Allow me to share share with you the following statistics. Thank you kindly for reserving judgment.
- 2,705 unread emails are in my primary gmail inbox, with 1,801 unread.
- 1,275 unread emails are in my social inbox.
- 8,468 unread emails are in my promotions inbox.
- 85-95% of these are marketing emails.
These figures make some people break out in hives, but for me, thanks to Gmail’s super dependable search feature, having thousands of emails doesn’t bother me. Like, at all. If I want to search my massive inbox for the Yummiest Summer Succotash Recipe Ever (it really is) to send to my mother-in-law, it’s no problem. Search. Done. I move on.
So what if I’m missing my “delete” chip? At least It creates an interesting environment for experimenting. What marketing emails jump out at me? What will get me to open messages, engage me or transform me from a prospect into a customer amongst a sea of other, you know, stuff?
More statistics.
- Female
- Married mother of 3
- College educated
- Works full-time
- Household income above national median
- Makes majority of household purchasing decisions
I’m a member of a key demographic to which nearly every service, product or idea is regularly and heavily marketed via email. So what gets me to tap or click? Here’s the first 10 subject lines and messages that grabbed me as I paged through (yes, paged through) my inbox and why.
Office clown. 
This subject line plus its preheader immediately make me want to see more. The preheader (the one-line introduction or teaser copy that you can see along with the subject line in most inboxes) reads “Hey, Kate, So the girl in IT thinks she’s pretty funny in her emails and the head of accounting … “
The conversational tone plus the familiar greeting made me think for a split second that this email was actually from someone I knew. I’m endeared and intrigued, and even though I’m now aware that it’s a marketing email, I have to open it just to relieve the mystery. Turns out it’s from a regional organization that focuses on reproductive rights. I’m surprised that such fun content could come from a generally serious organization. All of this speaks to innovation, smart risk-taking and an unexpected brand voice that broke through and grabbed me.
Simple Techniques To Call In Your Soulmate
While this business doesn’t appear to be segmenting for martial status, the interesting syntax of this subject line, and the idea of “calling in” one’s soul mate struck a chord with me. The preheader speaks to awesome offers, so while it’s a little disjointed (subject lines and preheaders should relate to each other), I still love the approach. Using simple language that nods to a common consumer need, it surprises the reader with content more spiritual than tangible, product or service-wise. It’s an example of alternative thinking about your audience. After all, their needs aren’t always tangible, either. Consider addressing their emotional, physical and mental needs, too.
Potty train your toddler in 3 days
I want the information in this email, period. I’ve opted in to emails from this popular parent and baby resource website, at which time I shared key information about myself and my family – most notably the ages of my three children. Now I get perfectly timed emails with helpful tips, medical information and products designed for my kids’ many delightful (and not so delightful) phases. This site tends to really focus on health and physical development information, which is always relevant when you’re a parent. My only complaint about this particular email marketer is that the articles within are always way too long. The subject line implies a quick hit of new information so that I can learn and be on my way. But when I actually open the email, it’s a 4-page article. Make sure your readers are getting what they signed up for, literally.
Your Thursday evening ride with Uber
Again, conversational language and a touch of personalization make this email a must-click. Sure, I know I took an Uber car on Thursday night. And yes, I can deduce that this is likely my emailed ride receipt, but something about how Uber just knows me, and the use of the word “evening” makes me think perhaps there’s more to this message than just my receipt. And I’m right! At the bottom of the email, there’s the option to give and get $10 credits as part of Uber’s referral program. This is one promo that’s straight forward and substantial enough to get me to use it.
Half off shoes, jewelry & more when you buy another one.
I love this subject line not only because it’s from my favorite retailer and it’s a substantial offer, but also because it’s a creative and fresh way of framing a fairly common retail BOGO deal. Whether or not readers are aware of it, their brains are rapidly processing subtle details and cues. Rewording a common offer in a way that is still clear and scannable, but makes readers think just a little differently is a low-effort and high-impact way of grabbing attention. That first instant a reader’s brain questions the syntax, he or she is engaged enough to read on and see if the offer is relevant and desirable.
Kimo-no you didn’t
Clever, just enough slang and fashion-related. Need I say more? This email marketer knows me well enough to know that this particular play on words will make me laugh, create recognition at having gotten the joke and, at a minimum, cause me to take notice of who its from and what it has to offer. Now, how soon will my new kimono-inspired jacket arrive? Oh yes I did.
Love dresses? Well, They’re ALL ON SALE!
Typo aside, this is just fun. I love subject lines that ask a question. It’s another great way to switch things up, use conversational tone and create a little excitement and joy around a promotion. I immediately clicked and shopped. Everyone wins.
How to make perfect rice every time
Here, content marketing is used to educate the consumer and drive traffic to the website. It takes a familiar issue, cooking rice, and offers you a quick and gratifying bit of life-enhancing advice. The best part was that the article delivered on exactly what the subject line advertised. It took about four minutes to read. Yes, I do want to make perfect rice every time, thank you very much.
My son Alex
Three words are really powerful in my completely overloaded inbox. Instantly, I know this is a parent talking, so I identify and my interest is activated. The preheader reveals who this is from (helpful since it’s not obvious otherwise) and starts with my first name – not my legal first name, but my nickname that I go by out in the world. These few details have both a visual and an emotional way of standing out on an inbox page littered with everything from coffee coupons to online bill pay confirmations. This is from a non-profit organization and uses an emotional appeal from a father. They could have cluttered up the subject line with more actionable statements like “We need your support” or “Get involved now.” Instead, they chose to let simplicity, the connection of parenthood and someone’s first name do their thing. And it works.
SUPER. DUPER. CLEARANCE.
If an email marketer is going to use all caps, the offer better be worth yelling about. It’s not often that all caps and interesting punctuation are used (intentionally) to break through the clutter and get the reader to click. Perhaps people generating this content understand that choosing capitalized letters is generally incompatible with brand voice and loses its effectiveness with overuse. However, here it grabbed my attention easily with a preheader that makes sense thematically and gives more information (Our biggest Clearance sale starts now!). Overall the voice is bold, playful and backed up by some good deals once the email is opened. If there’s successful formula for a retail subject line, this one satisfies it.
So it seems that great subject lines – those powerful enough to penetrate even the most overgrown (some might say “forsaken”) inboxes – are an artful balance of brevity, voice and relevance. The exercise of trying to tell your story in the subject line with as few characters as possible is valuable on a couple of levels. First, it’ll likely stand out against all the other too-long email subjects. Second, it forces quality writing by boiling your overall approach down to the key message and then conveying it (or building excitement or mystery around it) in a tight little sentence that packs a real attention-grabbing wallop. Developing a brand voice is also critical to guiding your email subject lines and preheaders. You want your messages to all sound like they came from one unified source or entity. You want to be known not just for being clever or blunt, but for doing so in the context of your particular business’s value or mission. Lastly, relevance is likely the most powerful of all aspects of successful subject lines, because if it’s something I don’t want to know more about, even the best subject line ever written might fail.
Just for fun, I’ll leave you with five less than effective subject lines and rewrites to consider. Compare them to the stars I’ve discussed above, and you can see the difference – whether it’s vague or confusing information, too many characters or just poor sentence structure. Good subject lines have a half a second to do their job, so the more thoughtful and strategic they can be when plugged into the goals of your overall campaign, the better.
75% Off Garcinia Cambogia, 1-Carat Diamond Solitaire Ring, 1/2CTW Certified Diamond Rings & More
I don’t know what that first thing even is, so I’m moving on to the next email. Also, this is a bit wordy. Suggested rewrite: Get the goods at 75% off. Preheader: Supplements, diamonds & more.
9 hair samples + a big summer release
Ew. Why would I want hair samples? Careful! Sometimes, words strung together in the interest of character count take on another, more confusing, less appealing meaning than intended. Suggested rewrite: Try 9 hair products + a big summer release.
$24* off Ends Tonight
If legal makes you put an asterisk right by the offer in the subject line, find a different way to say it. This not to subtly tells me right away that there’s a catch. Naturally, I’ll skip it. Suggested rewrite: Cheap airfare on super-sale. Ends tonight.
Iconic Moscow Mule mugs; spoil your pet with Jax & Bones; Susan Shaw jewelry; easy bath makeovers & more
Too many words and characters. Too many seemingly unrelated items. Too much punctuation. Just. Too. Much. Suggested Rewrite: The Moscow Mule Mug + pets, bling & bath. This uses the most interesting item to stand out in the first 20-ish characters. Then it adds one-word items to represent categories along with a couple symbols – an ampersand and a plus sign – two icons that always mean “more” to a reader.
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