Applebee’s
Subject line: Smiles Davies, we got you a birthday gift!
Various estimates show that people spend an average of 4-5 hours a day with their smartphones. That time includes checking emails: according to Litmus data, up to 44.7% of recipients open their emails on mobile devices, so optimizing your emails for mobile is imperative.
In relation to email subject lines, that means making sure they don’t contain more than 40 characters — ideally, 35 or less — so that your subject line could be fully displayed on all devices. If you opt for a longer subject line, at least make sure it carries the bulk of the meaning in the first few words in order to make sense on mobiles.
Making full use of the preheader is also a good idea: this way, you can shorten your subject line while still saying enough.
Sometimes you don’t know which tactic will work best for a specific email from your campaign. And that’s where email marketing A/B testing comes in: with this feature offered by professional ESPs like Selzy, you can test variations and pick the winning one based on statistical data.
Technically, A/B testing comes down to sending two different variations of one email to two different segments of your email list and then gathering and analyzing statistics. When you have the winner, you can use automation to send out mass emails with the winning subject line to your whole list (or a specific segment, if your campaign is targeted).
In the example below, Pura Vida Bracelets tests two variations of one subject line: the longer and the shorter one.
Now that you know the secrets to crafting outstanding professional subject lines, let’s take a look at some more real-life examples from a variety of brands.
Writing cold emails might seem challenging, but coming up with the subject lines for them is even more so. Whether a cold email gets opened can make or break a lucrative deal, so the best strategy for cold email subject lines is to put value forward. If you opt for a more mysterious subject line, make sure it isn’t too vague.
Here are a few examples of cold email subject lines that are relevant yet leave room for imagination:
The purpose of announcement emails is to share updates and, obviously, make announcements. To highlight the essence of the matter, make your announcement subject lines short and to the point and feature words and phrases like “introducing”, “presenting”, “(re)launching”, “say hello to”, “is here”, etc.
From: Bonfire
Subject line: Say hello to our new Linktree integration!
More announcement subject line examples:
Pressing on your email recipients’ pain points is a powerful marketing technique that works particularly well in B2B subject lines. However, it’s crucial to do your research to make sure you push the right buttons. For best results, send personalized emails to different segments to address pain points specific to them — and don’t overdo it by pressing too hard.
For example, this email from Pandora implies a pain point that reads “I can’t find a present for my mom who has everything she needs (and I have to buy something)”.
From: Pandora Jewelry
Subject line: For the mom who has everything
Here are some more examples of pain point B2C subject lines:
…And pain point B2B subject lines:
As mentioned earlier, FOMO is closely connected to a sense of urgency. If you want your recipients to take action promptly, refer to high demand, scarce supply, or time running out. To do that, use words and phrases like “don’t miss out”, “be quick”, “be fast”, “now”, “last chance”, “limited number”, etc. in your subject lines.
Here’s a classic example of a “limited number” FOMO email.
From: Parks Project
Subject line: Limited Stock: Yosemite polaroid camera 📸
More FOMO subject line examples:
Abandoned carts are a common problem in e-commerce. To nudge people toward buying, triggered abandoned cart email campaigns are often used with great effect. The best practices for effective abandoned cart subject lines include playing on FOMO, offering an incentive (free shipping or a discount), and giving more information about the product or service.
The example below illustrates it: first, the brand draws the recipients in with a mysterious subject line vaguely alluding to something they might have missed, and then offers a discount as an incentive.
From: Hydrant
Subject line: Still thinking about it? 👀
More abandoned cart subject line examples:
Subject lines that are funny or too creative are not always the best way to go — for example, you should be careful with humor and creativity in B2B communications. However, humor remains a powerful source of positive emotions, so there are many cases when using it in email marketing pays off. As for creativity, it is a great way to make your subject line stand out — if you don’t overdo it, that is.
If you’re not sure where to use your most creative and/or funny subject lines, holiday campaigns are probably the best choice, as you can see in the examples below.
From: Drizly
Subject line: Halfy birthday to you.
More funny/creative subject line examples:
Follow-up emails are emails sent to subscribers or prospects you’ve been in touch with a while ago. In email marketing, these are typically automated emails sent after an event, a purchase, or as a reminder. In professional communications, emails you send after getting no reply from a prospect are also called follow-up emails.
Below is a typical example of an after-an-event follow-up email with a personalized subject line directly referring to that event (the capitalization might be excessive, though).
From: Chase Center
Subject line: Smiles Davies, We Hope You Enjoyed Kane Brown!
More follow-up subject line examples from brands:
To learn more about follow-up emails after getting no reply, check out our article on how to write follow-up emails that get responses.
Subject lines are essential to the successful performance of professional emails, be it email marketing or professional communication, because they directly influence open rates. That means your emails risk not getting opened if you fail to get your subject lines right. Luckily, there are many tactics to help you nail it — and this article in particular contains everything you need to craft compelling professional subject lines that actually work.
Now, let’s briefly recap.
