How to Write Successful Email Subject Lines

1. Keep It Short and Sweet

Aim for subject lines to be short but engaging and ideally between 40 to 50 characters. This ensures your headline will be fully visible on most email clients and mobile devices. Use your email preheader (the small amount of text that appears under the subject line in the inbox) to provide additional context and entice recipients to open your message. For guidance on preheaders, take a look at our Email Preheader Tips.

Tip: Try to get your main point across in as few words as possible. For instance, instead of saying "Check Out Our New Summer Collection of Clothing" you could say "New Summer Collection Out Now!" 

2. Personalise for Better Engagement

Opportunities for personalisation go well beyond simply addressing your customer by their first name. Tailor your subject lines to reflect your recipients' preferences, past behaviours, and interactions with your brand. Personalised subject lines can sometimes double your open rate.

Tip: Use dynamic tags to insert personalised elements like the recipient’s name, recent purchase, interest or location. For example, "Sarah, Experience the Edinburgh Festival in Style!"

3. Highlight Promotions or Seasonal Themes

Connecting your subject lines with seasonal events or promotions can significantly boost open rates. However, to avoid your emails appearing spammy, take care not to sound urgent or desperate! 

Tip: Use phrases like "Exclusive Summer Savings Inside!" or "Spring Collection Launching Soon!" Avoid overusing spammy words like ‘free’, ‘hurry’, ‘last chance’, ‘bargain’ or ‘urgent’ or using too many asterisks, pound or dollar signs. You could also try judicious use of emojis to add personality and draw attention without sounding pushy. See our blog about Emojis in Email Marketing for more insights.

4. Use Numbers and Lists

Referring to numbers or lists in your subject line signals that your email offers bite-sized, readable information that could be helpful to the recipient, giving them a reason to open it.

Tip: Incorporate numbers to highlight key points or benefits. For example, "5 Ways to Boost Your Productivity This Month" or "Our Top 3 Holiday Hideaways ".

5. Test and Analyse

No two audiences are the same, so it's a good idea to test different subject lines to see what works best for your specific customer base. You can do this across several campaigns or use A/B testing to try different versions of a subject line in the same campaign and find out which one performs better. Our guide to Using A/B Testing To Shape Successful Campaigns provides helpful information on this topic.

Tip: Experiment with different styles, lengths and tones. Track open rates and engagement metrics to see what resonates most with your audience.

Why Choose Smart Messenger?

At Smart Messenger, we understand that every business has unique needs and challenges. That's why we offer personalised services, including:

• Free Training: Our personalised onboarding session will help you get off to a great start with Smart Messenger.
• Unlimited Phone Support: Call us whenever you need guidance from our friendly experts.
• Dedicated Account Manager: Receive tailored advice and support from our helpful team.
• Affordable Plans: With plans from just £10 per month, we're making fully supported, powerful email marketing accessible for organisations of all sizes.

Smart Messenger is the perfect partner to help you achieve your email marketing goals. Contact us today to learn more about how we can support your business.