How to Write Compelling Email Subject Lines to Increase Open Rates

How to Write Compelling Email Subject Lines to Increase Open Rates

Many of us are taught by our parents to not judge a book by its cover. But in reality, we actually do. If the cover grabs our attention or looks interesting to us, we will take the extra time to read the summary to get more information about the book.

How to Write Compelling Email Subject Lines to Increase Open Rates

In the same way, people also judge an email by its subject line. As a matter of fact, 47% of email recipients take the subject line into consideration before deciding whether or not to open the email.

Increase Open Rates to Increase Sales

Most businesses today already understand the importance of email marketing to build a list, increase website traffic, and build a relationship with their target market.

Email marketing allows you to nurture your relationship with your prospects in order to increase sales. It is important that companies understand how to do email marketing the right and most effective way.

For instance, you must get a lead’s permission for you to send them emails. As far as utilizing email marketing most effectively, automating as much of the process as possible with email marketing software is a tremendous help to busy business owners.

While the software does most of the work for them, business owners are better served by spending their valuable time on other areas that will increase their bottom line.

Use a Listicle

Deborah Sweeney is a CEO who recommends using what she refers to as a listicle in your title. A listicle is a combination of two words, “article” and “list”. It provides a short and helpful snippet of information aimed at grabbing a reader’s attention quickly.

A few examples of listicle titles are:

  • 7 Innovative Steps You Can Take to Increase Your Website Traffic
  • 25 Ways to Become Your Own Boss
  • 9 Ideas on How to Keep Your Customers Happy

Keep your email titles short and simple. Let them tell a small part of the message you are sending so that the recipient will open the email to learn more.

Pique Their Curiosity

George Loewenstein is a professor of Psychology and Economics who coined the phrase “the curiosity gap” to refer to the gap between what we want to know and what we know.

This refers to the feeling of deprivation we get when we want more information than we have. This feeling compels us to find that missing information.

Keep in mind that in order for us to be curious about something, we need to have some initial knowledge. We can’t be curious about something we don’t know anything about so make sure your email subject line is relevant to your prospective customers.

Here are a few examples:

  • 7 Out of 9 Business Owners Are Doing This Completely Wrong
  • This Amazing Tool Increased My Email Open Rate
  • Do NOT Make These Social Media Mistakes

Write to Your Audience

Make sure you are using the type of language your audience can relate to and understand. Pay attention to the tone as well to be sure you are not writing anything that could be deemed offensive.

The last thing you want is to have your email deleted before it is read. Remember who your audience is and keep your message and subject line enticing, informative, and relevant to increase open rates.

How-To Increase Open Rates

The last thing most people want is more information. Most of us are bombarded every minute of every day with too much and experience information overload.

What most people want is a sense of order, control, and predictability in their lives. When we are offered tips, hints, systems, and secrets that will make our lives easier, we are more likely to pay attention and want to learn more.

A subject line that starts with “How to” is appealing to most people who want to improve their lives. Be sure to focus on the needs of your target market and highlight the final result or the benefit of your suggested solution.

Some examples are How to…

  • lose weight following these 10 tips
  • have an awesome family vacation for only $20 a day
  • increase your revenue with these 5 user-friendly and cost-effective tools

Think about your email subject lines like a gatekeeper that stands in between a salesperson and the decision maker in a company.

It is the first impression your email will make in your recipient’s very crowded inbox. You want it to be informative, creative, compelling, and provoke enough interest to be read.

NOTE: Originally published June 20, 2018; edited to add the custom video and SlideShare.

 

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