Descriptive subject lines are boring. Why would anyone open a marketing email if they already knew what was inside? You’re attempting to have a conversation with your recipient. That starts with your subject line. After all, it’s the first part of your email that they see. Here are our tips for making your subject line more engaging.

• Try using the recipient’s name in the email, then asking a question. Example: “Hi [Name], are you ready to power up your social media?”
• Be mysterious while hinting that you have valuable content for the reader. Example: “Here’s a secret tip for boosting your sales…”

And here’s what not to do:

• Be overly vague. Example: “[Name], I’ve been thinking…”
• Be clickbait-y. Example: “You’ll never believe what’s in this email.”
• Be forceful: Example: “You must open this email now.”

Think of your emails as a way that you’re building a relationship with a potential customer. It pays to be polite and professional yet intriguing enough that people will want to open your message.

Most email marketing providers support emoji, yet many marketers don’t include them. Emojis add a bit of visual interest to your recipient’s long list of unread emails. They help draw the eye to your email, which can help boost open rates.

Emojis also add a fun touch to your emails. People are used to their emails being dry, professional, and, often, boring. Adding emojis shows that your brand is relatable and exciting. Don’t go overboard, though; it can seem overzealous or tacky — especially if your brand identity is more formal. Aim to have no more than one or two emojis in your subject line. And remember, not all email clients can render emojis, so don’t use them to replace words.

Most email clients show a preview of the email’s content to recipients. As you might imagine, this makes a big difference in whether or not they open your email. Unfortunately, many marketing emails feature a header logo or text, leading to boring or non-descriptive preview text. That’s why you should take advantage of your email marketing provider’s ability to customize your preheader text.

While you can use this space to accurately describe — or tease — the contents of your email, you can also link it to the subject line. In every email client that shows the preheader text, it appears right next to the subject line. Try using the preheader text to complement your subject line. If your subject line asks a question, answer it in the preheader text. If it teases your email’s contents, add another intriguing detail in the preheader. However, keep in mind that not all email clients show the preheader, so be sure that your subject line can stand alone if need be.

Wrapping Up

By following these tips, your email can have an engaging subject line that stands out from the crowd of messages in your audience’s inboxes. The first step to improving your open rate is to catch your recipient’s eye. Knowing the art of the subject line can help your awesome content get read. Your subject lines should strike a balance between “overly vague” and “boringly descriptive” to maximize your open rates. Then, you’ll find that your campaigns are much more effective. It all starts with the subject line.

Need help with your email marketing strategy? Contact us for expert guidance.