8 Ways to Write Eye-Catching Email Subject Lines

What’s the point of having thousands of individuals on your email list if only a few of them actually open your emails? Have you ever sent a crucial email to your list and wondered why the open rate was poor? If so, you’re not alone. It’s a concern which a lot of internet marketers face on a daily basis.

In 2012, Epsilon’s fourth quarter email analysis revealed that out of 7.3 billion emails sent across several industries, the average open rate was 27.4% and the average click-through rate was 4.5%. That means nearly 75% of individuals didn’t even open their emails and that 95% of those who actually open them, haven’t bothered to follow any of the links. If you want your email content to be opened, read, and clicked, then start by creating some eye-catching subject lines. Though the subject line seems to be a tiny part of your message, it is one of the very first impressions you make on your email recipients. And it’s a marketer’s ticket for standing out in a huddled inbox.

According to research, nearly 47% of marketers admit that they tested various compelling email subject lines to optimize their emails’ performance. That’s why it’s vital to craft subject lines which are compelling enough to induce folks to click through. In this blog, we’ll look into some of the most effective ways to write eye-catching email subject lines that will fetch the reader’s attention and boost your emails’ engagement.

1) Start with Action-Oriented Verbs

Professional email subject lines almost always demand action. In other words, they beg to be opened, which is why they are no different from a regular call-to-action. So, always use inspiring, action-oriented language to make your subscribers click and open their emails. When you write a subject line, add an action verb, in the beginning, to make it more enticing and attractive. Your aim is not only to grab the attention of your subscribers, but also to make your emails more click-worthy.

In a study conducted by Phrasee, it has been discovered that subject lines with call-to-action got the best response. The verbs that performed well include:

• Introducing
• Celebrate
• Buy

When it comes to testing out email subject lines, marketers actually spend most of their time trying out various action-oriented phrases.

2) Make Subscribers Feel ‘Exclusive’

When was the last time you made your subscribers feel special? It’s a known fact that exclusivity can make a big difference when it comes to getting noticed by someone. And your email subscribers are no different.

Your email subject line is a great place to tap into the power of exclusivity. Because by using the correct phrases, you could make your subscribers feel privileged, and get them to open more of your emails.

3) Create a Sense of Urgency & Scarcity

Even if you don’t use shady language in your email content, there’s nothing wrong in infusing a sense of urgency and scarcity when you’re trying to create a catchy email subject line. Because when something looks urgent and scarce, it demands attention and action. So if your subject line includes these, it has a higher chance of getting clicked — given that you spent time making it creative and relevant.

Still, you need to be careful while using such subject lines as there has to be a balance. If you use it too much, you’ll lose the charm and people will stop trusting you. Using them sparingly on the other hand, when there is a genuine reason, will take your email open rates to the next level. If you demand immediate action in your subject line, make sure it is real and not just a way to get clicks.

4) Ask a Question that Urges to be Answered

When your subscribers see a relevant question, it naturally makes them want to know the answer, which lies on the other side of the subject line. They may not even want to read the complete email, but they’ll be compelled to click. Given that you’ve got a powerful email opening, you should be able to draw the reader in once they click.

Question-based subject lines work well, but you should never overdo them. Mix and match with alternative styles of subject lines to achieve the best results.

5) Invoke a Level of Curiosity

We all remain curious to find out what’s hidden. So, another way to increase CTR of your email is designing catchy email subject lines that infuse a level of curiosity in your recipients.

These subject lines ought to pique some interest in your readers, but stop at that. Tell them partially what’s in your email instead of giving away full information. Tease your way to a higher open rate.

Look around and you’ll find many articles on the web with catchy titles that make you curious enough to click on the link. Avoid being too obscure or else people may confuse your email as a spam message.

6) Get Controversial

Getting controversial is one of the most effective ways to grasp the attention of the reader. However, when you infuse controversy in your subject line, you run the risk of being misunderstood and can backfire at you. However, if you manage to pull it off effectively, the payoffs can be huge — a high open rate and lots of clicks.

The idea is to know your audience like the back of your hand. And then use this information to make a subject line which is a combination of relevant information and real controversy.

When you’re choosing your controversy, make sure it is the right kind. In alternative words, instead of selecting something negative that can downright offend your audience, choose a subject line that has the potential to start a positive debate.

7) Keep them Short & Straightforward

When it comes to drafting email subject lines, short naturally works better than long. This is regardless of the content of your subject line. This is because your readers may lose or not grasp your point with a longer sentence. Avoiding unnecessary words and characters gives your email more chances of getting opened.

Since you are gunning for a high open rate here, studies show that email subject lines with 20 or fewer characters tend to get clicked the most.

Another downside of having a long subject line is that your recipient may see an abbreviated version of it. Why? Because research shows that 55% of emails are opened via a mobile device.

Since mobile users are growing at a fast pace, you need to take them seriously. Even though your subject lines may look great on the desktop, they may not look the same on a mobile screen. So just the way it’s vital to optimize email content for mobile, it’s equally vital to do the same for subject lines.

8) Take Advantage of Social Proof

Using social proof in email marketing is an underutilized method that can work great given that you do it right.

A highly results-oriented way to use social proof in email subject lines is by mentioning specialists or important people. Influencer marketing is a happening tactic in the digital marketing world. The reason why we take the recommendation or association of influencers seriously is because of what is known as the halo effect. Which is a cognitive bias, wherein people tend to judge the opinion of others based on the impression they have of them.

What’s more, according to recent studies, your open rate can shoot through the roof by more than 460% if you mention a well-known customer in your email subject line.

If you want to increase the click through rate of your emails, then follow these tips and create catchy email subject lines for all your campaigns.

However, do keep in mind that it’s important to have your own unique style while creating a subject line. You don’t want your emails to look like every other email. So focus on thinking out of the box and follow the creative path from time to time.

Let us know in comments which email subject-lines works best for your campaign.