12 Tips for Creating the Best Email Subject Lines (with Examples)

Email subject lines are arguably the most important component of your emails. After all, the subject line is what subscribers see in their inbox, and is what determines if they even open your email or not

Thanks for reading this post and Brass Ring also thanks those whose content is shared here on our website. We present it in order to pass on their knowledge to our small business clients so it can help them remain informed, healthy and growing their businesses. Please bookmark our site, subscribe to our newsletter and come back for more marketing, small business & WordPress tips, advice, tools & news! - Edward A. Sanchez

So without good email subject lines, your email marketing efforts could go to waste! But don’t worry — you’ve come to the right place.

In this article, I’ll help you understand what a subject line is and why it’s important. Then, we’ll dive into how to create the best email subject lines (that get people to actually open your emails!) and some great email subject line examples.

By Miranda Paquet – Read this article in its entirety HERE on Constant Contact’s website

What is the subject in an email?

The subject line of an email is the single line of text people see when they receive your email. This one line of text can often determine whether an email is opened or sent straight to the trash, so make sure it’s optimized for your audience.

email subject line example
In the email subject line example above, the subject line is the bold text that says “John, it’s your time to start roller skating!”

What is an email preheader?

An email preheader is another element of your email that a subscriber will see in their email inbox. It’s the text that follows the email subject and previews the content of your email.

Using the same example above, the preheader is the text that says “Get a discount on skating lessons when you enroll before May 1st.”

Now you can see how an email preheader is different from a subject line but related. The two work together to convince a recipient of your email to actually open. While in this article, we’ll focus on tips for creating the best email subject lines, it’s good to keep email preheaders in mind too. You want your email preheader to compliment your subject line nicely, and not simply repeat the same information.

Why the subject line of an email is so important

At first, your email subject line and preheader are the only things email recipients can see when they receive your email in their inbox. Since email inboxes are inundated with hundreds, maybe even thousands, of emails per day, catchy and clear email subject lines are more important than ever. This one line of text can often determine whether an email is opened or sent straight to the trash (or worse, to spam).

Good email subject lines can make a powerful impact on your readers. The words you choose for your email subject lines can have a big impact on whether or not the hard work you’ve put into your email will pay off. No matter how sophisticated or well-crafted your email campaigns are, they are worthless if your target audience doesn’t open the email.

Spending a little extra time on your email subject lines will help you get more customers to open your emailsavoid emails going to the spam folder, and get your message in front of the right people.

Note on open ratesApple’s Mail Privacy Protection feature, which was released on September 20th, 2021, has made email open rates less reliable. While historical open rate data can still provide valuable insights, we recommend marketers focus on other email marketing metrics, like click-through rates and conversions, when measuring their success going forward.

12 tips to create good email subject lines

Think of the 12 tips below as tweaks you can make when creating your subject lines. Each of these subject line tips is designed to get people to notice and open your email.

how to write good email subject lines
Read below for details on each tip for tweaking your email subject line to increase your email’s opens and clicks.

1. Shorten your subject lines

What good is your subject line if people can’t read it? Oftentimes, people check emails from mobile devices, swiping right through emails that don’t prompt a sense of urgency. Make sure your subject line doesn’t get cut short by keeping it under 40 characters or about five to seven words.

Your readers want to scan through their inbox quickly. Sometimes subject lines that use only a word or two can stand out and get the most engagement.

Example of a short email subject line

In the example below, Bisque Imports kept their subject line short and sweet, as simply “TGIF!

example email subject line from Bisque Imports: "TGIF"

2. Avoid spam words in your email subject lines

Subject lines that are aggressively salesy are often the most likely to be marked as spam. That means you should avoid loud punctuation like all caps and multiple exclamation points, as well as overtly promotional language like “Buy now” or “Free.” These are surefire ways to have your marketing emails sent straight to the spam folder.

Instead of focusing on promotion, try…

Read on…article continues HERE on Constant Contact’s website

Leave a Reply