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Email Subject Line Best Practices
Subject line best practices in email marketing – Subject lines are an essential aspect of email marketing, as they determine whether or not your emails will be opened and read by your subscribers. According to “Zippa.com” almost half of the email recipients (47%) decide whether to open an email based solely on the subject line. This means that a majority of your subscribers will never even see your email if your subject line isn’t compelling enough to catch their attention. To ensure your emails get noticed and opened, here are some best practices to keep in mind when crafting your subject lines.
When it comes to email marketing, the subject line is the key that unlocks the door to your recipient’s inbox. However, in order to ensure that your email is opened and lands in the inbox, it’s essential to use the subject line best practices. Unaware of things correctly people do mistakes and resulting in their emails landing in the spam folder, ultimately leading to a decrease in your open rates.
The primary goal of any email campaign is to ensure that the message is delivered to the user’s inbox and is promptly opened. To achieve this, it’s crucial to adhere to best practices for subject email lines. By following these guidelines, we can increase the likelihood that our emails are not only delivered to the user’s inbox but also effectively captured their attention, resulting in higher open rates and engagement.
1. Give Assurance & Build trust
The first step is to build trust with the audience, If you have certified from any renowned platform then mention them, It helps users to know you better and they can believe you. Assure the users that they have the freedom for example if they won’t like your services they can cancel anytime, a Refund is available, Guarantee approval etc.
2. Make it Personalised
Using a subscriber’s name in the subject line can help increase open rates by making the email feel more personalized and relevant. Additionally, personalization can extend beyond just using a subscriber’s name, such as including their location or past purchase history.
According to the study, personalized emails are 26% more likely to open emails. Personalisation helps in building trust. It makes them feel connected. There are chances they can easily open emails.
3. Keep the Email Subject Line Short
Your subject line should be short and to the point, best to have under 50 characters. This not only makes it easier to read on mobile devices but also helps it stand out in a crowded inbox. Additionally, many email clients, such as Gmail, truncate subject lines that are too long, so keeping them short ensures that your entire message is visible.
Nobody has time to read lengthy things. keep it short, simple and sweet. So that it is easily visible on each and every device and clearly understood by reading once.
According to Mailchimp, it is recommended the subject line character limit to 60 chars and keep the word count within 9 words.
Mailchimp’s guidelines for subject lines,
Campaign Monitor research suggests that a subject line character limit of 17-20 and 3-5 words are more likely to increase your open rates.
4. Be Clear and Concise
Your subject line should clearly convey the purpose of your email, whether it’s to promote a sale, announce a new product, or provide a newsletter. Avoid using vague or ambiguous language that might confuse your subscribers. Instead, be concise and specific to give them a clear idea of what they can expect from your email.
5. Use Numbers in Email Subject Lines
As per the study, Using the number in the email subject line increase the click-through rate by 206%. Numbers immediately catch the attention of users. Using numbers in the subject line clearly specifies the idea and the data inside it.
A recent study by a campaign monitor analyzed that When numbers are present in a subject line 115 million emails suggested email open and reply rates are higher.
6. Limit Punctuation
Mailchimp’s research suggests not to use more than 3 punctuation in the email subject line. Using more than 3 punctuation looks like spam especially if you are using a lot of special characters.
7. Avoid Spam Trigger Words
Using certain words and phrases in your subject line can trigger spam filters and cause your email to be sent directly to the spam folder. Avoid using words like “free,” “cash,” or “guarantee,” as well as excessive use of exclamation points or all-caps.
There are some words that seem normal to us but that can trigger spam. Avoid too much fanciness. The things you think look cool might be reached out to the spam folder. Use proper punctuation and Avoid writing in caps ON. Avoid the following kind of things mentioned below –
USING ALL CAPS
Overdoing the exclamation marks!!!!!!!!!!!!
Using @#!**^$!@ expletives
g3tt1n9 2 Cr8ive with numbers and characters
Free
Credit
Cash
Offer
Act now
The list from the schedule of 100 words reduced the open rate.
8. Use Words that Increase the Open Rate
This is the list from CoSchedule, in which they found the 100 words that give higher open rates.
9. Create Urgency
Creating a sense of urgency in your subject line can encourage subscribers to open your email immediately. Phrases like “limited time offer” or “end soon” can create a sense of urgency that motivates subscribers to take action before it’s too late.
Create urgency among people. Giving discounts, and coupons for a limited time can give you a better click-through rate and boosts your sales.
Example Of Creating Urgency in Subject Lines
10. Do AB Testing
Not every subject line will resonate with your subscribers. That’s why it’s important to A/B test different subject lines to see which ones perform best. You can test different elements such as length, tone, personalization, and urgency to see what resonates with your audience.
It is recommended to do AB testing with your email content and subject lines. AB testing helps you in exploring users’ behaviour. If you want to grow your sales then AB testing is a must. There are tools available in the market which allows you to do AB testing. Know in detail about AB testing.
So these are the email subject line best practices by following you can be built trust with users and increase your open rate.
Importance of Subject Line in Email
The subject line is one of the most critical components of any email. It’s the first thing that the recipient sees when they receive your message, and it has the power to make or break your email campaign. Here are a few reasons why subject lines are so important in email marketing:
- Increased Open Rates: A well-crafted subject line can significantly increase the likelihood of your email being opened. By grabbing the recipient’s attention and sparking their interest, they are more likely to click on your email.
- Encourage Engagement: A strong subject line can also encourage engagement with your email. By highlighting the value that your email provides and making it clear what the recipient can expect, they are more likely to take action.
- Brand Recognition: The subject line can also help with brand recognition. By consistently using a recognizable subject line format or tone, you can help to build brand recognition and create a sense of familiarity with your audience.
- Avoidance of Spam Filters: By avoiding spam trigger words and sticking to best practices for subject lines, you can increase the likelihood that your email will land in the recipient’s inbox instead of their spam folder.
Professional Email Subject Line Examples
Remember to keep your subject line clear, concise, and specific to the purpose of your email. This will help ensure that your email is read and responded to in a timely manner. Here are some professional email subject line examples:
- Meeting Request: [Your Name] and [Recipient’s Name]
- Follow-Up on [Project/Task] Status
- Introduction: [Your Name] and [New Contact’s Name]
- Invitation: [Event Name/Date/Time]
- Quick Question about [Topic]
- Update: [Project/Task/Topic]
- Request for [Action/Information]
- Thank You: [Meeting/Interview/Help Received]
- Urgent: [Issue/Request]
- Reminder: [Upcoming Deadline/Meeting/Event]
Conclusion
In conclusion, subject lines are crucial in email marketing as they can make a significant impact on open rates, engagement, brand recognition, and avoiding spam filters. Therefore, it’s important to dedicate time and effort to crafting effective subject lines that accurately reflect the content of your email and encourage recipients to take action.
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