With the average person receiving 121 emails a day, it can be difficult to send an email that actually gets opened. A powerful email subject line gives you the best chance to grab your reader's attention.

In this guide, we'll explore why email subject lines make a difference. We'll also share with you some simple hacks to craft the perfect line every single time.

Why is a subject line important?

We all receive more emails than we actually open. The right subject line is the best chance to stand out, communicate value, and reward the reader for opening and engaging.

Imagine someone has returned from a week off, the Monday before Black Friday. An inbox overflowing with important emails, promotions, and holiday-season rush. What subject line would help you stand out? If you can grab their attention, you can grab anyone's.

How to craft a compelling subject line

Here are the building blocks to composing subject lines that will hook your entire email list.

Get personal

Let's start our email subject line best practices with a big one: personalization. With a growing amount of AI tools and clever coding options available, putting the recipient's name in the subject line is easier than ever before. It's one of the simplest, most reliable ways to increase your conversion rate.

Segmentation can also lead to higher open rates. Rather than blasting out new product announcements to everyone on your email list, narrow your audience down to people you think will genuinely connect with that content. By default, it will make your subject lines more effective.

Be active

There are two ways to make a successful email subject line more active. First, you can avoid passive voice. Passive voice sounds less compelling and can come across as spammy.

By contrast, active voice is clear and confident. It's especially effective when including a call to action in your subject line — which is one of the best ways to drive engagement. Whether you're asking a question, motivating a purchase, or requesting a response, a call to action is crucial in the subject line of every sales email.

Create urgency

Creating a sense of urgency with your email subject line can improve open and conversion rates. If you hit every other point on our list and pique someone's interest, that's only half the battle.

The other half is getting that person to read your email right now. The best way to create urgency is by communicating scarcity and prompting FOMO — fear of missing out. If you're running a promotion for a limited time, mention that in your subject line. If only 10 spots are available for your webinar, mention that. 

Note that audiences are sensitive to false scarcity tactics. If you misuse this approach you can end up breaking trust with your audience.

Stay focused

One of the most important facets of crafting a good email subject line is focus. Don't get carried away with clever wording and cutesy phrases. If someone reads nothing more than your subject line, they should still get a sense of what your email campaigns are about.

It's not just about staying focused on content, however. It's also about branding. Make sure your email subject line exemplifies your brand voice. It may be your only chance to connect with your audience.

Adding even small, simple personal touches that align with your brand voice will make a big difference. If you use emojis on your social media, use similar emojis to punctuate your subject line. However, additions like emojis should also directly align with your branding. 

When done well, this can help tie every aspect of your campaign together, whether it's e-commerce or informational. If you just throw a handful of random emojis on the end to look hip, you're more likely to trigger a provider's spam filters. 

In essence, the best subject line is one that your audience knows is from your brand without having to check the sender's name.

The bottom line

Our inboxes are busier than ever, and great subject lines are the way to stand out. 

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