Once you have a list, you have an incredible asset. Using effective email subject lines can be useful for your subscribers and give readers an idea of what the email is all about.
There is a lot of emphasis on getting creative to get your emails opened.
There is also a lot of advice on what you should do and what type of email subject lines you should use. And how you should mix them up. After all, you don't want to use the same type of subject line every time.
Having said that, there is another issue that I would suggest that needs to be looked at. That issue is this...
Do email subject lines really matter?
Do they have an impact on whether your message gets read or deleted on sight?
Is there a risk that some of your subject lines will end up offending part of your audience?
It makes a lot of sense to make sure that your new subscribers open and read your first few messages. They need to get to know you and see what you have to offer.
If you are one of many messages in their inbox each day, you want to stand out with a catchy and attention grabbing headline.
After a while, though, the reason they may continue to read may have more to do with what is inside the message than what subject line you used.
The best scenario is for your email messages to be so useful and entertaining that they don't even notice the subject line. Instead they notice that it is a message from you, and they want to read it.
The reality is that it is hard to be creative every time you have an email to send out. If you only mail once a week, that may be less of a problem. But if you mail several times a week, it gets harder.
Look, it's hard enough some days just to come up with a message that you want so send in the first place. Add to that the struggle to come up with a subject line that really pops, and you have a problem.
It's not that you shouldn't use awesome email subject lines. It's just that sometimes it is more important to grow your relationship with your list so they want to read your email, instead of worrying about coming up with a catchy subject line.
Another point to ponder...
Remember that your subject line should be related to what you have inside.
Over time I have been added to and subscribed to a ton of email lists. Every day I sort through a lot of email and subject lines.
And every day I come across a subject line that makes a promise, only to find out that it had absolutely nothing to do with what was inside.
My reaction? The delete key.
And tomorrow when I see the same marketer's email in my inbox, instead of reading, I just delete it. Problem solved.
Use good email subject lines. Make them relevant. But first, make sure that your main objective is to write emails that your subscribers want to read, that they look forward to.
Once you do that, the subject line, while it is necessary and you want it to be good, won't be the main reason that your messages get opened, read, and acted on.
Having said all of that, I want to end this article by conceding that there are times when an off the wall subject line may be just what your audience needs.
If you have an announcement about a new product, or a sale is coming up, or if you just want to entertain your readers, you can get their attention and get them to respond to what you've sent them, if that is what you're after.
Be playful, fun, and a little bit shocking. There is a place and time when a great subject line can make all the difference in the reaction you get.
What it comes down to, in my opinion, isn't the subject line. It's what you put in your messages every time you contact your list. Write awesome emails. Inform and entertain your readers.
What you don't want to do is spend too much time on coming up with a subject line. Sometimes it is hard to come up with a new one. In that case, instead of worrying about it, put a boring title to your message, and send the message. That's what your readers are counting on, and that's what you should deliver.
Need to learn more about how to build that responsive list? Here's a great resource - Build A Responsive List From Scratch.
