{"id":26075,"date":"2019-04-24T10:10:51","date_gmt":"2019-04-24T00:10:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.machines4u.com.au\/mag\/?p=26075"},"modified":"2022-06-15T11:30:43","modified_gmt":"2022-06-15T01:30:43","slug":"create-killer-subject-lines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.machines4u.com.au\/mag\/create-killer-subject-lines\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Create Killer Subject Lines (And Things To Avoid!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

You invest so much time perfecting email copy, adding quality images and choosing the best call to action, but what\u2019s the point if no one opens your email? That\u2019s where a killer subject line comes in.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your email subject line is arguably the <\/span>most<\/span><\/i> important aspect of your email, because ultimately it\u2019s what\u2019s driving people to click through to your products or services. First impressions matter, so make it count!<\/span><\/p>\n

People <\/span>always <\/span><\/i>judge emails by their subject lines. And, if yours isn\u2019t standing out, looks spammy or isn\u2019t showing correctly, you\u2019ll fall short of generating those leads. <\/span>Data shows<\/span><\/a> that 47% of people open emails based on the subject line alone. That\u2019s a lot of pressure!<\/span><\/p>\n

But don\u2019t worry\u2014in this article, we\u2019ll go over some email subject line best practices and things to avoid. <\/span><\/p>\n

Email Subject Line Best Practices<\/span><\/h2>\n

1. Keep it short and sweet<\/span><\/h3>\n

With up to <\/span>46% of emails being opened on mobile devices<\/span><\/a>, it\u2019s important to consider how your subject line will display on those smaller screens. Many email providers stop showing a subject line on mobiles anywhere from 33 and 43 characters. So to make sure your subject hits home, put the important info at the very beginning.<\/span><\/p>\n

Generally speaking, <\/span>82% of marketers send subject lines with 60 characters or less<\/span><\/a>, which is why we recommend writing subject lines between 30 and 59 characters. Although, creating an even shorter subject line containing 20 or less characters could be a great opportunity to stand out from your competitors.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Use a personal sender name<\/span><\/h3>\n

Personalisation is key when sending emails, which is why using a real sender name is more inviting for people than using \u201cnoreply@companyname.com\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Using a no-reply email is like shutting down a conversation before it\u2019s even begun. And that\u2019s the opposite of what we want. So, to avoid being marked as spam and give the best first impression use a personal sender name from a real person.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why and how is this important to your subject line? Let\u2019s think about how these emails will display in the inbox. The sender name and the subject line are the first 2 things a recipient will see, and if the sender name doesn\u2019t sound or look like someone the recipient wants to hear from it\u2019s more likely to be marked as spam. <\/span><\/p>\n

3. Segment your lists<\/span><\/h3>\n

With this one it\u2019s important to think about relevance. Ask yourself: \u201cIs this email relevant to my entire email list?\u201d The answer is probably \u201cno\u201d, and that\u2019s where segmented lists come in. <\/span><\/p>\n

Segmenting lists allows you to target your messages to specific people who have interacted to similar content in the past. So, if you\u2019re sending out the top 10 new release tractors to a list of caterers you might want to think again. The subject line is where this starts and ends, the subject line has to be relevant to the email you\u2019re sending and should consider who the target market is.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not sure how to do it? Take a look at our article on <\/span>how to segment your list here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Don\u2019t be misleading<\/span><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s one thing to capture your recipients\u2019 attention. It\u2019s another to mislead for the click. No one wants to be the business that cried wolf, so avoid making false promises in your email subject lines. Otherwise you may see your open rates dwindle.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your subject line sets the expectation for what the reader will see inside. So when it\u2019s not the same message, your audience will inadvertently learn not to trust you. This can lead to more unsubscribes and lower open rates.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Use numbers<\/span><\/h3>\n

Numbers, especially odd ones, draw attention and stand out against letters. So, for a higher open rate we suggest incorporating numbers into your subject line, but only if it makes sense to do so.<\/span><\/p>\n

Data by YesWare<\/span><\/a> suggests that email open and reply rates were higher for email subject lines that contained numbers:<\/span><\/p>\n