Matt Bacak: 9 Tips That Make Subject Lines Effortless

Image courtesy of kittisak/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Subject lines are a key component of an email marketing campaign. Writing them effectively is essential to your success as an internet marketer but it’s not always easy to find the right words that will make your list intrigued enough to open up your email and click on the provided link. So here are nine quick and dirty tips to keep in mind.

Your subject lines should be…

RELEVANT – First and foremost, it should be relevant to the email you are sending. Sound like common sense? It is but many people overlook this very simple thing when crafting subject lines. If it doesn’t match in some way to message in the email, people will be confused and possibly even angered. No one likes to be tricked. It’s that simple.

INFORMATIVE– It should be clear to the viewer what the email is about because you’ve given them the gist of it in your subject line.

HONEST– Liars never prosper.

MOBILE DEVICE MINDED – What I mean by this is that each time you craft an email, think about how your list is going to be viewing it. Most of the people on your list are going to be viewing their emails on a mobile device like a cell phone or tablet. When viewing on a mobile device, there is less space available to show a subject line so lengthy or wordy ones will be cut off. You run the risk of getting deleted because your list isn’t viewing all the information you’ve provided when they are checking their email while at work on their cell phone or out on the beach with a tablet.

BRIEF – This ties into being mobile device minded but it’s worth mentioning as a separate tip because I’ve found over the years that the more concise my subject line, the better result.

URGENT – The more urgent it appears, the better. This is especially true if you are running a limited time offer, promotion or event. Creating a sense of urgency motivates people to take action now.

INTRIGUING – Get people interest by giving them some information but not all. The trick is to tease them into opening your email. Give them a taste but not the whole piece of cake.

CUSTOMER CONSCIOUS- Successful email marketers know that their main purpose in sending emails is to help someone either by providing information or a product that will be beneficial to them. It should reflect that you are thinking of the customer first, giving them relevant and helpful information.

CORRECTLY SPELLED – There’s no rule that says you must be grammatically correct just as there’s no rule stating everything must be spelled correctly. However, the subject line is your list’s first impression of you before opening the email (if they open it) and you don’t want to look like a moron, do you?

With these tips in mind as you create an artfully crafted string of words, you’ll soon get a good feel of how to create the best, most effective blurbs to entice your list into clicking on your email. It may seem difficult at first to make a subject line that fits all the criteria above but over time, you’ll find it becomes easier and easier with practice. Don’t forget to test each one because you’ll never know what’s working unless you do!