7 Ways To Be Creative With Email Subject Lines

To anyone out there who sends regular emails – or even opens them on a daily basis – then you already know the boredom of scrolling through either blank subject lines or dismal ones. Few people see the subject line of an email as the challenge that it presents; to effectively and completely grab your attention so that you absolutely must open that email right this very second.

When done correctly a good subject line not only summarises the emails contents, but also does it in a unique, catchy or even funny way.

Let's take a look at a few ways we can make your email subject lines a little more interesting and (hopefully) make your afternoon at the office a little less sleepy!

7 Creative Subject Line Tips

1.     Before you send anything to anybody make sure you have segmented your email lists. When you do this you can personalise your subject line a little. For example, if you segment via location then you can target your subject line to the recipients town or district and make them feel a little more special to you than they previously did. Hubspot.com have this useful blog on how to effectively segment your audience.

2.     Don't be afraid of Puns. A joke, no matter how sad, is sure to brighten up the average office worker's life. It is possibly the only place where the pun is a socially acceptable form of humour. Use it. We found these as inspiration to get you started...

3.     Use enticing action verbs within your subject line. For example, instead of 'reporting' a piece of news, use words that help the reader envision themselves in the situation and that make them feel that they will be affected through inaction. Instead of reporting that you have new products in your subject line, invite the reader to experience your new range. Associate the products in a way that is important to them and, if possible, wrap it all up in a pun!

4.     Stick to a word limit. According to this marketing blog on Hubspot, most emails will be viewed with a fifty character cut off point and 67% of all emails are opened on mobile phones, meaning you need to be pointed and clear in what you want to convey. To put it into perspective for you, that's more than half the length allowed for a Tweet!

5.     Test your subject lines! Time and time again we have come across articles explaining why this is a good idea, but we like this one. You can test subject lines on small sections of your audience and see which has a higher response rate before you send en-mass. Simple really.

6.     Use Emoji's! According to Wix.com's research, it actually increases click through rates... though we're not quite sure why. Adding an emoticon will at least convey a sense of urgency to your email, and perhaps it adds a personal touch.

7.     Lastly, there are a few things to avoid: overusing spammy keywords and USING ALL CAPS to name but two...You can find a list of other Do Not's here. Creative is cool, but it doesn't hurt to check you are doing it right...

These are just some ideas, but if you need help or support with your email marketing please feel free to reach out to our team.

Scott Jones is the CEO of 123 Internet Group, a full service digital marketing agency with a head office in Milton Keynes and further locations in Northampton and London we support a national audience with web design and development, search engine marketing, social media management, hosting and email services. For more information about our services or advice on how to improve your online marketing activities please reach out and connect with us via our website or our social media channels.