What Are Some Good Subject Lines?

Subject lines are one of the most important parts of email marketing. They can make or break an email’s chance of being opened, so it’s important to get them right.

The number of emails sent every day is 376 billion. Unfortunately, many of them remain unopened. Emails that would have been helpful and good but never got a chance... Unless you have a killer subject line.

Subject lines are the first thing people see when they open an email, so it’s important to make sure they’re attractive and keyword-rich.


Here are a few things to keep in mind when writing subject lines:

  • Don’t get too excited with your use of exclamation points. They make your subject line seem spam-like and aren’t great for SEO.

  • Make sure your subject line is catchy and keyword-rich. Try to think of something that would catch someone’s eye and make them want to open the email.

  • Try to keep your subject lines between 40 and 70 characters. This will make them easier to read and remember.

  • Keep it short. Mobile devices are preferred by almost half of people when it comes to opening their emails. Unless you write a short subject line, mobile viewers won't see much of it.

  • Use numbers. The visual difference between numbers and letters makes them stand out in the inbox more.

  • Arouse curiosity. Curious impulses are activated by things that are incongruent with what we understand. Make your subject lines curious by using that thinking.

Here are a few examples of good subject lines:

Incentive:

  • “Friends & Family Week: 25% off all services”

  • “Share the love – refer someone and get next service FREE!”

  • “Our Gift to You – $10 Promotional Gift Card”

  • “Coupon Code for $25 off $100 purchase”

  • “Free Gift to the first 100 visitors”

  • “$5 Deal Day! Get ‘Em While You Can!”

  • “Loyalty Members: 40% off today!”

  • “Hey, you! Thanks for being our friend. Here’s 20% off 😀”

  • “Insiders Only Savings Event! (Get your code inside)”

  • “A sneak peek at our sale for your eyes only 👀”

  • “We treat our friends like family: 25% off EVERYTHING”


Time Sensitive:

  • “Because We Love You – Flash Sale Today!”

  • “1-DAY ONLY Doorbusters!”

  • “Breaking News! $25 off Today Only!”

  • “EXTENDED! 48-Hour Sale – 10% Off Coupon”

  • “One Day Left: Hotel Sale”

  • “Hot Savings for 3 Days ONLY!”

  • “Just two more days for 20% off!”

  • “Don’t miss this: 50% off for ONE MORE DAY!”

  • “Counting down the hours… 50% off won’t last ⏰”

  • “Set your alarm for our sales event!”

For Retargeting:

  • Great news! Your favorite item(s) is/are back in stock at a discounted price

  • Hey, [name]! We have reserved your shopping cart for you

  • Did you forget this discount coupon?

  • Hey, [name]! Great news! Your cart price has dropped!

  • Careful to not miss out on these new features

  • Good news, [name]! Your shipping charges are free

  • We won’t give up on you

  • "Uh-oh, your prescription is expiring"

  • "We Saw You Checking Us Out 😏"

  • "A Sneak Peek for VIPs Only."

Pain Points:

  • “Fuel your automation efforts without going bankrupt”

  • “Where do all your emails go?”

  • “Get higher engagement rates with these easy hacks”

  • “Stop wasting resources on [pain point]”

  • “Your [relevant pain point] issues, resolved”

  • “Since we can’t all win the lottery” (used by Uber)

  • “How to avoid your next deadline day chaos”

  • “Get over your [relevant pain point] issues with these quick fixes”

  • “Stop wasting time on mindless work”

  • “Increase clickthrough rates with these handy tips”

Invoking Curiosity:

  • “This is what your neighbor is doing this weekend 🤫”

  • “Don’t open ‘til after dessert”

  • “Black Friday secrets revealed!”

  • “We’ve been waiting for MONTHS to announce this…”

  • “We don’t normally do this”

  • “We’re starting in 5 hours”

  • “Are we still on for 12?”

  • “You don’t want FOMO do you?”

Greed(y):

  • “Meet your new friend in [product]”

  • “Gain a head start this quarter”

  • “Alert! Flash sale!”

  • “New essentials for you”

  • “Deals just too good to pass up on”

  • “25% off on your wishlist”

  • “A hint of luxury at an affordable price”

  • “Complementary [gift] on purchases above [minimum limit]”

  • “Priority access for our favorite buyer”

  • “Buy two, get one free”

There you have it! Creating your next subject line should be a lot easier with these best email subject lines. The next step is yours. Modify and make your own subject line from one of the examples above.

Are you looking for a better way to engage your customers with email marketing? Get in touch with us.

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