How To Create The Most Effective Email Subject Lines

By Claire Winter

Are you using email marketing in your business? It is one of the many ways you can reach your ideal customer and it also gives you a better ROI (Return on Investment) than many other forms of content marketing. 

According to HubSpot, email generates $38 for every $1 spent, which makes it one of the most effective options available. 

Subject lines are, arguably, the most important part of an email. If you can’t get someone to open the email in the first place, then what’s the point? Try to make a good impression whilst also drawing in the reader from the get-go. What will convince them to click the button to read on? 

Here are 16 different styles of subject lines to get you inspired:

INFORMATIVE

These subject lines jump straight to the overall message of the email. They are clear, concise and you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into:

-       Learn how to Invest your Money Webinar.

-       New website feature added today!

PERSONALISE

This friendly approach can make people feel as if they are heard and understood. It is a good way to engage with your audience especially when using the first name of the recipient:

-       Thank you for joining us, Tom. 

-       What’s your money story, Sarah? 

URGENT

Creating a sense of urgency can encourage people to act quicker because none of us like missing out! This is particularly effective if you want instant results. Create FOMO (Fear of Missing Out):

-       1 day left to sign up!

-       80% off TODAY ONLY!

CLEVER AND CATCHY

These may take a bit more thought to write, but they’ll often intrigue the receiver enough for them to click to find out more. However, make sure the humour is relevant to your audience or you could risk confusing them:

-       Deals that make us proud (unlike our nephew Steve!).

SHORT AND SWEET

A lot of emails are now opened on mobile devices so, often a maximum of five or six words for a subject line is most effective: 

-       How are you?

-       Wow, she’s in the Daily Mirror!

LISTS

Who doesn’t love a good list? They are a great way to get across information in an informative but casual manner. They spark curiosity and the brain is naturally drawn to numerical values:

-       5 ways to instantly increase your motivation. 

QUESTIONS

Asking questions is a good way to start a conversation. Try to make them open-ended so that the reader can’t answer yes/no and move on before reading:

-       What’s the best way to clean a car?

HOW-TO

Creating a how-to subject line that is relevant and insightful to your customers can give a lot of value: 

-       How to write an email that converts.

LOCAL

Create localised content that encourages people to get out and experience their local area. A lot of people open this content just because they’re curious about what’s going on:

-       The best summer events in London. 

TRENDY

People often want to know what’s popular. Draw them in by telling them the latest trends:

-       Cool outfits for summer. 

CONTROVERSIAL

These can be a little risky if you don’t know your audience, so give it a go, but tread a little lightly:

-       Why you suck at motivating yourself. 

-       This cr*p does not work!

KEYWORD

What would people type into Google if they wanted to find your blog post? You can apply this to subject lines too: 

-       Sensitive skincare cream: What works?

COMMAND

Sometimes, it’s better to just tell your audience exactly what you want them to do. It often creates the best response:

-       Download your free content planner! 

STATISTICS

This is a great way to provide proven insight into a topic that might spark some curiosity in your reader:

-       Humans share 50% of their genes with bananas! 

-       62% of all conversations start with a story.

 SNEAK PEEK

Who doesn’t love a bit of insider’s info? It’s a great way to make people feel like they’re special and part of something: 

-       First look at the new MacBook Pro!

OFFERS

Everyone loves a good incentive. Put your offers straight up there in the subject line and people will flock quicker than ever: 

-       FREE eBook – available now!

-       Win a holiday to Greece!

When choosing which of these styles you might like to try, don’t forget to consider your audience and what you think they would respond well to. If you’re unsure, don’t hesitate to test them out! Track the results and choose the most effective approach. 

Claire Winter has been a content creator, journalist, and dedicated tea drinker for twenty years. She is a trained NCTJ journalist and started her career at ITN in radio and television. Passionate about helping business owners create content that converts via her online mastermind and 1:1 training, she loves sharing writing tips and content tips over in her own community, Cracking content.

Claire currently writes for all 41 Families magazines covering the UK and reaching 9 million parents a year. She has helped hundreds of large and small businesses with content marketing campaigns in print, online, and social media.