Effective E-mail Subject Lines

[Manny]

One of the most important elements of your email communications is the subject line. Next to the "from" address -- which should be a recognizable company name -- the subject line will determine whether your email gets opened.

Writing a great subject line is no small challenge. You only have a few words to make it compelling, urgent and specific -- without sounding too sales-like or misleading your readers.

Here are some tips for writing subject lines that'll get great results:

1. Keep it short and sweet. Do your best to keep your subject lines under 50 characters, including spaces, as most email clients display 50 characters or less.

2. Be specific. A vague subject line is a waste of prime real estate.

3. Write it last. When you're done with the body of your email, read it over, pick the nugget that'll entice your readers to learn more by opening your message and use that for your subject line.

4. Take some time. Considering how important subject lines are, take some time to think about them and write several -- at least three or four -- before choosing which one to use.

5. Test it. Split your list in half and use a different subject line for each group. After a number of tests like this, you'll have a very good idea of what works for the people on your list.

The next time you're tempted to rush through the process of writing a subject line, think about the number of emails you get every day. After the effort you've put into composing your email, don't you want to ensure that people open and read it?

[Andrea]

I do agree. The subject is the first thing that people see so you really have to catch their attention. But don't deceive them by writing a subject that's totally different from the message just to get them to read your email. The next time you send an email, they might not take you seriously. Subjects with words like "get rich" or "win this insanely expensive prize" really sound like spam.

[x-man]

Great tips Manny! Attention-grabbing, short & concise emails are the things that interest people. Let's put it this way...basically, people don't have time to read. A long and winding email is most likely end up being junked or trashed out.

[Megatron]

Yes! It is very important to keep Subject lines clear and concise. People who may get a lot of e-mail appreciate easily understood subjects, such as "Dinner Party Thursday April 18" as opposed to "hmmmmm." Especially with so much junk e-mail (spam) floating around, your recipients will appreciate a good Subject line.

[Michelle]

Absolutely right! Even if how beatifully, correctly and content-rich an nemail is, its worth will be put to the trash once it's left unread. The key really is to attract them by using attention-catcher email subjects. In analogy, the email itself is the treasure and the subject is the key....

[seogirl]

Are there any specific tips for writing good subject lines?

I know that for a billboard ad, you should never use more than 7 words.

Does this hold true for subject lines as well?

Should the subject line be a complete sentence? (not necessarily, I would think)

Is there a particular structure (subject-verb, maybe?) that is generally recommended?

Do you know if anyone has done consumer research regarding what constitutes a subject line that is likely to appeal to users?