Not to beat a dead horse, but there’s no more important content in your organization’s email and e-newsletters than the subject line.
I’ve thought and written a lot about this topic, but was struck by these imaginative suggestions from Gail Goodman, CEO of e-newsletter service provider Constant Contact:
- Ask a question
- Obviously, the question has to be relevant to your audiences
- Be a tease
- You’re not going to believe this…
- Tell it like it is
- The just the facts approach works best when you have a specific audience and know their interests
- Get up close and personal
- Use "you" in the subject line — Your gift can change this family’s life.
Lots of great ideas here for you to put to use. I urge you to experiment, but wait to complete the body of the email before you write the subject line. Review the email to identify the most compelling element; then feature that in the subject line.
Do you have other email subject line strategies to share? Please comment below.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve been wrestling with this one for a while. There seem to be benefits to using this kind of subject line, but there are also benefits to using the same subject line every month.
A consistent subject line is less likely to be seen as spam. Your readers come to expect it.
What do you think?
Thanks for your comment, Chris. Yes, consistency is critical but that can be addressed by including the name (or an abbreviated version) of your e-news in brackets, followed by the attention grabbing headline. Best of both worlds.
Here’s a recent example from the Getting Attention e-news that motivated thousands of readers to open the email:
[Getting Attention] How to Do Grand Plan Marketing 90 Days at a Time
Best,
Nancy
Nancy, the best advice is your own at the end … write the subject line last. I find that 9 out of 10 times the writing process sharpens & crystallizes the core point I want to convey … sometimes changing from my original intent. Revisiting the “placeholder” blog title or subject line almost always yields something punchier.
Tom