Writing a good email subject line is key to capturing the recipient’s attention in the inbox. This first impression is decisive in the opening rate, so finding the most appropriate line of text is essential.
In this comprehensive guide, you’ll find best practices for finding the perfect email subject line, from personalization to emojis, AI, and A/B testing. It also includes over 80 examples of subject lines used in real-life email marketing campaigns.
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Table of Contents
- What is an email subject line?
- The main factor of the open rate
- What parts of the email accompany the subject line
- How to write an effective subject line
- Be clear about the purpose of your email and its value
- Write a short and concise subject
- Includes the recipient’s name (sometimes)
- Personalize the subject job seekers database line with relevant information
- Place keywords at the beginning of the subject
- Exploits emotions such as the sense of urgency
- Avoid words classified as spam
- Use emojis and special characters when appropriate
- Use artificial intelligence to test different issues
- Perform A/B testing with your subscribers
- Check your email marketing statistics
- 83 examples of effective subjects grouped into 9 types
- Sense of urgency or FOMO
- Shortage
- Intrigue
- Ask
- Figures and lists
- Relevant information
- Free resources or lead magnets
- Call to action
- Custom
What is an email subject line?
When you receive an email at your email address, the subject line of an email is the first element visible to the recipient in their inbox, accompanied by the sender’s name and the pre-header or preview text. It is a concise line of text that provides a vision: the future we want to build decisive first impression of the content of the message before opening it.
In email marketing campaigns, the main goal of a good email subject line is to capture the reader’s attention . It can summarize the relevant information in the message, but also use persuasion techniques such as curiosity, intrigue or a sense of urgency.
The main factor of the open rate
Along with the sender’s name, a good subject line is the factor that most influences the open rate of an email. Some reports indicate that up to 64% of subscribers decide to open their emails based on the email subject ( Barilliance , referencing data from Chadwick Martin Bailey, 2021), while others reduce this figure to 47% ( Invespcro , 2014) or 33% ( Optiminmonster , 2019).
Although the data are variable – due to the diversity of samples and methodological differences – all studies agree that the subject of an email is a ee leads determining factor in the decision to open it.
When analyzing your email marketing campaign statistics, you should also keep in mind your unique circumstances. The average global open rate was 21.89% according to Brevo’s Email Marketing Benchmark 2023, but individual company data can vary widely depending on industry, geographic region, audience engagement, and more.
