How to create powerful email subject lines

Email marketing. It’s been all the rage for at least a decade now. But still many companies fail to really take advantage of this branch of content marketing.

Yesterday, I found a chart that MailChimp published. It listed the average open rates per industry that users are getting using the MailChimp platform.

Barely any industry rose above 20%. Marketing was below at a lousy 17.83%.

That means, if you’re average, about 1 in 5 people are even opening your emails. Are you average?

I’m not. And, honestly, I didn’t realize how low the average was. When I email my list regularly, it’s not uncommon for my open rates to be above 40%. When I slack and don’t contact them for months (which I hate to admit, happens sometimes), open rates dip pretty low, but they’re still above 25%. Usually closer to 30%.

I don’t have a magic list. In fact, I often increase opens and click throughs for clients, as well.

Boost Sales Like You Have Magic Powers

Drop your email below to get the FREE 3-part guide to start boosting sales and freeing up time (some see results in days). 

Grab The Guide

So what’s the secret?

The secret to creating powerful email subject lines

Tip #1: Make them emotional or fun.

We all have a lot going on. If your reader isn’t emotionally drawn to your subject line, or in some way entertained, they probably won’t bother. The best email subject lines will offer something more than a simple statement of what’s inside.

I’m not saying to be dishonest (don’t do that), but I am saying that out of the average of 75 emails that hit your customer’s inbox everyday, they’ll more likely open one that goes beyond logic and into the emotional realm.

I like to use CoSchedule’s Headline Analyzer to help me create an emotionally driven headline.

This is a screenshot of today’s blog post headline being analyzed. It’s letting me know that I’ve created a headline with a positive sentiment. But it gives lots more information, too. It’ll break down your subject line by word, so you can see which are common words, uncommon words, emotional, or powerful.

The analyzer will also give you a preview of your subject line in the inbox, so you can see what it looks like. This is a free service, and you don’t need to enter an email to use it.

(BTW – if you’re not using CoSchedule to schedule the rest of your content marketing, you’re missing out. I started using it about a month ago and absolutely love it. Give it a try. You can get a free trial by clicking here. )

Tip #2: Mix it up.

It’s easy to fall into a rut. Or, find something that works and hold onto it like it’s the last piece of Halloween candy. But, that’s not a good strategy when it comes to subject lines.

Your readers will get used to seeing the same old, same old in their inbox everyday. Mixing it up will add to the novelty and raise their curiosity. They’ll be intrigued, thinking, “hmmmmm…. I haven’t seen this one before!”

(If you want some ideas, snag the FREE Grab n’ Go Sheet. Itoffers 11 different types of email subject lines and includes formulas and examples for you to steal, swipe, and suit to your needs.)

Tip #3: Keep it concise

Be aware of what your readers will see in the inbox. (The headline analyzer mentioned above will help you with this).

There’s no point in creating a beautiful headline that’s so long no one can read it. That would be like creating a beautifully written Tweet that’s 190 characters long. It just doesn’t work.

Keeping language concise is a skill. If you’re not good at it now, you’ll get better with practice. If your first attempt at a subject line is too long, think about other ways to phrase it, or words that can be cut.

One way I keep language concise is to think about the verb (the action word). Is the phrase action oriented? If you’re using words like “being” or “have” or “is,” it’s probably not action oriented. Action verbs describe what someone or something is doing.

Most of the time, you only need three elements:

1. The subject (the who or what)
2. The verb (what the subject is doing)
3. The outcome (what happened)

So, instead of “How having this coffee maker has made my morning better,” you can change it to, “How this coffee maker changed my life.”

Notice how the second sentence is focused just on the subject (the coffee maker), the verb (changed), and the outcome (in this case, changed my life).

It’s the subject, and what that subject did. And that’s pretty much it.

Of course, there are different formulas. But, thinking of a headline this way helps to keep it concise.

Additional Tips

First, I want to point out that nothing happens in a vacuum. Sure, I gave you some tips, but if the rest of your marketing is a mess, or if you only email your list once a year, or if you’re more known for spam than for your actual services, these tips won’t work.

Second, I want you to take these tips and make them your own. Off-branded messages won’t help you much. So make sure you’re tweaking, testing, and spiffing them up to match your unique brand voice.

Finally, have some fun. If you’re having fun, your reader will too. Some of my headlines with the highest open rates were written in a very personal, conversational way. Be real. Be open. Be raw. Be conversational. It’s a great way to connect.

Before you go, snag this Grab ‘n Go sheet. You’ll discover the 11 Types of Email Subject Headlines that I’ve found the most success with, and that I find popping up in my own inbox from the internet’s most successful marketers.