23 Tips for the Best Email Subject Lines that Get Opened

How's your email open rate these days? Feeling like your emails are getting ignored?

If you're not happy with the results of your email marketing, your problem could be in the very first thing people see โ€“ the subject line.

Your email subject line is the #1 most critical part of any email, since it determines whether or not the email is actually opened.

Your subject line needs to grab your readerโ€™s attention and get them interested in going further. It also gives them an introduction to the information youโ€™re providing them inside your email.

And of course, itโ€™s essential to follow-up on the promise youโ€™ve made with your subject line by making sure the actual email content conforms to what you hinted at in your subject. But, you can increase your chances of getting the reader to that point in a number of different ways.

Here are some of our favorite tips for writing the best email subject lines, along with examples to spark your own ideas and get more of your emails opened and readโ€ฆ

  • 1.   Get Snarky
    BuzzFeed: "Not Cool, Guys!
  • 2.   Encourage Competition
    Zillow: โ€œWhat Can You Afford?โ€
  • 3.   Appeal to Vanity
    ServiceNation: โ€œGiving Back Has Never Looked So Goodโ€
  • 4.  Use Anticipation
    Fanatics: โ€œWelcome to the Best Monday Ever!โ€
  • 5.   Tease
    The Tropical Travelers: โ€œDestination Weddingsโ€ฆ Want Rock Star Treatment?โ€
  • 6.   Think About Your Sender Name
    Barack Obama: "Hey"
  • 7.   Get Scary
    E-Marketing and Commerce: โ€œVirus, Worms, Trojan Horses, Oh My!โ€
  • 8.   Baffle
    EntreLeadership: โ€œWhy You Need to Be Awkward at Workโ€
  • 9.   Crack a Joke
    Groupon: "Best of Groupon: The Deals That Make Us Proud (Unlike Our Nephew, Steve)"
  • 10.   Get Them Thinking
    The Agitator: โ€œWho is Your Best Competitor?โ€
  • 11.   Think About Timing
    Eater Boston: โ€œWhere to Drink Beer Right Nowโ€
  • 12.   Use Social Proof
    DocuSign: โ€œWhat Are Our Customers Saying?โ€
  • 13.   Use Fear Of Missing Out
    JetBlue: "You're missing out on points."
  • 14.   Use Well-Placed Adjectives
    About.com Today: โ€œHow to Make a Perfect Saladโ€
  • 15.   Use Cultural References
    Uncommon Goods: โ€œAs You Wishโ€
  • 16.   Appeal to Compassion
    GrassRoots.org: โ€œTake Two Minutes to Change the World!โ€
  • 17.   Use Puns
    AddThis: "10 Engagement Tips to Gobble Over Thanksgiving"
  • 18.   Keep it Short
    Bisque Imports: โ€œTGIF!โ€
  • 19.   Self-Identify
    Refinery 29: โ€œThe Broke Girlโ€™s Guide to a Luxury Vacationโ€
  • 20.   Use Friendly Reminders
    Warby Parker: "Uh-oh, your prescription is expiringโ€
  • 21.   Add a List
    Constant Contact: โ€œ3 Tools to Simplify Your Marketingโ€
  • 22.   Excite
    Slate Magazine: โ€œComing Soon, Jobs!โ€
  • 23.   Ask a Question
    Strong Women, Strong Girls: โ€œWho Was Wonder Womanโ€™s Role Model?โ€

Getting any good ideas yet?

For your next email, pick out a couple of the above tips and try some different versions of the subject line.

Better yet, split test 2 versions and see what the differences are.

Want a downloadable pdf of all the tips and examples listed in this post?
Just click below and we'll send it to you right away!

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Want to learn and teach others how to write compelling emails that engage and convert?

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When you purchase a license to any of our ready-to-go course kits, you get the rights to edit it any way you want (or leave as-is) and add your own name and branding.

Then use your new course to:

  • Attract new clients and customers (such as with a free training, webinar, or eCourse)
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  • Keep your current customers successful and coming back for more (such as with bonus webinars, videos, and other learning resources).

Enjoy!

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