Why is email marketing still a big deal today? After all, most people now are using social media, forums, and search engines to find the products and services they need.
While this is true – you don’t want to forgo the use of email just yet. Especially not since 59% of B2B marketers claim it’s one of the most effective channels for generating revenue.
And it’s even an effective tool for B2C marketers. Stats reveal that consumers that buy products via email tend to spend 138% more than those who don’t get email offers.
However, simply sending out emails isn’t going to guarantee you these results. It takes careful planning, lots of testing, segmentation, and analytics tools to get the best results.
For example, some companies find that Tuesday is the best day of the week to send emails. And others find that adding an emoji to their subject line can boost email open rates.
What you’ll find along your journey to a successful email marketing campaign is that your subject line is everything. It’s the key to enticing your subscribers to open their emails.
So in this article, we’re going to discuss how you can use eye-catching email subject lines that’ll get your emails opened.
Let’s dive in.
“How To…”
Everyone’s looking to learn how to do something, whether it’s to improve their careers or spice up their cooking skills. If you have knowledge your target audience is looking for, then leverage that in your email campaigns.
You can easily do this with the “How to…” subject line, which will entice anyone who’s interested in gaining such knowledge. For example, if you offer book publishing services, you can create a how-to email on certain tools that can help writers improve their manuscripts before it’s handed over to editors.
The key is to learn about your audience to see what type of problems they have so you can develop email campaigns around those issues. If you can hit the nail on the head when it comes to delivering value, then you’ll never have issues with getting your recipients to open their emails.
The next step now is to write emails that live up to your audience’s expectations!
“The Single Most Effect Way/Tool to….”
Here’s a subject that uses curiosity tied with a benefit to capture the attention and interest of your email list. Now, just about everyone’s looking for a way to improve themselves and their lives.
For instance, in the B2B sector, you can offer tools and tips for making their jobs easier. And in the B2C industry, you can focus on personal improvements – depending on the industry you’re in.
What makes this email subject line effective is that it plays on a person’s curiosity. You’re offering an exclusive look into a premier solution to achieve some goal.
Now, you can play around with your subject line based on what it is you’re offering. For instance, some examples of subject lines that are curious, interesting, and beneficial, include:
- 65% of Business Owners Struggle with Time Management – Here’s How to Improve It
- One Question that’ll Help You Choose the Best Virtual Assistant
- Are You Battling with Insomnia? Here’s How to Fix it Now!
Again, make sure that your email follows through with the promise your subject line makes, otherwise, your emails will be disregarded in the future as junk mail. Or worse, your unsubscribe rate will soar.
“[First Name], …”
It’s amazing how effective personalization can be in an email campaign. By simply adding the first name of the recipient to the subject line will instantly grab their attention.
As for what you put after their name, it depends on your intent. Now, you can combine this technique with any of the other subject lines listed in this article.
For instance, you can use the curiosity + benefit subject line to further entice them to click on the email. You can also use this in trigger emails to get users to revisit your website.
For example:
- Janet, an item in your cart is almost sold out!
- Janet, here’s a simple hack you can use to drive more traffic to your store.
- Janet, here’s how to maximize your ROI with Facebook ads.
The personal touch alone is enough to grab attention. But by adding clear value, it’ll keep users from glossing over the email. Instead, they’ll click on the email to obtain the promised benefit.
Plus, addressing your recipients by their first name will give your brand bonus points for treating them like humans.
“25 Mistakes You’re Making with…”
Don’t make the mistake of believing that by creating a mysterious email subject line will make users curious enough to click. Most people aren’t adventurous when it comes to their time so you must make it your mission to be descriptive.
Your email subscribers should know exactly what they’ll get out of your email just by simply reading the subject. The key is to set the expectation for the content of the email.
You can do this for promotions, videos, infographics, and any other types of content you wish to share. Here are a couple of examples:
- 15 Things You Didn’t Know About… [Infographic]
- You don’t want to miss this special offer (a gift for being a fan)
- You don’t want to miss our latest product demo [Video]
Saying words like video and offer in your subject line can enhance your open rates substantially.
“Your Order Has Shipped!”
Transactional emails shouldn’t be overlooked as a means to grab the attention of your subscribers. It’s a great time to follow up with another deal or promotion, or even a cross-sell.
Or maybe you can drive them to your blog to check out some tips for using their newly purchased product or service.
In a transactional email, such as one that tells the customer their package shipped is a prime example. At the bottom of your email, you can include a coupon code for a future purchase (limited time offer).
However, there are other transactional emails you can take advantage of, such as “Receipt for Your Recent Order.”
You’ll find that many consumers are ecstatic to receive transactional emails. It gives them a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. Plus, it provides confirmation that they successfully completed their order.
If there’s anything we can say about online shoppers it’s that they’re fanatics about receiving their goods. They’re quick to open these emails to obtain their tracking number to track the delivery.
“Click Me Before the Spam Monster Gets Me!”
Humor – who doesn’t like it? Besides the Grinch – everyone! Adding a bit of humor into the mix can make your email subject lines worth clicking on.
There’s something about putting a smile on a consumer’s face that makes them more susceptible to you. And if you can make them chuckle or laugh – you’ll have them melting in your digital hands.
That’s what makes funny email subject lines a must. Of course, you don’t want to overdo it – only go this route if you truly have something funny to share.
Also, make sure it’s related to the audience and your industry. For example:
“Baby Got (Feed)Back – How Our Customers Are Getting Beach Bodies Fast!
On a final note – try to keep your humor within the scope of your audience. For instance, you don’t want to use Lord of the Ring references on an audience that’s not into that scene.
Language barriers may also be an issue so keep this in mind as well!
“Your Instagram Ads Suck: Here’s How to Change that”
When it comes to grabbing attention, there’s nothing like controversy. The shocking and controversial headlines you see on tabloids and magazines is what helps them sell.
You can use the same tactic (but less sleazy) to get the same results. For example, telling a subscriber that their Instagram ads suck.
Sure, you’re attacking their methods, but by offering a solution, you’ll help them see past the insult to what matters more – getting better results for their ad campaigns.
But insults aren’t the only way to drive controversy. You can also make statements that are peculiar, like “Why Your 6-Year-Old is More Digital than Your CMO.”
You can even use stats, news, and other facts that make your subject line more stunning.
Start Making Your Emails More Captivating
The better you get at crafting email subject lines, the more impressive your open rates will be. Then the better you write your emails, the better your click-through rates will be.
Following up with an equally enticing email is critical to gaining the trust of your subscribers. This will make it so that they’ll be more inclined to open your future emails when there are unique subject lines.
Hopefully, you find these subject line ideas helpful. Feel free to mix and match the techniques to conjure up your own intriguing headlines.
Then if you need tools to make grow your email list, you can always sign up for a free Poptin account to create enticing popups!
