Writing Engaging Subject Lines
The subject line is the first thing your recipient notices or sees. It is an opportunity that allows you to attract attention and make the audience curious. A short, focused, and catchy subject that sums up the crux of the article should suffice.
Email marketing is one of the most inexpensive ways to communicate with the targeted population. Regardless, the open rates for an email campaign are in most cases, the most pivotal metrics. If the recipients do not open any of your emails, then your communication will never be on their reach. This article goes over the best 10 ways to increase email open rates, thus guaranteeing that the efforts of the research do indeed bear fruit.
Table 1: Elements of an Effective Subject Line
| Element | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Personalization | Use recipient’s name or preferences | “Sarah, Don’t Miss This!” |
| Length | Keep it under 50 characters | “Flash Sale: 50% Off Today!” |
| Emojis (if relevant) | Add a visual appeal, sparingly | “🚀 Ready to Save Big?” |
Segment Your Audience: Segmentation involves dividing your email list into smaller, targeted groups. This ensures that each group receives content that resonates with their needs and interests.
Common Segmentation Criteria:
- Demographics: Age, gender, location.
- Behavioral: Purchase history, website activity.
- Preferences: Topics of interest.
“Knowing your audience is key to delivering emails they want to open.”
Optimize Send Times
Timing can significantly impact open rates. Analyze your audience’s behavior to determine when they’re most likely to check their inbox.
Best Practices:
- Send during midweek (Tuesday to Thursday).
- Aim for mid-morning or early afternoon.
Table 2: Optimal Email Send Times Based on Industry
| Industry | Best Days to Send | Best Times to Send |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | Tuesday, Thursday | 10 AM, 3 PM |
| Technology | Wednesday, Friday | 9 AM, 1 PM |
| B2B | Tuesday, Thursday | 8 AM, 4 PM |
Personalize Your Emails: Generic emails rarely grab attention. Use recipient data to make your emails feel personal and relevant.
Personalization Tactics:
- Use the recipient’s name in the subject line and body.
- Mention their recent interactions (e.g., “Thanks for signing up!”).
- Recommend products or services based on their preferences.
Provide Value from the Start: Recipients are more likely to open your emails if they know there’s value inside. Ensure every email offers something worthwhile.
Examples of Value-Driven Content:
- Discounts or exclusive offers.
- Educational content, like guides or tutorials.
- Free resources, such as eBooks or templates.
Define the objectives of your email marketing practice
One might be inclined to sign on to email marketing service providers like Campaign Monitor and shoot their first campaign. Soon you’re left wondering how to begin. However, before doing so, take a moment to clarify what your email goals are because it will dictate the type of campaign sent, the audiences you will target, the content that you will create, as well as the results you are trying to achieve. Email marketing needs to be part of every digital marketing strategy because it helps to convert leads as well as retain customers.
Marketing Plan Example Sample Marketing Plan Template: The first step in setting the appropriate goals for your email marketing campaign is ensuring that these fit within the broader marketing picture of your company and its goals and marketing KPIs. Is it to acquire new customers for your product? Acquire new leads for your salesforce? Get more people attending your events? Get more people donating to your cause?
Email is all-important, and it is the best channel to communicate with your audience, and it can serve different purposes, so it is worth taking time out to think about whatever it is that you want to use it for before starting to write. When you set up your tactics, here are a few goals that you can focus on, with examples of how Campaign Monitor customers apply email marketing.
BuzzFeed: A well-known website which is within the news entertainment niche and posts various entertainment articles and earns income through advertisement space on its site. In this context, it becomes clear why BuzzFeed regularly sends out newsletters that contain links to stories on their site as the aim of these newsletters is to increase their monthly revenue.
Rip Curl: The wet-suit selling company and t-shirt, board shorts and other surfing goods. The purpose of the marketing team is to boost volume of sales, foregoing the channels cycle and using emails to highlight the new products they are about to launch to entice the online and/or offline clientele into buying those goods.
UNICEF: This is a charity considering humanitarian challenges and problems of mothers and their children in developing countries all over the globe. For the digital marketing team, it is a successful project when people make donations, therefore the team utilizes emails focusing on their donor base soliciting for donations whilst educating them on the aid projects undertaken by UNISEF.
Growing your email database for marketing purposes
Knowing what you want to achieve through email marketing should be followed by loading your contact list so you can start sending marketing campaigns that resonates those goals. Your email database can be built in a number of different ways but the most effective one for each campaign is first identified in step one.
Upload a spreadsheet containing your existing list of contacts: In case of emails to follow up with already existing customers, most of your email contacts can be created by uploading your already existing customers data. For Campaign Monitor customers, if you would like to upload your existing list, this can be done by uploading the list manually (using an excel list for example), or automatic update transfer from CRM system or accounting system etc. which you can link to Campaign Monitor account. But first, where were you planning on taking these contacts? What information or permissions do you have? Look through our Permissions guide or, if you prefer, speak to our support team who don’t mind chatting about these topics or how to upload your list.
You need to create a brand new list: In case you have already decided that you want to use emails to reach out to an audience whose email address you do not still have, then you will have to start dropping email capture forms and start building your email list from scratch. The good news however is that two-pronged strategies exist to help build an email list and these are adopted by many high earning email marketers. The formula is:
Extra Value Easy to find subscribe links Big Email List: It is indeed an oversimplification, but it is common sense. It also doesn’t matter how many subscribe opportunities you give. For example if someone visits the website and they cannot see value in subscribing to the website, nothing will happen. And in the scenario where the person has some good ol’ reason to subscribe, people still have to be pointed to an easy subscribe mechanism to actually go through and join your list.
A/B Testing for Continuous Improvement
A/B testing means simply sending two different versions of some email and checking which of them produced a higher response. Everything can be tested; subject line, images or even CTAs.
What to Test:
- Changes in different aspects of the subject line.
- Different email formats.
- Changes in the wording and the positioning of the call-to-action button.
Spam Triggers: If an email is marked as spam it won’t even be delivered to the users inbox. Follow best practices, to prevent emails from getting marked as spam.
- Spam Trigger Words that Should Be Avoided:
- Overuse of exclamation marks (for example “Buy Now!!!.”).
- Overusing Capital Letters (for example, “LIMITED TIME OFFER”).
- Inclusion of words like ‘free money’ or ‘act now.’
Mobile Design Is Important
Since over 50 percent of all emails are opened using smartphones, it only makes sense that mobile optimization should be a priority.
Email Design Tips that are more phone friendly:
- Never give long subject headlines
- Use templates which are mobile friendly
- Make sure that CTAs are not hard to click when using a small screen.
Send Emails with the Same Name Couriers Better Trust: The sender name is a large factor when it comes to the users trusting your email and deciding to open it. Aim to use the same sender name every time.
Make it a Practice to Clean Your Mailing List Periodically: Such lists lower ones chances of achieving high open rates. It is wise to eliminate all inactive users and bad emails every now and then.
- Advantages of List Cleaning
- Engagement metrics improved.
- Being marked as spam is less likely to happen.
- Cheaper email marketing services.
Table 3: Signs It’s Time to Remove a Subscriber
| Sign | Action |
|---|---|
| No engagement in 6 months | Send a re-engagement email. |
| Frequent bounces | Remove from the list. |
| Marked as spam | Unsubscribe immediately. |
Boosting your email open rates requires a combination of strategy, personalization, and consistent optimization. By focusing on subject lines, segmentation, timing, and value, you can ensure your campaigns achieve maximum impact.
FAQs
What is the average email open rate?
The average open rate varies by industry, but a good benchmark is around 20-25%.
How often should I clean my email list?
Every three to six months is ideal for removing inactive subscribers.
Are emojis in subject lines effective?
Yes, but use them sparingly and ensure they’re relevant to your audience.
How can I improve engagement after increasing open rates?
Focus on compelling content, clear CTAs, and offering value in every email.
Do I need an email marketing tool?
Yes, tools like Mailchimp or HubSpot can help streamline campaigns, segment audiences, and track performance.