Top Email Subject Lines to Get the Most Out of Your Form Captures

Over half of the world’s population uses email. This number is expected to exponentially grow to around 4.3 billion by 2023, making email one of the best communication channels on the internet.

But there's just one problem: you've got to entice people to open your emails. And to do that, you need to know how to write an effective email subject line.

In this article, we'll cover how you can write subject lines that'll make people want to open your emails, and help you get the most out of form captures.

The different types of lead emails

Emails are one of the most popular ways in which digital marketers convert leads. These emails are sent to potential or recurring customers, getting them to open and browse through in the hope that they convert into a purchase.

Emailers come in different forms, based on what outcome the marketer is looking for, such as:

• Lead Nurturing: helps get more customers by targeting individuals based on relevance.
• Standalone Emails: these can aid in getting the attention of the receiver to any sales or offers going on.
• Transactional: these emails are sent out after an order to notify a customer about the status of his purchase.
• Milestone Emails: showcasing the achievements of the company for customers to view and transact.

Newsletters are generally the most popular mode of communication, with close to 83% of companies sending them out.

Companies and brands spend a lot on designing these newsletters right down to the smallest detail because if done right, they can bring a sizable chunk of revenue for them.

One aspect that needs to be kept in mind while sending emailers is that the subject line plays a significant role in deciding its fate. Subject lines are the first things your customers notice when they receive a mail in their inbox.

Why are email subject lines so important?

Subject lines can make or break your email. Here are a few email subject line statistics to show just how important it is to write the perfect subject line (and how many companies don't dedicate the time to do so):

• 35% of all email recipients open the mail based purely on the subject line.
• General E-mailers, which include the first name of the recipient in the subject line, had a higher CTR than those which didn’t.
• 21% of email recipients end up reporting emailers as spam
• 35% of business professionals check all their emails on their mobile devices, with 11:00 A.M. ET having the highest CTR for all email sends.
• 21% of people end up checking their emails at least five times a day.

While the average person receives around 121 e-mailers a day, the likelihood of them opening your email hinges on whether or not it catches their attention. This is where the importance of subject lines becomes crucial.

So, while we are still on this “subject”, you must understand how well you can market your product and get your potential customers to click on the message and redirect them toward your website. Let’s find out!  

Essentials for a killer email subject line

Now you understand the subject line is king, let’s understand the essential components that are required for a compelling subject line.

Building a relevant email list

To make your subject lines work, you need to ensure that the company itself has a good product or service line which can be advertised. Once that is in place, it’s all about finding the right pieces of the puzzle and putting them together.

The first step to writing a great subject line, even before getting into the content, is finding the right email list. A good email list ensures that the content you’ve worked hard on only finds the right audience members.

By finding the right audience, you’re effectively eliminating those who are less unlikely to open your email.  You can build an email list by collecting signups on a landing page, or adding a CTA to your website content, like the one below:

Writing high-quality email copy

The content of an email is the second most crucial aspect of your strategy because poor content can put all your efforts to waste.

One essential thing to keep in mind is to make sure that your copy is in sync with the overall branding of your company. Consistent messaging means that customers will not just transact, but look forward to your emails hitting their inboxes.

Once your customers click on an email,  the content is what should entice them to move forward and make a purchase or not. If your email content is not up to the mark, then your email marketing becomes futile.

More often, this situation also leads to your target audience marking your emails as spam, signalling the death knell to your emailer strategy.

On the bright side, e-mails with great content not only please a customer from an aesthetic point of view (good design + excellent text) but can also nudge them closer to purchasing your products/services.

By using the different trigger points as mentioned in the first point  (new customer, returning customer etc.), you can catch influence your target group at a time when they are more likely to purchase from your company.

Carefully crafting your subject line

Subject lines are the primary reason that people end up clicking on emailers, so they need to be tactical in addition to catchy.

By tactical, we mean ingraining a few psychological principles to get customers to click them. A few tricks include:

• Using the customer’s first name in the subject line. This gives them an impression that they are being talked to directly, and personalisation is always a great way to go about it.
• The words “OFFER” or “SALE!” are great ways to get people’s attention. People are always looking for a great deal online, and you can push them to purchase with this subject line.
• Flash sales are another great way to get people to click on your email as they are more inclined toward buying something that has a time limit on it. Ensure you’ve planned well in advance when you’re planning a sale as demand can sometimes outweigh supply, causing you to cancel some orders.

70 Examples of successful email subject lines

Getting the right subject lines for your emails is essential and is also a recurring process. You can’t get it right in one go, but constant practice will help you find the right subject lines to get people to click on the same.

To make this easier for you, we have curated a few examples of excellent subject line motives and options which can push customers to click:

Curiosity

Curiosity is always a great way to entice customers to click on your e-mailers. Your subject lines can be tailored in a way to get them to click. A few examples include:

1. Here’s a surprise gift for you!
2. 10 habits that can help you get richer.
3. Is this you?
4. Take this quiz to find out how much of a Taurus you really are!
5. What do people eat in prison?
6. 9 interesting facts about Thanksgiving.
7. Here’s the hottest career in marketing.
8. It’s time to talk about Facebook.
9. Only one more day left to see what this email is about.
10. Check out these rare products going on sale.

Fear of missing out (FOMO)

Fear Of Missing Out or FOMO is another popular way in which customers are enticed to open emails. By pushing popular products and giving them a timeline to be purchased, companies are successful in getting customers to open emails.

1. Shirts for just $30, available till midnight.
2. Here are some books that are too good to miss!
3. Grab this free pass before it’s gone.
4. This sale is only on till Sunday!
5. Your discount is about to expire soon!
6. In case you missed out on these…Oh no!
7. Your prescription is expiring!
8. Burgundy is in high demand. Click here to know why.
9. Denim till this dies!
10. A sale that lasts once in a lifetime!We want to give you money!

Addressing Pain Points

By addressing pain points of customers, you’re giving them a way out of their problems via a smart emailer:

1. Feed your guests without breaking your bank.
2. What to do with those extra toys?
3. Get more kitchen space with some simple fixes.
4. Stop wasting so much on ink!
5. Your beauty issues solved easily.
6. How to survive your overnight flight.
7. Stop wasting time on mindless work.
8. Learn a language in just 5 minutes a day!
9. All your summer outfit dilemmas, solved!
10. A fun little way to survive the holidays!

Using humour

Humour is always a great way to lighten the mood and get people to click because they are genuinely impressed:

1. Hey! Were you gonna delete this?
2. We like being used!
3. If you click, we won’t tell your boss!
4. Here’s how you drink beer at work!
5. 27 people you meet on New Year’s Eve.
6. It’s time to say NO! If someone wants to borrow your stuff!
7. Look what you did…
8. Let’s get crack’alackin!
9. Revised policies regarding jeans to work.
10. How to avoid being the sweaty guy at gym.

Showing social proof

One of the most popular ways to validate your customers is to tell them that the others are doing the same stuff. Here’s how:

1. Your friends are cooking up a storm...
2. Top picks for golf lovers like you
3. Most popular recipes of this week
4. Top reviewed styles from customers like you
5. John Legend and AirBnB await!
6. Simple recipes from the most popular chefs
7. 5 homes that are trending right now!
8. Rachel McAdams and Rachel Weisz on the Female Gaze
9. 18 habits that highly successful people follow!
10. See what our clients are saying…

Being sale-oriented

Having sales numbers on your e-mailers make it the best way to get people to click and even lead to purchases. Here are some popular subject lines:

1. Two for two.
2. Complimentary gift wrap on all purchases.
3. 25% off your favourites.
4. New must-haves for your office.
5. A new product you won’t pass on.
6. Meet your new jeans.
7. A little luxury at a great price.
8. Get a head start on summer.
9. Get priority access.
10. Flash. Sale. Alert!

Personalising your subject lines

Personalized emails add that personal touch to intrigue customers to click and transact with your brand. Here are a few subject lines that worked successfully:

1. Are you coming?
2. You’ve Changed.
3. Mary, do you remember me?
4. So I’ll pick you up at 7?
5. I didn’t see your name in the comments!?
6. 300% increase in revenue with a single option + a neat growth trick from my mastermind!
7. Mary, check out these hand-picked looks.
8. You free this Thurs at 12PM PST?
9. Crazy Invitation, I am Going to Buy You Lunch…
10. Vanilla or Chocolate?

Over to you

Thus, finding the right subject line can make such a big difference to your email campaign. If you’re looking to start with your strategy, here are a few email marketing solutions that can help you begin.

You can easily track the success of your subject lines by measuring your open rate. Use a reliable email tracker that integrates with your email client to get started with this right away.

We hope that this new finding will help you sky-rocket your email marketing sales in a significant way! Let us know which subject line worked for you the best in the comments below.