Best Email Subject Lines to Increase Your Open Rate

Not sure how to increase your email open rate?

Has email marketing become more of a chore than an investment?

If this sounds familiar, then you’ve come to the right place.

Email marketing is a great way to gain more clients and increase exposure to your business.

However, if you choose the wrong subject line, you could risk losing prospective leads and sales.

If you’re looking to increase your open rate, you should strongly consider upping your subject-line game!

There are over 105 billion emails circulating daily, so it’s an invaluable skill to ensure that your email subject lines are a cut above the rest!

Email readers decide whether or not they are going to open your email through your subject line alone.

Whilst there are differing views about what a “captivating” subject line is, the fact remains that subject lines should be:

A funny subject line is always a good idea.

Studies at Colorado University have shown that people become more open to new ideas, especially business advertising, if the advertising is funny.

Telling a joke or incorporating something funny into your subject is bound to grab some positive attention.

Using a more casual approach not only draws the reader’s attention, but immediately makes your business more likeable to your audience.

This is a great way to make an instant connection with your contacts.

It’s important to make sure that your subject still falls in line with the tone that you are trying to promote.

It’s easy to cross the line with humour so make sure to maintain a sense of respectfulness.

Examples of funny subject lines:

It’s no secret that people love to feel important.

It’s an innate need for people to feel seen and heard.

Most businesses are based around satisfying a personal or professional need, whether that be a product or service.

With this in mind, it would make sense that addressing your audience personally in your subject line is a huge advantage.

Reminding your audience that your offer is client-centred and aims to improve their lives will tremendously increase reader interest.

Personalization means your brand is catering to a basic need of your customers — the need to feel personally seen.

Examples of personalized subject lines include:

Subject lines with an unexpected twist or controversial undertone will be guaranteed standouts amongst the mundane emails in your audience’s inbox.

Afterall, who doesn’t love a good head-turner?

If your subject line prompts a strong emotion like surprise or shock from readers, they are likely to be more curious about not only the email itself, but your business too!

A controversial subject line should still be relevant to the body of your email, as well as the offer you would like to promote.

So, step out of the proverbial box and leave your audience wanting more with subject headers similar to these:

Sometimes, less is more.

This rings true for email advertising, too.

People lead busy lives and don’t always have the time to open all their emails.

So, often only the simplest ones make the cut!

One way to leverage this is to keep your email subject lines minimalistic.

An email subject line that looks about as long as a thesis is not going to get a second look!

Conciseness can help your email marketing rise above the mediocre bar.

A short but powerful statement that is packed with a punch can make all the difference.

At first glance, your subject line should be both straightforward and alluring.

Minimal yet bold subject lines that have an enthralling effect are:

Beginning your email with an open-ended question instantly prompts positive interest.

Subject lines that start with a question will encourage readers to actively engage with the email.

Asking a question is also a great way to remind readers that their opinions and thoughts matter to your business.

Readers will be less likely to just scroll on through an email that actively involves them.

Pique your readers’ curiosity by starting the conversation with a question, such as:

Including a deadline in your subject line definitely gets readers interested.

By letting your audience know that your offer has a time limit, it encourages them to take action quickly and see what the offer is about.

This technique is based on the psychological principle of scarcity.

The principle implies that humans tend to place a higher value on things which are rare or limited in supply.

You’ve probably heard of the term FOMO, a modern acronym used to describe the Fear Of Missing Out.

Who wants to miss out on a good deal?

By including deadlines in your subject, you can appeal to this attribute by motivating readers to read further about limited offers!

Create a sense of urgency with subject lines like these:

Creating some mystery and intrigue around your emails is an unconventional feat that will skyrocket readers’ attention.

Enticing readers to discover more about your business is a solid way to start.

Many marketing tactics involve baring all from the start so readers know exactly what is up on offer.

By leaving some things for readers to question, you promote active engagement.

A compelling and mysterious subject line is certain to cause readers to become inquisitive.

You can keep them guessing with some intrigue using subject lines similar to these:

Including numbers in your subject line is a straightforward approach to getting the attention of your readers.

Numbers are an instant attraction for the human brain because they’re quick and easy to process.

Since many people like to sort and organize things into lists, using your subject line to indicate a list helps your email appear more organized and appealing.

Examples of some direct subject lines using numbers: