Are your email subject lines getting the attention of your readers? In other words are you writing catchy email subject lines that compel a click?
If your email open rates are low, chances are your email subject lines just aren’t catchy enough.
Your subject lines need to compel your readers to open your email. If they’re not compelling, it’s probably because they lack that little bit of the extra pizzazz they need to compel your readers to open them.
Here’s what I do to help create catchy email subject lines that will grab attention and compel the click.
1. Catchy Email Subject Lines Include a Benefit
When trying to understand how to write the best email subject lines, or any subject line for that matter, you have to focus on the benefit of a specific result.
For example, let’s look at the title”
“How to lose ten pounds in 5 days”.
What’s the one specific thing that really captures your attention? Losing ten pounds is an attention getter but the real clincher is doing it in 5 days. That’s the benefit.
Being specific in your title is how to capture your reader’s curiosity and attention, but the benefit is what makes it irresistible.
Sending an email with a subject line that says ‘how to write an article’ might capture some attention but by writing:
‘How to write a compelling sales article in 20 minutes’
makes it hard to resist.
Here are a few examples that would follow this pattern:
- Speed read 20 pages in 1 hour
- Potty train your dog in 3 days
- Get washboard abs in 2 weeks
- Cut your wedding costs in half
- How to lose 10 pound in 5 days without breaking a sweat
2. Be Personal With Your Email Subject Lines
Use your subscribers name in your subject line. People like to see their name in print and when they see it they are immediately drawn to it. I also like to use it once in the body of the email and depending on the email I will often use it int the closing.
Personalizing your emails this way allows you to single out your reader, they get a feeling that what you are writing is about them and for them. That’s a powerful attraction for readers and they are drawn to that.
A good, state of the art, email autoresponder will have a “personalization” feature that includes a way to insert your prospect’s name into your subject line, email messages or where ever you feel appropriate.
In fact a really good autoresponder like Aweber for example, will even twitterize your email subject lines, help you create dynamic subject lines, show you how to test your subject lines and help you build urgency into your emails. All powerful strategies for not only creating catchy email subject lines but creating great emails period.
3. Catchy Email Subject Lines Use Power Words
Power words can compel your reader to take a look at your message. Using power words appeals to our senses as well as our emotions.
Power words like New, Easy Free, Exclusive, Powerful, Fast, Results, Guaranteed, Unlimited, Step-by-Step, Amazing, Secret, Uncovered, Shocking and others can be hypnotic and are strong motivators for getting people to read on. They trigger our emotions, create curiosity and they’re compelling.
One thing to watch out for is the temptation to sound hypey. In other words don’t make unrealistic claims like:
“Earn $100,000 in 24 hours.”
That’s not realistic and your email will simply get deleted without it ever being read.
Another powerful strategy is to add a deadline to your subject line, for example:
“For the next 24 hours only, next 3 days, only 10 will be accepted, for the first 25″
Power words, especially the words ‘free’ or ‘easy’ are particularly effective in getting people to read your email.
Combine a power word with a deadline and you’ll get the attention of your reader almost every time.
4. A Catchy Email Subject Line Makes a Promise
Use your email subject line to let the reader know that there’s something that awaits them if they read your email. Be sure that something is desirable. It must be something that the reader does not want to miss out on.
It has to appeal to their emotions so that it pulls the reader in so they won’t be able to resist taking a look. This is how you create an expectation.
Think of it this way, people don’t buy products because they want the product, they want the result of the product.
I didn’t buy my treadmill because I wanted a treadmill, I bought it because it’s going to help me look great and have more energy.
We work because we want a paycheck. We buy food because we love to eat. We watch movies because we enjoy them, etc.
By creating an email subject line that promises results you create expectation.
The Basics for Writing Email Subject Lines that Get Attention
- Keep your email subject line under 50 characters. That’s the recommendation because subject lines with 50 or fewer characters have open rates that are about 12% higher than for those with more than 50 characters.
- Be specific. A subject line like “Internet Marketing Tips” is much less catchy than something that says:
“Powerful Internet Marketing Tips that Increase Sales”.
- View the 1 FULL HOUR of free video tutorials that show you step by step how create every aspect of a powerful emails, from writing catchy email subject lines all the way to the closing and the P.S.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
What you put inside the subject field is very important. I agree that vague titles should be avoided, you have to create a connection already with the subject alone.
I would like to add to also avoid using “spam” copies/keywords.
Having a catchy and good subject line will definitely increase our email open rates, thus resulting of more sales which is really good. Thanks for the great share.