When it comes to email campaigns, headlines can make a huge difference. No matter how relevant, engaging, and informative your emails are, they won’t fulfill their purpose if they don’t grab your audience’s attention immediately and don’t get opened. Therefore, subject lines are one of the main factors that determine the success of your email campaigns so if you want to increase your open rates and to make your emails more effective, you should put some effort into writing strong subject lines.
One of the main challenges associated with email marketing is that it’s getting harder to be noticed in inboxes. According to statistics, an average office worker receives 121 emails every day so if you want to drive traffic and generate conversions, you need to stand out. Besides, you should pay attention to many details. For instance, if your subject line includes the word “free,” it can negatively affect your open rates because this word is often used in spam. In this article, we will consider some tips that will help you create more effective subject lines and increase your open rates.
1. Avoid such words as “free,” “discount”, “reminder,” and “help”
There are many “spammy” words that can damage your open rates because they are often used by spammers. If your title is too pushy or looks like if it was generated automatically, your click-through and open rates might be damaged.
The best solution is to approach your headlines creatively. No matter what message you want to deliver, you can always do it in different ways. Quite often, there’s no need to use the word “free” to communicate the right message. Besides, creativity will help you create unique subject lines that stand out and therefore are more attractive for your target audience.
2. Use hobby-related headlines
The average open rate for most industries is 20%. This is just a generalization, and it doesn’t mean that you cannot achieve better results. Moreover, there is one particular type of email that stands out. Emails related to hobbies have higher open rates. Hobbies are what people are genuinely interested in, and you can boost your open rates by mentioning hobbies in your subject lines.
It will be easier to do if you know your target audience. What do these people enjoy? How old are they? Insights from demographics enable you to mention activities that your target audience is most likely to be interested in. Besides, you can mention activities relevant to your products or services.
3. Include numbers
Numbers in subject lines make them look more credible and specific. According to statistics, numbers in blog post headlines boost click-through rates by 206%, and you can achieve the same effect for your emails. A study that analyzed 115 million emails demonstrated that people open and reply to emails more often when there’s a number in a subject line. Numbers can help you deliver a clear message and set the right expectations for your audience.
4. Use personalization
Even though your recipients are likely used to getting the same emails as millions of other people, they are unlikely to be excited by such generic emails. Email marketing is all about building relationships with your customers, and you won’t be able to build relationships if your emails are not personal enough.
People use emails to communicate with their friends, colleagues, and relatives. Therefore, you can get the best reaction from them if your emails look authentic and personal so that your recipients will even be unsure about whether or not these emails are part of a marketing campaign.
You can use various data-driven personalization tools to personalize your emails. When it comes to subject lines, you can include your recipients’ names or mention specific events, such as their birthdays or anniversaries.
5. Keep the right length
Although different marketers have different opinions on what a perfect character length for a subject line is, all marketers agree that subject lines must be short. First, people don’t want to read long subject lines, and they have no reason to do so. Secondly, 50% of emails are opened on mobile devices, and smartphones only display 33-35 characters in portrait mode.
Of course, writing headlines that are both short and effective is a tricky task, so you may need to hire experienced writers. For example, you can use some essay writing service. Most often, such services are used by students who ask “please, write my paper,” but these services also work with businesses and entrepreneurs who need a high-quality copy.
6. Use the sense of urgency
You may have already noticed that many email subject lines mention offers that expire soon, and the reason why this approach is so popular is that it’s actually very effective. Such headlines use the fear of missing out (FOMO), and this technique has been used by marketers from different industries for decades.
First, you can set time limits for your offers. This way, you will motivate your recipients to quickly take action. If you’re promoting products, you can also mention that there is only a limited number of items left. The main thing is to let your recipients know that they can get significant benefits by investing minimum effort — for example, by clicking on a link.
7. Add emojis
We all use emojis in our everyday informal communication. Nevertheless, marketers often overlook emojis when it comes to emails, which is a big mistake. Of course, you shouldn’t overuse emojis because it may damage your brand image. However, adding one or two emojis to your subject lines can increase your open rates by up to 56%.
Emojis make subject lines more effective because they attract attention. Your recipients might notice a subject line with an emoji when scrolling down their inbox full of text-only headlines. Besides, emojis add a personal touch and make your emails look more authentic.
Wrapping Up
Subject lines are a very important factor that influences click-through and open rates of emails. Your subject lines should be concise, informative, and intriguing. A good subject line can help your email stand out, bringing more traffic to your website and increasing your conversions. You can use subject line tester to know how you can further enhance your subject line to drive more open rates. We hope that our actionable tips will help you write strong email headlines that work.
