Despite its cost-effectiveness, many companies fail to see noticeable traction in email marketing. According to Campaign Monitor, the average email open rate reached 2.3% across all industries, which dropped by 0.3% from 2020. Unhappy with low engagement rates, more companies keep dismissing the service altogether.
But imagine, for instance, that you just crafted the most visually appealing, content-filled email strategy ever seen at your company. Despite deploying this innovation, your email marketing team fails to see any noticeable movement in sales or click-through rates. Why is this? Sure, we can theorize several explanations, but chances are that your beautifully crafted email arrived in subscribers’ spam folders.
Frustrating, right? But in reality, a few adjustments to email subject lines may give email marketers the boost they crave.
The Importance of Strong Email Subject Lines
For your customers to view your company’s incredible services, they must open your email first. That is why you must write your subject line in just the right way to encourage customers to view the content inside. If a subject line is too ambiguous or vague, a genuine email goes straight to the spam folder. Countless emails flood customers’ inboxes every day, and your subject line needs to stand out among the clutter to encourage higher email open rates.
Types of Compelling Email Subject Lines
Not all subject lines hold equal value in the dynamic landscape. Luckily, Premiere Creative knows the best types of email subject lines to pique subscribers’ interests and boost your campaign’s click-through rate.
Professional, But Exciting
Every brand emanates a unique voice and style; you will want to continue this trend in your messaging. Try some variations in the messages and emotions targeted in your subject line while retaining your brand’s distinct tone. For example, companies that cater to baby boomers—such as household appliances or cosmetics—should avoid using language or references that fail to resonate with older subscribers. Furthermore, keep a consistent tone but bring forth new deals and opportunities in the email body copy without losing focus.
Innovative & Curiosity-Driven
The biggest challenge in email marketing involves capturing attention among inbox clutter. To spark curiosity, try including the subscriber’s name in the subject line to speak directly to the customer. Email automation software, like Klaviyo, allows companies to add tags to email subject lines to achieve this. Personalization matters in 2022, so including a name in email subject lines reminds readers that your brand values them.
Avoid Clickbait
Try brainstorming email subject lines that will shock your readers. Be careful when attempting this tactic, though, as many headlines with this tone come dangerously close to “clickbait” – subject lines intentionally crafted for people to click but feature different content or offers. Promising excellent information in your headline and failing to deliver on it can increase your bounce page rates and lose your credibility. So, shy away from clickbait practices and focus on creating compelling headlines without misleading readers. By way of example, look at one of Buzzfeed’s newsletters and headlines – they consistently bring in new readers with trending, intriguing, and informative topics that spark conversation or debate.
Make Headlines Visually Appealing
Experiment with visuals, like emojis, in your email subject lines. Fun visuals like emojis can help accurately target customers’ specific emotions, such as happiness, compassion, sensuality, and more. According to Emojipedia and market research, these are some of the most popular and universally recognized emojis: emojis portraying joy (31%), disgust (21%), sadness (16%), and surprise (10%).
Incentive-Driven & Time-Sensitive
Communicating urgency can further entice customers to click on your email. This can also be tricky, as many people are skeptical about engaging with these types of subject lines due to fear of manipulation. Many real spam or fraud emails employ a similar tactic. To make your subject line more authentic and appealing to customers, include a due date or a preview of your deal, so customers know what they are getting into before they click through. The urgency tactic usually works best for selling products and service upgrades, as well as introductory sign-ups.
Offer customers an incentive to click, such as free goodies or a discount, when rejoining a subscription. People enjoy receiving free stuff, and it also creates another sense of urgency to engage with emails.
Take Your Email Marketing to the Next Level with Premiere Creative!
As you give your email subject lines a much-needed makeover, keep your audience’s demographic at the forefront of your mind. The new email subject lines should avoid any controversy while still offering innovative deals and benefits to your customers. Try not to be too aggressive in your email campaign, and make sure the frequency and urgency of your emails do not annoy your subscribers.
At Premiere Creative, we have email marketing professionals that can work with your brand to design the perfect subject line and make your click-through rates soar. Dial (973) 346-8100 to connect with our email marketing specialists today.
