N E X T

Text: A A

PRO

Steal This List! 100 Subject Lines (and 7 Tips) That Will Get Your Emails Opened and Clicked on

by Kimberly Smith |

February 24, 2009

| 2,641 views

Kindle

Top

In a December 2008 Datran Media survey of 3,000 marketing executives from Fortune 1000 companies, 80.4% of respondents identified email as the strongest-performing advertising channel for their brands, and 82.4% said it helps increase sales through other channels.

For companies interested in generating similar results, the first step is to improve open rates through the use of effective subject lines.

We asked DJ Waldow, director of best practices & deliverability at Bronto Software; Ben Chestnut, cofounder of MailChimp; Dylan T. Boyd, VP of sales & strategy at eROI; and Greg Cangialosi, CEO of Blue Sky Factory, to weigh in on what makes a good subject line.

Here's some of what they came back with:

Keep it concise, 35 characters or less, according to Cangialosi. "Longer subject lines will be truncated by some email clients," he said.
Make it about the reader. Boyd suggests writing to the audience, not at them; keeping the customer lifecycle in mind; and personalizing the message based on profile or behavioral data. "Always pushing your sales agenda will reduce the open rate and conversion rate," he said.
Make it actionable by providing a sense of urgency and a clear call to action (think verbs!). "Put the most important information and the key call to action first," recommended Cangialosi.
Ensure your message is simple, clear, and informative. "If it is not simple, [is not] understood, and doesn't give a clear action or value, then it will be passed over," said Boyd.
Avoid ALL CAPS and exclamation marks. "[ALL CAPS] feel like you are shouting for attention and not being respectful of your subscribers' time," said Boyd. Chestnut added: "If there are 100s of other emails in the inbox with subject lines screaming for their attention, sometimes whispering is the best way to stand out."
Include your brand. "This is especially important if your company name (from line) is not that well recognized," said Waldow.
Draw attention with buzz words like "Twitter" or "YouTube," said Waldow, who also offered, "I like to think about subject lines as headlines in newspapers. Does it catch enough of your attention to read on?"

For an idea of what works for us at MarketingProfs, here's a look at the Top 100 most effective subject lines from the MarketingProfs Get to the Point! Newsletters.

See whether any of these catch your attention...

Read the Full Article

PRO Membership is required to access this how-to marketing article. Sign up to read the full article and gain access to all of our PRO content!

Sign up for a 2-Day Free Trial Learn more about PRO Membership

Kimberly Smith is a staff writer for MarketingProfs. Reach her via kims@marketingprofs.com.

Email Marketing, Email Subject Lines, Targeting, Writing

Add a Comment

Comments

by Roy Young Tue Feb 24, 2009 via web
These subject lines may also be good headlines for email newsletters used to nurture leads or retain existing customers. In general, they make great engagement copy.

Thanks, Kim!
by Kamaraj Retnasami Tue Feb 24, 2009 via web
I am sorry but I am a little disappointed with this article. Some of those subject lines are terrible and I would, personally, never open a mail with some of those subject titles.
by Robert Graham Tue Feb 24, 2009 via web
I'm wondering if there were any testing results on the open rates based on these headlines / subject lines.
by Carol Burns Tue Feb 24, 2009 via web
These subject lines are highly effective because MarketingProfs readers signed up to receive these newsletters from "Get To The Point!" and are aware that the content is useful for them. I agree these are engaging subject lines for this particular audience but not for general subject lines. The 7 rules are good, however, there is also a debate as to not repeating the company name in the subject line since the recipient should already be aware of whom you are and it can be considered wasted real estate.
by Constance Semler Wed Feb 25, 2009 via web
In some countries, subject lines like these would be downright offensive, or even unintelligible.
by Amy Boardman Thu Feb 26, 2009 via web
I'm very disappointed in this article. The 7 tips haven't given us anything new. I would argue that tip 7 is a way to not only get your message deleted, but also blocked. I completely agree with what has already been said - the subject lines work for the audience of marketers that have opt'd in. If you are trying to make the point that those lines worked because you know your audience, you could have done that with 10 winning subject lines, not 100. It would have been helpful to see a list of action words that generate responses across industries.
by Stephanie Miller Sun Mar 1, 2009 via web
Fascinating irony here. The subject line of the email that featured this article headline is VERY compelling - don't we all want a short cut to writing amazing subject lines?

But then this article didn't really deliver. The tips, although from respected folks in the email industry, are not highly actionable. Then, the list of subject lines is just from one particular organization, in the publishing business. With trained editors on staff. Huh. Not so helpful.

The headline/subject line promised me Subject Lines to steal. But I can't use any of these, I'm in a different business.

So it proves once again the only REAL rule about subject lines - they must be authentic and compelling in order to drive a response.

And there are no short cuts to that.

Nice try, Marketing Profs!
by Mike Martin Tue Mar 3, 2009 via web
Some of these may be okay but some would get my spam and junk mail fast, and certainly would not be opened by me or the business executives I send to.
I especially can't believe in numbers 1,3,4,12,50,61,81,90,95,98,86. These seem way far out to go from a serious business to another serious business.
by Sarah Nord Tue Jun 9, 2009 via web
Agreed with all comments above. These subject lines would only be appropriate for marketers communicating with other marketers (and many of them are not even appropriate in that context). I could never use any of these subject lines in my B2B communications. This article is ridiculous.

Join the World's Largest Marketing Community

IT'S FREE! Become a member to get the tools and knowledge you need to market smarter.

we respect your privacy.

More on Email Marketing

See more marketing articles »

See more online seminars »

Editors' PRO Picks

Take 10 Author Series: How to Enchant and Engage Your Customers

Presented by: Guy Kawasaki
Learn how to enchant people with your likeability, your trustworthiness, and all your other engaging, human qualities. more
PRO Seminar: Marketing Campaign Strategies for the Social and Mobile World

Presented by: Rebecca Wardlow
This seminar will help you get your mobile-first plan in place. more
Take 10 Author Series: How to Be Bold with Your Social Business Agenda

Presented by: Sandy Carter
In just 10 minutes, Sandy describes exactly what it takes to create a social business agenda. more
Take 10: Getting Started in Social Media

Presented by: Gail Z. Martin
In just 10 minutes, you'll learn how to get started in social media, effectively engage your audience, choose the platforms that make sense for you, and more! more
On Demand Seminar: Presentation Elevation—How to Educate, Inspire, and Engage

Presented by: Michael Weiss
This seminar will teach you how to make a powerful impression on your audience and leave them energized and inspired by your ideas. more
Rock That Presentation: The Guide to Prepping and Presenting Like a Pro

This 24-page guide is designed to help you create and deliver presentations that grab attention and achieve results. more