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By Justin Adams Outreach

Email Marketing 2022: Writing an Impactful Subject Line

9 minute read
Email Marketing 2022: Writing an Impactful Subject Line Featured Image

The Success of the Subject Line

The importance of email marketing in business continues to grow as the use of technology becomes increasingly popular. Twenty Over Ten is known for developing successful websites for financial advisors, but we want to take it a step further. So, to help you tackle email marketing, we’ll be sharing some of the knowledge and experience that we’ve gained in this area in a new blog post series: Email Marketing 101. The first feature in this series will be an informational post on writing the perfect subject line. Enjoy!

What’s the first thing that you notice when you receive a new email in your inbox? For most people, the first thing that they read is the email’s subject line. Subject lines determine a person’s initial reaction to that message and often decide if the subscriber opens the email at all. The success of your company’s email campaigns begins with a strong subject line.

We’ve compiled information from our own experience, as well as from research completed by MailChimp and Business Insider, to develop these findings.

7 Things to Keep in Mind When Writing A Subject Line:

1. Make the Subject Line Impactful

One of the biggest mistakes that you can make is to not include a subject line. An email with a blank subject line will most likely be deleted, sent to spam, or immediately annoy the subscriber, who is forced to open it to figure out what it is. A blank subject line is simply a bad first impression of your company’s message. Think of your email’s subject as your email campaign’s first impression – you want it to be a good one!

35% of email recipients open email based on the subject line alone.

2. Important Words go First, Keep it Short

Most people only spend a second scanning a subject line before deciding if they will open, ignore or delete an email. There is not only a limited amount of time to catch a person’s attention, but there’s also limited space.

To keep your subject line to the point, eliminate any filler words, like “hello” or “nice to meet you,” that can easily be included in the email’s body. Six to eight words is the subject line sweet spot.

Email Subject Line Example for Boosting Marketing

It’s important to note that 50% of emails are read on mobile phones. Since you don’t always know how much of the subject line will be viewable from each unique smartphone, it’s important to put the most important information at the beginning. Key details may get cut off otherwise.

3. Be Clear and Concise

The value and main purpose of your message should be communicated clearly in the subject line so that subscribers are able to prioritize its importance without having to open it. One common mistake that some companies make is beginning a sentence in the subject line that they finish in the body of the email. While this may pique a subscriber’s curiosity and can make it more likely that the email will be opened, people often get annoyed by this because they felt forced or tricked. You want subscribers to feel respected by your company, so these messages are often counterproductive if a person feels like they were misled or their time was wasted.

Concise Email Explaining 2022 SEO

4. Keep Keywords Logical For Filters

Many professionals have folders or filters to manage all of the emails that they receive. Including keywords in your subject lines will increase the likelihood that your message will stand out, be opened, and even be referenced again later.

5. Make the Subject Line Your Own

74% of marketers say targeted personalization increases customer engagement.

Referencing a subscriber’s name or a company name is one of the best ways to show people that what you’re sending them is relevant to them. MailChimp research shows that including the city that a subscriber lives in may be better. If someone referred you to the subscriber, be sure to use their name and put it in the subject line to grab the reader’s attention right away as well.

6. Avoid The Spam Folder

Certain words or phrasing in a subject line can make it more likely for that email to end up in a person’s spam folder. Words and phrases that are overused or associated with sales, like “free” and “help,” are more likely to trigger a spam filter or simply be ignored by subscribers. Subject lines in all caps or ending in exclamation points are often susceptible to being sent to spam as well. It’s generally recommended not to use caps and a lot of exclamation points anyway, as it comes off as aggressive and yelling. Frame your subject line as a question for better results. Other words and phrases common in the finance industry that often trigger spam filters include:

Email subject line best practices

7. Shake It Up

Subscribers may easily become bored if they repeatedly receive an email from your company that contains the same subject line each time. Even if the message is part of a weekly or monthly campaign, get creative and develop a new subject line each time that reflects the unique content of that message. If you’re unsure what words to include in your subject line to increase your email open rates, the image below highlights 100+ words to boost your email subject line opens in no time.

All Summed Up

Perfecting your subject lines will take some trial and error, but we can assure you that implementing these seven tips will help boost your email open rates in no time. Now go out there and start crafting impactful subject lines that will make people want to click!

Editing note: This article was originally written and published by Lauren Keeports April 29th, 2016 and has been updated to ensure consistency.

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About The Author

Justin Adams

Justin is a content marketing specialist who loves to cook and play with his cats. He’s also currently learning how to play guitar and piano. He’s always thinking of ways to solve problems and puzzles. He says one of his best skills is his ability to always come up with ideas and hopes to sharpen that skill as his career progresses.

 

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