10 ways to write effective email marketing subject lines

Opinions differ, but most people judge an email by its subject line. That is why you should think about how to write an impressive email marketing subject line that partners and customers read, helping your business reach more customers. Let's Mona explore some ways to write email marketing subject lines that impress and win customers over quickly.

What makes a good email marketing subject line

Urgency

Many advertisers have used “Act now!” with good results. No one says you must use that exact phrase, but it's fair to say urgency in a subject line makes customers more likely to open the email.

But don't overuse it, or your brand may start to look negative to customers.

See also: What is a CTA? How to write an effective call to action

Curiosity CTAs

Most email subject lines say “Open this email and you'll get lots of benefits.” To stand out, you can add mystery and play on customers' natural curiosity by asking readers to open the email to get information, which can signal a higher click rate. Make sure your subject line is mysterious enough but still tied to your business brand business's needs and budget.

See also: What is a brand name? How to name your brand

Offer

Many people like new things, especially free or discounted ones. Put these in the subject line of the email you send to customers. This is how customers think, and it is also how the authors of this article think.

Personalization

Everyone on your prospect list is unique. So each email can't use the same format, yet you can't send a different email to each person either. Advertisers also don't have time to learn everything about each person. So make your email look written to one person rather than to a group when you send to customers.

Relevance and timing

When someone signs up for an email, they want ongoing updates and information on that topic. As with building appeal and curiosity, you need to write subject lines around the topics trending now, together with your brand.

After the subject line, there are still many steps before you have a complete email marketing campaign. What's more, if your email isn't engaging enough and is carried out unprofessionally, the results will be very low.

Working with more than 6,000+ businesses on their marketing growth strategy, many have succeeded using the Email Marketing service at MONA Media. 

Work with MONA Media, an Email Marketing service provider, to get a stage-by-stage plan built to raise your leads by 200%.

Principles for writing email marketing subject lines

The length and wording of the subject line also decide whether customers read on. Here are a few principles for writing email marketing subject lines:

• Short and concise: A subject line should be under 50 characters including letters and spaces, or about 5 to 8 words, because popular email clients show at most 50 characters per subject. Research shows emails with subject lines under 50 characters get opened 12.5% more than those with long subject lines.
• Clear and specific: Vague, ambiguous emails go unnoticed.
• Avoid spam words: Don't use promotional, sales-pitch words like “promotion” or “free”, or email clients will flag the email as spam. Keep subject lines to information you think is useful to the user.
• Write the subject line after the content is done: Once the content is written, you see all the information at once and can more easily pick the most attractive point for the subject line.

How to write an email marketing subject line

Funny email marketing subject lines

Humor relaxes people. If your subject line makes customers laugh, they take in the message happily, with no need for any reason. Working humor into a subject line can take quite a lot of time and brainpower, but it pays off in a high open rate.

Example:

• Grab: “Stylish and single: book a GrabBike”
• The Coffee House: “Petrol is going up, but our drinks are still coming down”

Urgent email marketing subject lines

Most people share a fear of missing out. You can use this fear with an urgent subject line or one with a scarcity element, which pushes customers to open and read the email.

Example:

• Shopee: “Great vouchers are in your hands, don't miss out!”
• Beauty Club: “Today only: a big treat from Beauty Club”

Even so, email marketing is less effective than other online marketing methods. For a new business, use email only to look after customers, not to promote products. Email open rates are also low, not to mention that you may not know how to optimize subject lines and content to attract readers.

Mona Media suggests another form of marketing that builds brand recognition without costing much, which is full-scope SEO.

Enticing email marketing subject lines

Free offers and big discounts are extremely attractive to anyone. A subject line that stresses a sale will draw a large share of readers. But note that offering these kinds of discounts can make your email less trustworthy to customers (perhaps because consumers don't believe big discounts are real).

Example:

• Sendo: “Sendo 1k: try your luck and win big prizes”
• Zalopay: “Golden Hour X2: invite a friend and get 200,000 VND at once”

Subject lines that appeal to the reader's vanity

A touch of vanity can excite readers, alongside humor. Most people like it: to be recognized, even admired.

Vanity shows in the words you use, such as “make subscribers look better” or “more successful”.

Example:

• Top CV: “4 steps to the best CV you've ever had”
• ZIM: “3 months to master basic English, even if you're starting from zero”

Short, to-the-point email marketing subject lines

No fancy wording is needed; a short subject line that goes straight to the point works well. When using this type, include high-value information, otherwise you may be flagged as spam or reported a lot. 

Example:

• Tresemme: “Salon-quality hair care secrets at home with Tresemme”
• Vlance: “5 new jobs for you on Vlance today”

Remarketing email marketing subject lines

Remarketing emails go to subscribers when they leave an action unfinished on your website or sales channel. These emails act as a reminder, helping customers return to the sales channel and complete their purchase.

Example:

• Tiki: “#4.4 Items in your cart just dropped in price! Order quickly”
• Shopee: “HOT: Free shipping from 0 VND, check out today!”

Question-style email marketing subject lines

A question in the subject line can excite readers more than the body of the email. Especially if the question relates to your potential customers, the open rate goes up.

Example:

• “How to double your revenue in 1 month?”
• “Financial freedom before 35: why not?”

MONA ran an online marketing project for Kim Thành, a business with three generations in motorbike parts that had no presence on the internet. That was a real disadvantage in today's digital era. There are many ways to promote a brand, but full-scope SEO is the sustainable, long-term one.

IN THE FIRST 5 MONTHS of SEO at MONA, they reached 25,000+ ORGANIC VISITS/MONTH, and brand awareness grew 10X. 

Solution-focused email marketing subject lines

When customers hit a problem, they search on Google. Emails that speak straight to their need and offer a few solutions earn their trust. They then order right away or in the near future.

Example:

• Lose weight fast without dieting, learn how now
• The amazing benefits of yoga for new mothers

Curiosity-driven email marketing subject lines

Secrets tend to spark human curiosity. Once in that frame of mind, we don't want to know just a little, we want to know everything in detail.

You can feed this desire in customers with open-ended or trailing subject lines, or by asking questions, promising something interesting, or saying something unusual.

Example:

• Decoding the success secrets of startup experts
• Are you living your dream? In search of life's meaning

Personal email marketing subject lines

There is another way to get customers to notice your email: add personal touches to the email and the subject line. You can add the customer's name to the subject or mention activities tied to this personalization. This will surely make customers more interested in your email.

Example:

• VietnamWorks: “Hi XXX. Attractive jobs for you!”

That is everything on writing email marketing subject lines that attract customers and raise open rates. We hope it helps and gives you what you were looking for. Good luck.

You may also be interested in: Top 10 best email marketing software today

Please contact us via:

• Hotline: 1900 636 648
• Email: info@mona-media.com
• Address: 1073/23 Cach Mang Thang Tam, Ward 7, Tan Binh, Ho Chi Minh City