We know that most people just don’t have the time in the day to go through hundreds of emails. The overload of emails mean that most go unread or straight into the virtual bin, so how do you make your email stand out of the crowd and seem relevant and interesting?

The subject line is the only thing that will make your email unique, intriguing and worth reading. Here are a few tactics to create a subject line with impact that won’t get ignored:

1/ Short and Sweet

How fast do you scroll through your inbox? Pretty fast right? A subject line needs to be short and concise to make any kind of impact on the recipient. 50 characters should be a definite maximum for your subject line, so if you are struggling to shorten it, think about what words are not essential to get the message across.

2/ Grab attention

It may be easier said than done, but you’ve got to hook your audience with the language of the subject line. Asking a question or starting the subject line with ‘how to…’ are generally two foolproof ways to create a solid open rate. Don’t be afraid to use humour and puns; your subject line becomes catchier and more memorable in case they would like to look back and find the email again.

3/ DON’T USE ALL CAPS OR OVERUSE EXCLAMATION MARKS!!!

Capital letters give the impression that you are yelling, and nobody likes to be yelled at. Although the email is more likely to be noticed, the likelihood of someone opening it is very slight. One exclamation mark is fine if it matches an exciting and dramatic subject line, however multiple can be conveyed as amateurish. These kinds of subject line also comes across as very spammy.

4/ Personalise

Instead of trying to catch attention through capitals, try using personalisation to catch the recipients eye. This makes the reader feel more targeted and individualised , not just part of a mass email campaign. However, you may have a lot of information about each recipient, but don’t go too over the top with the personalisation as this can come across a bit creepy. Even if you don’t use specific names, using words such as ‘you’ and ‘your’ give an impression that you are addressing the recipient directly.Location personalisation can also be very effective. Grouping your recipients into area locations and adapting each subject line to be more relevant to each group is a great marketing technique.

5/ Build Trust

Don’t advertise something in the subject line (just because it sounds amazing) and not follow through inside the email. It is great to tell your reader what great offer or information is within the email, but do not tell false promises. Although you may get a good open rate, your audience will soon learn not to trust your emails.

So, try going through your inbox/ spam folder and explore which subject lines catch your attention. Are they specific to you, your location or hobbies? Or do they make you laugh? What makes them attractive? Think about this when you begin creating your own email campaign and subject line. In their inbox, people do judge a book by its cover, so make sure yours is intriguing, attractive and full of impact.

At Digity we have the experience and expertise to ensure that your email campaigns are successful, and ensure that the great content you want to promote doesn’t get wasted. Improve your open and click-through rates by calling us on 01189 100 012 or drop us an email at info@digity.co.uk.