How To Write Killer Email Subject Lines

Key Takeaways

here are five surefire ways to write subject lines that will get your subscribers to actually open your email [Music] hey guys it's Alex and in this video I'll be sharing my five tips for copywriting compelling subject lines now I have spoken about the importance of your headlines before headlines are strategically written attention-grabbing statements with the sole purpose of getting your readers to engage with you to either click an ad to continue reading your sales message or yes even watch your YouTube video they are the very first thing that your prospect reads so yes you guessed it subject lines are essentially the headlines of your email marketing but to nail a compelling subject line that stands out among a sea of other emails and get your subscribers to open and actually read your message now that's a tall mission a great subject line needs to communicate the promise of value it needs to tell your subscribers that what's inside will benefit them and it needs to build trust and it needs to do it all in just a few short words which is why your subject line is the single most important element of your email and should never be an afterthought it's the pick up line the page turner that split second first impression you give the crowd as you make your entrance at a party that determines how the rest of your night will go you get the idea and if you're a copywriter like me I'm sure you've noticed some pretty impressive subject lines in your inbox that really made you go hmm I see what you did there and click open there are dozens of creative tactics floating around out there for writing a compelling subject line but in this email marketing tutorial I'm gonna show you my fave 5 the go-to subject line writing rules that I've seen work time and time again for boosting open rate and building long-term trust with your subscribers now before I dive in be sure to hit the subscribe button below this video so you don't miss any more marketing and copywriting tips from me every single week I release a new video where I share the secrets I've learned from working with some of the most amazing brands across the world since starting my copywriting business eight years ago which brings me to a couple of important disclaimer when writing subject lines make sure they align with a brand voice you're writing for different audiences will respond to different styles and languages so it's critical that you take that into account in your email marketing I once used WTF in an email subject line for a client and let's just say it did not go over well and I gave the poor customer support team quite the headache to deal with sorry guys and also keep yourself up to date on the latest keywords and phrases that may trigger the spam police spam accounts for a shocking 48 percent of email worldwide and spam filters are getting tighter and tighter especially in Gmail the last thing you want is to have an email that you spent hours working on end up in the junk folder because it doesn't matter how good your email is if no one is reading it keeping deliverability rates high is one of the greatest challenges email marketers and contrib writers are facing today so stay tuned because in the very near future I'll be releasing another video on how to increase your chances of your emails actually being seen okay now that we got that out of the way let's dive into my 5 tips for writing compelling email subject lines tip number one create some urgency hi yes probably the oldest trick in the sales book and that's because creating urgency is an undeniable way to compel customers to take action it works for the very simple psychological reason that people hate missing out ergun see implies that there's a short window of time for someone to act increasing the likelihood that they will we are inherent procrastinators people that have given the choice will always choose to put things off until later that is unless it's urgent Bobo is that play now listen I'm not here to encourage you to replicate some sales the infomercial from the past the idea here is to apply urgency in a creative and authentic way that truly provides value to your subscribers for example you can be specific about an upcoming deadline and the benefits they'll receive by acting now and not later like you have 2,000 reward points left to claim by January 1st or you're 50% off promo code expires in 48 hours or we only have 10 left Alex communicating scarcity and urgency is an easy way to boost open rates but be careful not to rely on these tactics too often only use them when the occasion genuinely calls for immediate action or else you're gonna look like the brand who cried wolf okay so now on to our second tip can you guess what it is so you open your inbox and you see the subject line does this freak you out - yep tip number two is to evoke curiosity who doesn't love a bit of mystery you wanted in your new relationships at the end of your Netflix season finales and even yes in your inbox using mystery in your subject line creates an open loop which triggers a strong urge and your subscribers minds to fill that gap of missing information a great way to do this is to use a cliffhanger like when was the last time you or remember that one time another creative way to pique curiosity is to ask your subscribers a question or promise them something interesting inside and don't be afraid to sound a little bit strange or unusual for example this subject line from refinery29 really caught my attention I got Botox and this is what I looked like or this one from Kate Spade you have to see what's in this bag or this one that I wrote for numerologist calm is this freakishly accurate for you - one thing to keep in mind is to not be too mysterious to the point of obscurity and of course make sure that your emails does provide information enclosure or else your subscribers will feel betrayed you will lose their trust so now I'm curious to know what are some of the best subject lines that you've seen hit your inbox lately comment below and let me know alright moving on to tip number three don't be afraid to be controversial now this is a little more risque than the rest of my tips but if your brand has a personality that isn't afraid to push the envelope or question the norm by all means be bold today's audiences are expecting more authenticity and personality from the brand's they subscribe to so sometimes it actually helps to use controversy to polarize your audience as I like to say polarity creates popularity so here's a really powerful example that I saw used by LinkedIn over Thanksgiving Black Friday shoppers are the worst customers my first reaction whoa that's a strong statement my second I better click to make sure I'm not one of those people sure LinkedIn may have seemed a little bit judgey with that subject line but here's why it totally worked first while it was polarizing they weren't actually selling anything on Black Friday so they weren't at the risk of calling their customers the worst in that moment second it was a highly relevant subject line - given the time of year and it likely resonated with a wide majority of their audience when it came to the madness of holiday shopping and lastly the email led to a well researched article with the same title which meant the controversy also had some consistency and credibility backing it up it wasn't just a play to get more clicks so again while controversy is indeed a powerful weapon this all depends on the audience you're speaking to so don't be afraid to ruffle some feathers but do be mindful and make sure you're still honoring the brand toys alright tip number four get personal if you think a subject line doesn't give you enough time and space to pack an emotional punch think again one of the best ways to engage email subscribers is to connect with them emotionally you don't necessarily have to have them tearing up or jumping for joy but eliciting emotional residents in your language even in the simplest of ways can be extremely powerful one of the easiest ways to do this is through personalization such as adding the readers first name to a subject line and ironically even though we all know that it's nothing more than an automated input field in marketing emails it still works according to optinmonster addressing subscribers by their first names and subject lines can boost open rates by 10 to 14 percent I know I'm more likely to click on an email that says Alex you forgot these items in your cart compared to just you forgot these items in your cart and keep in mind that personalization is becoming more and more expected in marketing and that extends far past subject lines marketing is no longer about spraying one marketing message all over the internet to everyone the future of effective email marketing will be sending behavior based emails in real time to your subscribers based on their specific action interest and engagement habits so for example if you know that the majority of your subscribers open your emails on mobile use a subject line that creates a link between your email content and the activity or situation that your subscriber is most likely in and can identify with immediately like this subject line from UNICEF will you put down your phone to save a child's life now that is one powerful subject line smart segmentation of your email list is imperative and increasing personalization in your messaging across all channels can lead to a massive 500% increase consumer spending okay now another great way to create emotional residence in your subject lines is to speak to your readers hopes fears and dreams through future pacing or in other words helping your audience visualize what could be possible for that in the very near future in just a few short words for example unleash your inner Beyonce or imagine yourself one year from today Alex I love both of those subject lines and now we're down to number five on the list tell them exactly what's inside sometimes simple and straightforward does the job best there's a good chance that you're sending emails to a ton of subscribers that have inboxes filled to the brim with countless other messages from colleagues companies and family members vying for their attention so how do you increase your chances of your email getting read first instead of the others the answer cut to the chase give them the what how why where who right off the bat this is even more important if you're sending them a product or information that's essential to their customer experience with you for example your copywriting course PDF link is inside or here's your ticket and your invoice for the show or your two-week Fitness Challenge starts today there's no strategy involved it just gets the job done and these types of emails really create trust with your audience they're not family they are practical okay there you have it five of my favorite ways to write a compelling subject line now of course I'm not suggesting you cram all of these tips into one subject line the goal is to first determine the type of email you're sending and then choose the method that works best and then make sure to use a mix of these different tactics throughout your marketing campaigns and newsletters and please remember the number one rule is to always focus on adding value first clickbait be subject lines might boost open rate in the short term but they're only gonna hurt your conversions long term okay guys there you have it give me a thumbs up below if you found this video helpful and next up be sure to catch my videos on how to write hot headline and the four types of scarcity you should be using in your marketing you can watch those videos here and here and be sure to subscribe to catch my video next week until then I'm Alex ciao for now whoo that was fun cut OOP