How To Write Subject Lines That Get Your Emails Opened Every Time
Written by: Justine Beauregard, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Hundreds of billions of emails are sent and received daily. How are you making sure yours are marked a priority? It starts with your subject line. This and your preview text are all people see when they browse their inbox on any given day. It’s your first – and often your last – impression with potential buyers. These people gave you access to their personal mailbox, so an assumption that this means they’re open to buying from you shouldn’t be far off. The key is to use the leverage you have with them wisely, starting with the subject lines of whatever you send them.
If you’re looking to land on a great one every time, you’re in for a treat. This is a quick read and a masterclass in how to write the perfect subject line. Get ready to take notes!
1. Browse Your Own Inbox
There are examples of great and not-so-great marketing all over the place. Training your brain to recognize and understand why something speaks to you more than the rest is a secret success weapon you should be using daily. So, what’s your inbox telling you? Do you react well to secretive subject lines most? Non-nonsense ones? Short or long? Funny or fact-based? What makes you feel the urge to click “open” and read an email meant for you?
Like attracts like. This activity will give you a very good idea of what your audience will open because they’re drawn to you. They probably share more with you than you think. If you tend to gravitate towards a specific style of subject line, chances are they’re more likely to open it too. Test this today. Write an email with a subject line inspired by one from your inbox.
2. Embrace Your Voice
Be yourself! Subject lines that feel like a real human wrote them to perform better than those written by a marketer. If there are words you use in your marketing elsewhere or a certain tone, like casual or funny, make sure you don’t switch to a weird marketing robot when you get to writing your subject lines. It’ll throw people and harm your open rates.
Also, don’t shy away from sharing your thoughts and opinions about current events, trending subjects, or controversial topics! People love to hear honest and unique perspectives about these kinds of things. Just remember, the reader is your focus. Make sure it’s valuable for them and not just a rant about popular culture or the latest celebrity trend.
3. Go with Your Gut
Your first idea is often your best idea. Whenever you write a “draft” subject line, challenge yourself to stick with it. Too frequently, I see my clients wasting time on multiple drafts – and mind drama about their drafts – that is better spent elsewhere. Pair this with our tendency as humans to self-correct and self-edit ourselves into more jargon and less clarity, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster on your hands!
Trusting yourself to deliver exceptional results on the first try is a beautiful exercise of leadership. It isn’t about saying something perfectly, it’s about saying something PERIOD. If you screw it all up, guess what? You have an opportunity to share it better and strengthen relationships with your subscribers. The ones who are gracious and forgiving.
Making mistakes is part of entrepreneurship. The money is in the mistakes when you take them as lessons and gifts and apply what you’ve gained for good. Remember that.
The bottom line?
When someone opens your email, you have an opportunity to leave a lasting impact on their life. When you do this well, you are opening yourself up to more income. Better results with email lead to better results across other platforms as well. It also helps with credibility and visibility from people ready to buy what you sell.
Oh, and send a test email to see how it feels when you receive the email before you hit that send button. If your immediate instinct is to skip over it, your subscribers will likely have that reaction too. Have fun with email today!
Justine Beauregard, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Justine Beauregard is a Marketing Coach for compassionate entrepreneurs worldwide. She uses the skills she's learned as a marketing and sales training expert since 2008 to empower her clients to thrive in their zones of genius + joy to maximize their net impact and income. Since 2015, she has launched two 6-figure businesses of her own and developed a unique marketing process that allows you to be yourself, do what you love, make an impact + still feel like a human who cares. It has been used by hundreds of entrepreneurs worldwide to grow up to 6x revenue in as little as 30 days. Her work and expert opinions have been featured in major online publications such as Brainz Magazine, CIO.com, FitSmallBusiness.com, and Business2Community.com.
