Effective Email Marketing: It’s All About The Subject Lines

Email subject lines are not just a combination of words that tell what an email is all about. Research has always shown that the subject line is the most important part because it creates the first impression, and determines whether that email will be opened, read, or deleted without so much as a glimpse.

The best subject lines are short, descriptive, and give your reader a reason to read on. Cheesy phrases or splashy lines will not help you stand out in the inbox… so keep it simple and to the point.

Words to Avoid

You may be surprised to know that certain words tend to trigger spam filters more than anything, and if your subject line contains these words then your message may fall into the wrong folder right off the bat.

• Free
• Help
• Percent Off / % Off
• Reminder
• Save
• Fwd: and Re: (This is deceptive and you shouldn’t be doing it anyways!)

Of course those are just a handful of examples. The point being that an overly sales-y subject line is not a good first impression, obviously.

What About Promotional Emails?

If somebody has opted in to a newsletter or email marketing newsgroup to receive promotions and special offers, how can you keep them interested in reading your emails?

• The more emails you send, the less likely people are to open your emails. Limit yourself to a weekly offer and readers might actually look forward to it, but a daily email is sure to result in a higher unsubscribe list
• Keep each message straightforward. Avoid using promotional phrases.
• Remind readers they receive these messages because they chose to, and make it easy for them to unsubscribe. But don’t give them a reason to!