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7 GUIDELINES TO EFFECTIVE SUBJECT LINES

Your email subject line is the first thing they see – Let’s be sure it’s as effective as can be!

  1. Keep Them Short
    1. Use less than 10 words
    2. But not too short – find your sweet spot between 6-10 words
  2. & Sweet
    1. Be personal where you can and when it’s relevant to do so
  3. Be Clear & Accurate
    1. Be clear and concise about your email’s intentions/content
    2. Don’t over promise or mislead
    3. However, avoid simply and plainly stating your newsletter contents
  4. Neat & Tidy Too
    1. Use no more than 1 punctuation mark!!!
    2. Don’t use irrelevant/too many emojis :)
    3. Avoid using ALL CAPS
    4. Do use numbers (where relevant, and not too many – and back them up in your email body)
      1. I.e. “7 Guidelines to Effective Subject Lines”
  5. Perform A/B Testing
    1. Test 2 identical emails with differing subject lines to see which performs better in a small run of contacts from the receiving list. The winner will then be sent to the rest of the contacts on said list.
    2. You can test word length, humorous tone versus something more to the point, word choice, or any other number of factors.
  6. Avoid Spam Trigger Words
    1. Examples include (but are not limited to):
      1. Amazing
      2. Cancel at any time
      3. Check or Money Order
      4. Click Here
      5. Congratulations
      6. Dear Friend
      7. For only ($)
      8. Toll-Free
      9. Great Offer
      10. Guarantee
      11. Increase Sales
      12. Order Now
      13. Promise You
      14. Risk-Free
      15. This is not spam
      16. Winner
      17. Newsletter
      18. Apply Now
      19. Billion
      20. Cash Bonus
      21. Cheap
      22. Extra Income
      23. Fast Cash

2. Here’s a list of quite a few more:

455 Spam Trigger Words to Avoid in 2019

7. Decide which Style/Formula(s) are Best for You

  1. Urgent
  2. List
  3. Controversial
  4. Trending Topic
  5. Scarcity
  6. How-To
  7. Question
  8. Local
  9. Clever/Catchy
  10. Personal
  11. Short and Sweet
  12. Sneak Peak
  13. Offer
  14. Statistics
  15. Command
  16. Keyword

Check out these great examples!

Happy Writing!