Have you heard the saying “ First impression lasts?”, well, it goes with email subject lines too.

A good email subject line is like a landing page headline - without one, your audience isn’t going to read the rest of the content. In many ways, they’re actually more important than the body of the email. A great email is worthless if it will never be opened. They won't see the links for the new products you’ve launched or any promotional news. Email Campaign Your will be a goner.

When writing your email subject line, give it a careful thought that resounds and engages your audience. The best subject lines are short, descriptive, and gives the readers a reason to Open your Email. It gets them excited about what they’re going to learn or become after they explore your message further. Use language that compels them to click through.

What is the best result in writing a good email subject line and which keywords to use?

To answer this question, we based our Taximail campaign static last 2015 as a reference and we were able to send one million emails to recipients. We have discovered that there are 4 keywords that work best for an email subject line. The open rate for these keywords is approximately 18-20%.  The recipients are attracted to subject lines such as reduced, good, special and cheap as a part of the email subject.

Knowing this would be a great advantage to try out for your future email campaign and see which one works for you too.

We have come up with the list of Subject Lines that you can use in your future email campaigns.

Here are the styles to follow:

Informal

We know that people are busy and they thrive on efficiency. These readers need to be clear and concise in your subject lines can help the audience as time is always an asset. Help them by placing the important information in your subject line.

Ex.

Big news: New Tesco Lotus opening near you.
Taximail live webinar: Sept 22nd

Personal

Personal touches - simply sweep away a customer. Taking a personalized subject line engages an audience from the very beginning. You can even add a first name or any personal info like recent purchases or wish list in the subject line.

Ex.

Jane see the newest collection
Thanks for joining us, Joe

Urgent

Have you wondered why infomercial works? It is because there is a sense of urgency with it. Proven to get people to take action right away or a given time. People always respond to the possibility of losing out on something. It works quite well rather than the possibility of gaining.

Ex.

2 days left for the end of season sale
Don’t miss out these great gift ideas

Clever & Catchy

Catchy subject lines can stand out from the crowd. Humor is a tough one to crack and you have to take care not to confuse your audience. But if you know your audience well, a clever joke can get your email opened and shared.

Ex.

Where to drink beer right now?!
Not Cool Guys

Short & Sweet

Given the fact that in smartphones it will only display 5-6 words on the subject line. More than 41% according to stats that the email campaigns today are opened on mobile devices.

Ex.

Upgrades ahead
The perfect app

List

For so many reasons Lists has worked its magic in email subject lines. Lists provide a content that’s snackable and builds curiosity. When you incorporate lists into the subject line it creates focus as our brain are naturally drawn to numbers.

Ex.

10 pieces to add to your closet
10 things I hate about you

Question

Asking readers a question in your subject line can build curiosity to answer. Make your question open-ended so the reader can’t answer a quick no.

Ex.

Who was Wonder Woman Role Model?
What’s next for cloud computing?

How-To

The how-to subject email subject-lined give benefits to your readers when they open your email. As long as your "how to" is valuable to your audience, the open rate is high.

Ex.

How to grow your email list
How to bake a cake

Scarcity

We don't want to scare you but as human, we have a deep fear of missing out on something or anything at all. Emails that resonates to hurry before it’s too late tends to perform well.

Ex.

Limited seats available
Just 5 tickets left

Local

Location-specific language and offers shows readers that you have done your homework. You know the exact message the audience wants to hear and you are within the vicinity. It will give them the interest to see what’s happening in their area.

Ex.

Bangkok: Weekend events
Upcoming: December concert in KL

Trendy Topics

Style sells. Whether you are selling fashion, food, tech or services, most people want to be “in the know” about the latest trends. Your subject line must be compelling, captivating and motivating for your audience to look more inside of the content for details.

Ex.

Cool Colors for Spring
Orange is the New Black

Controversial

The best subject lines can grab attention or makes people stop and read through the email. Controversial email can help you do that but you have to be careful to pull it off. You need to know your audience very well and create a balance between controversy and information. You have a little gamble to see if it pays off.

Ex.

Your Marketing Sucks: Why You Need to Think Local
Learn a language with only 5 minutes per day

Keyword

Search Engine Optimisation wisdom tells us that keywords are vital roles in a blog post title. You can try to apply the same logic to your email subject lines. Think critical and think about what your audience might google for keywords. Searchability is better for your message.

Ex.

Switching to electronics made easy
Your monthly update

Command

Using the command in your email subject lines tells the readers exactly what to do. A clear Call to Action in the beginning. Use an action verb subject line to encourage response

Ex.

Join us in Boston Marathon
Dine with the Kardashians Orr

Statistics

In this modern day of the digital era, statistics play an important role and a great way to provide object information. Using simple stats in your email subject lines can pique some curiosity with your customers.

Ex.

Business will be 100% virtual by 2020
The rise of I-robot in 2020

Sneak Peek

Everyone wants to take a little peek of what’s the latest trend is all about. Why not feed their curiosity? Given that you have a meaningful and valuable opportunity and exclusive offers. This will have a sure-fire in your open rates.

Ex.

Exclusive look: Iphone8
Private viewing Winder Collection

Offer

Incentives and rewards inspire great responses on email. Why not include this in your email subject lines?! Put your offer for all to see. If your offer is legit and actionable, your open rate will rise.

Ex.

Win a trip to Thailand
iPhone 8 Freebie

Straightforward

If you have something to offer with great value, it is better to say it out loud. Did you finish some templates that your email subscribers can use to better their marketing? Let them know. It’s truly a valuable resource, you don’t need to get fancy with curiosity to boost your subject line.

Ex.

How to structure your marketing org for future success
How to make your email template stand out

Exclusivity

Are your subscribers part of an exclusive club? Remind them, like the email subject lines below do.

Ex.

Macy’s – Psst – it’s our Private Shopping Event & you’re invited
DraftKings – Exclusive Offer: Play for FREE each week in August

Case Study

People like case studies for two reasons:
They provide proof that a technique or strategy works.
They often offer a step-by-step, replicable process that readers can use to achieve the same results

Ex.

How I got 1,000,000 followers in 3 months
How email marketing works for me

Share news

News subject lines take advantage of our inherent desire to be in the know. Even if you don’t follow mainstream news outlets, chances are you stay up-to-date on topics of your interest in some way.

Ex.

Regularly listening to a podcast
New retailers product

Comparison

Social comparison theory states that we determine our own social and personal worth based on how we stack up against others. As a result, we are constantly making self and other evaluations across a variety of domains (for example, attractiveness, wealth, intelligence, and success). You can add this to craft your email subject line.

Ex.

See how you measure up to Q1 2016’s email benchmarks
12 problems all digital marketers understand – do you relate?