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37 Email Subject Lines That Increase Email Open Rates by 348%

10 Subject Lines to Increase Email Open Rates by 348% in 2019.

Regardless of which industry you are in, Email Marketing is still essential to keep in touch with customers, cold outreach, rekindling client relationships and getting new sales. The most important aspects of any Email Campaign are your open rates and subject lines. But more importantly, your email list needs to be cleaned to ensure no emails bounce. We use email verification service emailverify.co. But let's get back into email open rates!

You have just seconds to grab your readers attention and make them a proposition they cannot refuse. You don't just entice them to click on the email subject line, you make sure they do and they click it with intrigue. Writing a good email subject line makes all the difference!

People usually wonder, how do you get better email open rates? You use a catchy subject line of course. The subject line of your email should connect with the reader on a personal level that makes then want to click. Personalized email subject lines are responsible for over a 50% increase in email open rates. Thats remarkable isn't it!

Another factor to consider with email marketing is bounce rate reduction. To ensure that you don't get a high bounce rate on your email marketing campaign you need to verify your email list before sending out emails. Once you have your email list cleaned using a reputable service like EmailVerify.co , you can focus on the email content and most importantly personalized email subject lines.

Below we will go over the 10 types of subject lines that we use here at RankToday which are sure to increase your email open rates and make any email marketing campaign successful. Using these email subject line tips you will learn from examples, understand the perfect length, symbol usage, sales and cold email techniques we use in our email outreach.

Here are the 10 types of Subject Lines that Increase Email Open Rates:

  1. Fear Of Missing Out Subject Lines
  2. Curiosity and Intriguing Subject Lines
  3. Funny and Smile Worthy Subject Lines
  4. Vanity and Self Improvement Subject Lines
  5. Greed and Thrifty Subject Lines
  6. Target The Lazy Subject Lines
  7. The Solution Subject Lines
  8. Retargeting Subject Lines
  9. Personalized Subject Lines
  10. To The point Subject Lines

Why are Email Subject Lines So Important?

Did you know that a majority of users, when looking at an email for the first time, use the subject line as a deciding factor between spam mail and normal mail. That means you have a 69% chance of ending up in the spam folder solely based on the subject line you choose for your email.

So is your subject line important? Heck yea it is!

Anatomy of The Perfect Email Subject Line

Writing a good email subject line is dependent on a few factors. You have to understand your target audience, look for cracks in competitors email strategies and then find a unique way to connect with your email newsletter readers.

The Proper Subject Line for Emails

A lot of marketers and small business owners try to find the perfect or proper method to writing attention-grabbing subject lines, but that should not be the case. Take a look at this simple subject line creation process we use:

  1. Understand your audience
  2. Sign up for your competitors' newsletter and track attention-grabbing email subject lines in a spread sheet.
  3. Compare your top 3 competitors
  4. Find a weak connecting point no one else is tackling. The subject line of your email should use this weakness to connect with readers

A great service that tracks competitor emails and gives you insights and reports is MailCharts. It helps you keep up to date with best practices, what your competitors are focusing on and it removes the hassle of subscribing and monitoring all those newsletters yourself. But if you go the manual route you can see that this method involves a bit of self-research and is unique to your own business and competition. You might find some great examples in your competitor's emails that you were previously not aware of.

The Subject Line Testing Process

Testing your subject lines using A/B testing is one thing, but looking at them for unique traits that help open rates is another. There are a few components that should always be considered as constants when looking at subject lines.

  1. Email Subject Line Length:
    According to data from marketers, 41 characters or 7 words is the perfect subject line length. You will notice that this length is actually 10 characters less than the average subject line length recommended. Sometimes short and sweet is better!
  2. Using Symbols in the Email Subject line:
    The use of emojis and symbols in subject lines is no new tactic. However, we noticed out of 13,000 sales emails we sent emails with symbols had a 12.9% higher open rate when compared to no symbols. It might not seem like a huge difference but when you increase your test sample size it could mean a few extra thousands in sales.
  3. Email Subject Line Capitalization:
    All caps in an email subject line might seem childish but depending on its length you might want to consider using caps. We noticed that short 1-4 word subject lines using all caps had a 33.8% higher click-through rate. Our favorite example of using all caps in an email subject line is pictured below in our Curiosity subject lines section.

Using this testing process you can get an idea for what to look out for and change when you send out your next email marketing campaign.

So if you are still wondering what is the best way to use your subject line to get more email opens and increase your open rates. We go over 10 types of subject lines that are a sure way to get you in the personal inbox on your first try.

10 types of Email Subject Lines to Increase Open Rates.

1. Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) Subject Lines

This principle is based on innate human nature. When we perceive that we will be left behind by the herd and will miss out on an opportunity our first instinct is to hold on and grasp it. We reach out instinctively without considering the consequences or thinking it through. We do this because we do not wish to miss out, it the fear of missing out that enables us to opt-in and click the subject line.

So what are some ways you can use FOMO subject lines in your emails?

  • Neiman Marcus: "Last chance: just for you >> extra 35% off 1 item"
  • Sears: “TONIGHT ONLY 🌃 Save up to 20% EXTRA during MIDNIGHT MADNESS ”
  • Mens Wearhouse: "Hurry, sale ends Sunday! Extra 30% off clearance + buy 1 get 1 FREE"
  • Tom Yevsikov: "(24 HOURS LEFT) Don't miss out on the AWESOME bonuses"
  • Ebates: "3 days only! Earn DOUBLE on fashion & accessories"

FOMO Email Subject Lines

2. Curiosity and Intriguing Subject Lines

If you peak someones interest with your email topic you will for sure get the click. But how do you do that exactly. What are the precise words you need to use to make sure people are super intrigued in order to open your emails.

Here are a few examples of intriguing Email subject lines:

  • Bernie Schaeffer: "We scored this 131% win"
  • AMC Theatres: "Epic Movie Alert"
  • Tom Yevsikov: " Gone"

Curiosity Email Subject Lines_

See how that last email subject line really makes you wonder. What exactly is gone, do i need to know? Would it benefit me? Did I miss out? Maybe i can get in next time? What exactly is it and why is it in my inbox. That's all an email marketer needs form a user. A subject line that excites user interest and makes them click through. These types if subject lines increase email click through rate and open rates dramatically when compared to other boring ones.

3. Funny and Hilarious Subject lines

Some say the best way to connect with another person heart to heart is to make them smile or laugh. If you can come up with a unique, relatable and funny subject line to grab your readers attention you might even get them to buy.

Here are some of our favorite funny subject lines that gave us a smile:

  • Groupon: "Something Smells Delicious: These Deals"
  • Proozy: " North Face You Can Snuggle With 😄"
  • The Muse: “We Like Being Used”
  • Grubhub: "In case you didn't know, we deliver"

funny email subject lines

Sometimes stating the obvious can be a bit funny. Here GrubHub reminds users that they deliver, I mean we all know what else are they besides a delivery service. But these simple subject lines not only bring about smiles they provide a sense of witty humor and give personality. They also allow companies to connect with prospective customers at a whole new level.

4. Vanity and Self Improvement Subject Lines

When you want to get even more personal with subject lines you have to target a person's vanity. Unlike other things, vanity exists in us all in one form or another. Speaking to this, however, can be extremely profitable to your email campaign. Not only could you find your self with better click-through rates for your emails but you could find new life long customers for your business or brand.

Here are some of our favorite vanity subject lines:

  • Spring: "Commute in Style"
  • Popular Science: "Scientifically sexy dance moves 💃🕺"
  • MAC Cosmetics: "Make Your Skin #GlowForReal 🙌✨"
  • Spring: "This really suits you"

Vanity Email Subject Line

If you can spark readers interest by mentioning their look and fell while making them feel at ease then vanity subject lines are perfect. They provide a very deep and trusting connection with your reader, who instantly becomes ready to learn, join and purchase what you are offering.

5. Greed and Thrifty Subject Lines

One of the most taboo subjects of our generation. Greed is looked at as a bad thing and a majority of us consider ourselves as not being greedy. But let's take a look at what do we truly desire, we want the best of things, at the lowest of prices with the greatest of quality. So these are our weaknesses. And if anyone wants to target these enticing us with offers that make us salivate than we most likely wont hold back. Does that make us really greedy? Well, maybe not. But Deal based emails with unbelievable offers from brands we trust can really make us or any consumer go crazy!

Here are some of our favorite greed based email subject lines.

  • TigerDirectB2B: "Deal Alert! Laptops Up To $1,450 Off"
  • Old Navy: "😱 $10 S W E A T E R S *fans self*"
  • Rosetta Stone: "3 Bonus Months"
  • Best Buy: "Hey early birds, save up to $650 on the new Samsung Galaxy S10"

Greed and offer subject lines

Old Navy does it great. $10 sweaters sound like such a steal. The headline captivates your attention and the viewer's thrifty nature. Try to emulate this style to get your readers to reach into your pocket

6. Target The Lazy Subject Lines

We have this tendency to avoid work and its natural. So if you can tell your readers that you will be saving them time, effort and research to get things done, then you will have their attention. Usually to do this offer something unique, like a checklist, or a tutorial video, or an idea list.

The best way to do this is by curating your article list and your email campaigns to go together. Here are some examples of sloth or lazy subject lines:

  • Kat @ Marketing Solved : "717 Organic Leads from YouTube"
  • ByPeople & ShockFamily: "12,500 Vector Icons Megapack"
  • Abhi Dwivedi: "🔰 Add 1000s of Subscribers - Build a buyers list easily"

irresistible offer email example

This email uses a few email marketing tips together. The intriguing tagline in the email "800+ Premium Vector Designs Pack" and provides some visual examples as well as an irresistible offer. As you can see each of these subject lines offer something that would save you time if you just clicked through.

7. The Solution Subject Lines

To get into someones good graces you try to solve their immediate problems or pain points. This type of subject line is just that. You find a solution to your readers' problems and then offer it to them in a super enticing and engaging way hopefully at a discount. This tactic uses some of the other subject line tips from above and combined them into an effective email open rate booster strategy.

  • Ipage: "Are you ready to get your website built? We have 2 great options!"
  • Google: "Bring Google Analytics and Google Ads together"
  • Ovh: "The perfect solution for your backup storage challenges"

the solution to your problem email

Using solution-based approaches to grab attention usually always works when you have something you sell or your fixing a problem someone needs to resolve immediately. Usually, these emails work really well with retargeting campaigns where you know someone landed on a landing page and watched a video about a certain pain point problem. You then target them with a hyper related email campaign using solution based subject lines.

8. Retargeting Subject Lines

These email types are usually used to entice people to complete an action like a sign up or purchase after visiting a website. Re targeting emails are essential sequences used when a user doesn't complete a form fully, or a user adds products to cart and doesn't check out. These emails are essentially irresistible offers to have users complete the process. Here are a few examples below of great retargeting subject lines.

  • Startup Drugz: "Rescue your abandoned cart today!"
  • Sears: "Want to know your cart status?"
  • GoDaddy: "Complete your order today"

Retargeting Email Subject Lines

9. Personalized Subject Lines

As you know remembering names when speaking with someone gets you in their good books instantly. It makes this unique connection with them that they appreciate. So is using names in subject lines crucial? According to a study to see how personalized emails increase transactions, Experian a marketing service states that personalization in subject lines can give you 25 percent increase in open rates. On top of that it also helps with click throughs at an over 51 percent increase just by using an exact name. Here are a few examples:

  • ZipRecruiter: " Mary, we have a client looking for candidates like you"
  • JVzoo: "James, Your COUPON has arrived"
  • J.Crew: "Maria we have New stuff, right this way"

10. To The point Subject Lines

If you have a small curated email list, be sure to always design and target your emails to the point. You don't always have to get fancy with headings or subject lines. Depending on your niche and how busy your readers are they might actually appreciate this a lot more than you realize. For example if you are marketing to Lawyers you might want to keep your email subjects lines to a precise length and narrative. It saves them time, it allows them to see if the email is valuable and we hope it it. Here are a few examples;

  • Company Newsletter
  • Event News Bulletin
  • Happy Holidays
  • Don't forget to Sign up
  • A moment for a survey

A Final Thought on Irresistible Subject Lines

Crafting your email subject line with precision is crucial. If you want to increase your open rates you need to grab attention. But while doing so don't forget the basics. The majority of users are mobile users on the go. So make sure your email lines are short and they fit the screen and are clean and concise.

Here are a few ways to make your subject lines stand out:

  1. Make it short and sweet
  2. Use emojis in your subject line, either in the start or at the end.
  3. Be sure to test on multiple devices using Zurb's Subject Test

test your email subject lines

Always, Test, Test , Test.
Be sure to comment below to give your thoughts and your best working subject lines.

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