Email Subject Line Tips To Get Clicks

Build equity on your sender name

By far the most important tip. People click on emails from senders they trust and like. No subject line can substitute this.

The shorter, the better.

You have to capture attention quickly, or you’ll lose them. The sweet spot is between 6-10 words.

Hint at what’s inside.

Curiosity is the name of the game for a great subject line. The best ones give a glimpse into the value contained inside.

Use action words.

Avoid passive language. You are in their inbox for a reason, so don’t beat around the bush. Set the expectation through your words that action is required.

Don’t spam with emojis

Emojis here or there are fine, but they aren’t a subject line strategy. Don’t confuse emojis with personality and good writing. One is fine, but no more.

Study emails YOU opened 

This is the top strategy for finding ideas that may work. Look through your opened emails. Analyze why you opened them. Figure out what was compelling. Test those ideas in your own subject lines.

Make it more casual

Emails are more likely to be opened when they come from a friend. Your subject lines should skew more casual than formal. This will create a pattern for the reader and give a peak into the sender’s personality.

Study YouTube titles

This is a pure hack. YouTube titles and thumbnails are a goldmine for clickable copy. Find what compels you to click on a video, and try it out in your emails.

Optimize around one emotion.

Your subject line shouldn’t confuse anyone. It shouldn’t under deliver on a promise or deliver a completely different one. Pick the emotion you want the reader to feel, and use that in the subject and beyond.

Use preview text to add fuel to the fire.

That second line under the subject line? Yeah, that occupies roughly the same real estate. Keep the story going in the preview. The subject line is your hook, and the preview is the continuation.

Make a promise to the reader.

Clear promises get clicks. Give the reader a solid expectation of what they’re about to get. And make sure you actually deliver on them in the email content.

Test different ideas.

Same with any marketing tactic. Don’t just write one subject line and call it good. Write 10-20, edit aggressively, and test them out. Winning subject lines may surprise you.

Use the 24 hour rule

• Write out 10 subject lines
• Share them with a friend or partner
• 24 hours later, with no context ask what subject line they liked
• What they remembered is your winner

Use tried and true words

This is an awesome reference for subject ideas. Rely on what you already know works for you, and look at wins from other creators. No need to re-invent the wheel.

Use proven frameworks.

Collect frameworks whenever you can. Here are a few

When in doubt, ask a question.

Questions are compelling, they tend to be more casual, and they pique curiosity. They fit the model of a lot of lessons from this thread, so don’t be scared to ask simple ones in your subject lines.

Thanks for reading!