Master the Art of Writing Email Subjects That Actually Get Opened
Published Date: 22 May, 2024 | Updated Date: 27 May, 2024
Discover how to craft compelling email subjects that get opened! Enhance your email deliverability and boost subscriber engagement with our expert tips on subject line optimization.
Just a question: how many unread promotional emails are sitting in your inbox right now?
Likely, more than a few!
So the question is: what is it that makes us (and our audiences) more likely to open promotional emails that will otherwise hit the trash folder?
The answer is simpler than you think: Good subject lines!
That’s right: the first step to achieve a successful email campaign and increase email open rates is to ensure your emails…
- Don’t end up in the spam folder
- Catch the eye of your subscribers
…and the best way to do that is to make sure you and your copywriters are being strategic with the way you curate subject lines for your email campaigns.
How to write the most effective email subject lines that actually get opened
To help boost your email open rates, here are 3 expert tips you can use to improve email subject lines and finally move beyond the gates of your subscribers’ overfull inboxes!
1. Optimize capitalization for better deliverability.
As it so happens, to write the best open rate subject lines you have to consider the way you format it. That’s because your email subject line can significantly impact whether your email is opened or ignored—or worse, flagged as spam! One common issue is the overuse of capital letters. While capitalizing every word in a subject line might seem like a good way to grab attention, it actually increases the likelihood of triggering spam filters!
Which of the following subject lines would be best for this email?
Consider the subject line: “Overcome Your Mind on our Live Call Tonight!”
When revised to “Overcome your mind on our Live Call Tonight” or “Overcome your Mind on our live Call Tonight,” the presence of fewer capitalized words makes the email appear less aggressive and more professional, thereby reducing the spam score.
Best Practices for Capitalization in Email Subject Lines
2. Utilize brackets to highlight key information.
Another effective strategy for writing better subject lines is to use brackets.
Why? Because this simple icon can help draw attention to essential details, clarifying the email’s intent at first glance and increasing the likelihood of engagement!
For example, when you introduce a bracket at the beginning of your subject line, you’re helping set the context immediately.
Changing “Overcome Your Mind on our Live Call Tonight!” to “[Live Call] Tonight, overcome your mind” effectively shifts focus to the event type right away, which can be especially useful in a cluttered inbox.
Brackets can also be particularly beneficial in program and value-add emails. With ongoing programs, using brackets can signal to subscribers that the email is relevant to them.
Say you’re doing a program called ‘The Gauntlet”. You might want to make all subject lines for this type of email read something like, “[Gauntlet] Update on next steps”.
That way those who are specifically interested in this type of program will know to click-through to read the email!
The same is true for those value-add emails I mentioned. When sending resources or promotional content, such as “[Video] Mastering meditation techniques,” brackets help highlight the material type, adding value and context.
What we’ve found is that more of our audience will click-through when we include simple bracketed words in our subject lines, such as [Podcast], [Free Guide], or [eBook].
What are the advantages of using brackets in email subject lines?
3. Time emails strategically and integrate relevant content.
Sure, our subject lines can go a long way to boost open rates, but during the critical hours of a promotional campaign, when you communicate with your audience can make a significant difference.
It can also help to incorporate valuable content within reminders for upcoming deadlines or offers to not only enhance the subject line, but to add a layer of urgency and value.
For example, a subject line like “[Audio] Empowered self-meditation + 24 hours left” serves dual purposes—it provides immediate value through the audio content and reminds the subscriber of the ticking clock on your offer, encouraging prompt action.
Just make sure to align content with the campaign’s end date (integrating valuable content close to the deadline), and to ensure that the email body content is consistent with the subject line you create. This maintains trust and helps support future engagement from your audience!
Optimizing promotional emails for better engagement
As I mentioned, email subject lines act as the gatekeepers of your email marketing campaigns.
By refining the way you use capitalization and brackets, and strategically timing your content delivery, you can significantly improve the effectiveness of your emails.
That’s why I encourage you to experiment with these tips in your next email campaign and watch as your open rates and engagement levels start to soar!
Then, when you’re ready to take your email strategy a step further, you can always reach out to our marketing experts for free to see how we can provide additional support for your sales and marketing strategy.
Happy emailing!
Want More Ways to Boost Open Rates?
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