Despite trending social media channels and mobile messengers, email is still one of the top channels for businesses.

That’s why every eCommerce business must have a solid email marketing strategy. But what’s one of the most important aspects of email marketing?

Crafting the best email subject lines.

What Makes a Successful Email Subject Line?

Your email subject line determines whether recipients will open the emails you send them.

Here are five tips to keep in mind:

1. Aim for 6 to 10 Words Per Subject Line.

21% of email recipients open emails with subject lines that have six to ten words, but just 14% open them if subject lines have 11 to 15 words.

2. Include The Recipient’s Name

18.30% of email recipients open emails with subject lines that include their name (while 15.70% open them if the subject line doesn’t include their name).

3. Test Your Subject Lines Beforehand

Testing your subject lines ahead of time with A/B testing and subject line tester tools is crucial for knowing whether they’ll be successful.

4. Make Sure Every Word Serves a Purpose

Subject line tester tools will flag any word in your subject that doesn’t serve a purpose or would throw a recipient off.

Your subject lines should always serve a direct purpose and vary depending on the intent of each email. For example, fundraising outreach emails will have different subject lines than sales emails.

5. Optimise Subject Lines for Mobile

Since most people open emails on mobile devices, optimising your subject lines for mobile is essential. You’ll also need to make sure your mobile forms, digital signatures, and other clickable elements work properly before sending them off.

Bonus tips:

• Use personalised subject lines (i.e., offers you know they’ll like)
• Create a sense of urgency and exclusivity (i.e., “An offer just for you. Expires at 9 am.”)
• Include the word “free” when appropriate. But keep in mind that spam filters sometimes flag that word.
• Add a playful tone with emojis when appropriate.

Winning Email Subject Lines to Inspire eCommerce Businesses

Spark Curiosity

Sparking curiosity entices email recipients to stop what they’re doing and genuinely wonder what your email is about.

The urge to satisfy their curiosity is enough inspiration to open your email.

Take this example from makeup company Tarte, which reads: The perfect foundation for summer.

Anybody who wears makeup knows that it’s tricky to find a foundation that won’t melt all over your face during the summer. This subject line is enough to spark the question: “I wonder what kind of foundation that could be.”

Examples of subject lines that generate curiosity include:

• We made this new product just for you
• Wanna know something special?
• Don’t miss this sneak peek
• Here’s the product you’ve been waiting for
• We can’t believe this just happened
• Gift inside. Open this by 9 pm to see it
• This shocked us
• We’re breaking our own rules

Offer Discounts and Deals

Offering discounts and deals is a great way to encourage your email recipients to try a product or service.

The key is offering them a discount or deal you know they’ll love. To understand your audience’s preferences and desires, you’ll need to conduct audience research. Then, tailor your subject lines to meet their preferences.

Examples of subject lines that offer discounts and deals include:

• Shop now and get 25% off your first order
• Get free shipping on all orders today
• Summer sale: 15% off two products
• 40% off skincare products all day Sunday
• Starting now: buy one get one free sale!
• Earth Day sale! 50% off all products
• Got the Monday blues? Here’s 30% OFF

Generate Urgency

Creating a sense of urgency is a great tactic that will inspire your readers to act right away. Why? Because they don’t want to miss out on whatever you’re offering — especially if you’ve done the research and know what they’d like.

When creating a subject line with the intent to generate urgency, make sure to always include the following:

• The time that your offer expires
• An audience-targeted offer (or spark curiosity by leaving it out)
• Urgency-related language like “we start tomorrow,” “limited stock,” or “last chance.”
• A way to take advantage of the offer (inside the body of the email)

Examples of subject lines that generate urgency include:

• Last chance to get 20% off your first order!
• Expires tonight: free eyeliner with lipstick purchase
• We’ve got a hot deal for you (Expires at 7 pm)
• Get our latest edition shoes before they’re gone!

In addition to creating a sense of urgency through the subject line,  enhance your efforts by using the power of SMS campaigns and sending SMS alerts to encourage customers to take quick action.

Generate the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)

Fear of missing out is a psychological principle that means exactly what you’d think: it makes someone afraid that they’re missing out on something.

You can use FOMO in your subject lines by adding an element of urgency and limited availability.

Here are some examples of words and phrases you can include:

• Urgent
• Don’t miss out
• Get a head start
• Early Access
• These are must-haves
• They were upset they missed this…

Examples of subject lines that generate FOMO include:

• Don’t miss the sale of the year
• Our latest insider tips: you won’t want to miss this
• People were upset they missed this
• You’ll regret passing on this

Use Humour

Have you ever read a funny subject line without opening the email it was for? Chances are, your answer is no. When you make recipients smile, you’re bound to get higher email open rates.

When creating funny headlines, try this:

• Put a spin on a classic joke
• Insert silly puns when appropriate
• Use unexpected language
• Delay the punchline
• Use a play on words
• Get creative

Examples of funny subject lines include:

• Knock, knock. Who’s there? Tank. Tank who? You’re welcome.
• Check out our new Halloween Boo-tique
• Why can’t ponies sing lullabies? Their voices are horse

Conclusion

Crafting the right subject lines is vital to persuading your leads and customers to open your marketing emails.

Remember, when in doubt, keep to 6 to 10 characters, make it personal, and make sure every email has a purpose. Use humour, FOMO, urgency, discounts, and curiosity to spark interest and increase your email open rates.

For more in-depth information and/or assistance with email marketing for your business, visit our services page or book a free 30-minute discovery call. Click here to book your call!