{"id":8011,"date":"2016-07-15T10:03:00","date_gmt":"2016-07-15T10:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/?p=8011"},"modified":"2016-07-15T10:03:00","modified_gmt":"2016-07-15T10:03:00","slug":"crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/","title":{"rendered":"Crafting the perfect email subject line"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The following post consists of\u00a0a list of ideas to play with and experiment with rather than being a definitive series of \u2018must dos\u2019; there\u2019s nothing more important than A\/B testing when it comes to emails, and we\u2019ll be covering that later on in the series. What works for one set (or even subset) of people doesn\u2019t work for others, so there are few hard and fast rules (listen to your audience and let them dictate by analysing their actions would be one!). With that said, here are some tips to kickstart your subject line inspiration\u2026<\/p>\n<h3>Be interesting<\/h3>\n<p>This is the biggest challenge when it comes to writing a good email subject, not least because \u2018interesting\u2019 is subjective. Aside from A\/B testing different variations to see what works well for your customer base in practice, run a small trial with a customer or target customer (this could even be a friend or acquaintance that roughly matches the traits of the people you\u2019re targeting), and get their opinions on what\u2019s interesting. The golden rule is to make sure that your subject lines aren\u2019t misleading or confusing; there\u2019s no point getting someone to read your email if they aren\u2019t going to click through\/perform the desired action at the end of it.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Use a call to action<\/h3>\n<p>Being clear in the action you want your customers to perform is essential, and the subject line is no different. All you have to do to take advantage of this technique is begin with a verb such as \u2018Save\u2019, \u2018Win\u2019, \u2018Find\u2019 etc. Again, this is a factor that requires testing as you may find your customers respond more to something else more strongly, e.g. their name being first, an amount of money or percentage saving, a question, etc.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-477 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/email-marketing-reseller2.jpg\" alt=\"email-marketing-reseller2\" width=\"821\" height=\"754\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Don\u2019t overcomplicate<\/h3>\n<p>The most effective lines are the simple ones. Be clear, direct, and prioritise accuracy over cleverness. Confusing subject lines are more likely to get ignored or deleted; you want your recipient to be engaged and feel that the topic is relevant to them from the start.<\/p>\n<h3>Watch for the cut-off point<\/h3>\n<p>Keep your subject line relatively short to reduce the chances of it getting cut off in the mail client, especially if you have a reasonable number of mobile email users. However, you can also create a deliberate cut off point with a simple ellipsis (\u2026) to create a specific effect and therefore enticing people to click through to find out more.<\/p>\n<h3>Be conscious of your tone<\/h3>\n<p>Use a tone of voice that\u2019s suited to your customer base, being particularly careful about your level of formality. Most people are happy with a friendly tone; how informal you are will largely depend on your brand as well as the types of people\/businesses you\u2019re targeting and how \u2018serious\u2019 the product is that you\u2019re selling. Slightly cheeky subject lines can be very effective in the right context, but avoid expletives and adult humour to avoid your email being automatically sent to junk folders.<\/p>\n<h3>Use special characters sparingly<\/h3>\n<p>Common symbols such as percentage signs are generally ok, but always use the correct formatting and avoid pasting them in (particularly from desktop software like Microsoft Word).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Ask questions<\/h3>\n<p>Whether these are directed at the customer, rhetorical, or are answered in the body of the email itself, a question is a great way to capture attention and create a sense of involvement.<\/p>\n<h3>Make it about them\u2026<\/h3>\n<p>\u2026never about you. People are interested in hearing about things that benefit them, which is why discount codes, money off promotions and similar offers are a big favourite. Similarly, exclusive invitations, treats, and early access all go down well.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10311 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/designingemails-3-resources.png\" alt=\"Icons of a laptop, links, and comments\" width=\"600\" height=\"200\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Make it personal<\/h3>\n<p>Communicating with individuals directly? Set up your subject lines to automatically pull through the name of the recipient and give them more personality. However, be careful about doing this if you work with a lot of businesses (as opposed to individuals) because it can sometimes end up looking more spammy than no name at all.<\/p>\n<h3>Be relevant<\/h3>\n<p>Referring to a particular holiday or time of year is great because it very rarely alienates and also highlights recency. This is particularly true around Christmas when people are more consciously looking out for email offers and expecting to spend money.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Create a sense of urgency<\/h3>\n<p>\u2018Last chance\u2019, \u2018Limited time only\u2019, \u2018Ends today\u2019 and similar phrases can all be very effective. The main purpose is to reduce the chances of someone skimming the list of emails in their inbox and thinking \u2018I\u2019ll come back to that later\u2019 and then totally forgetting about it. A limited time to act often drives people to action straight away.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>What are your top tips for writing good subject lines? Let us know in the comments!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The biggest challenge with email marketing can be writing a good subject line, not at least because &#8220;interesting&#8221; is subjective. We have some tips on how to craft the perfect email subject line.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8011","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-your-business"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Crafting the perfect email subject line - Heart Internet<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Tips on how to craft the perfect email subject line.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Crafting the perfect email subject line - Heart Internet\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Tips on how to craft the perfect email subject line.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Heart Internet\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/heartinternet\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-07-15T10:03:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/8074-background.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1620\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Eliot Chambers-Ostler\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@heartinternet\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@heartinternet\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Eliot Chambers-Ostler\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Eliot Chambers-Ostler\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/heartblog.victory.digital\/#\/schema\/person\/58ed7f27cc0f3ab6e69135742a5eee28\"},\"headline\":\"Crafting the perfect email subject line\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-07-15T10:03:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/\"},\"wordCount\":811,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/heartblog.victory.digital\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/8074-background.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Your Business\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/\",\"name\":\"Crafting the perfect email subject line - Heart Internet\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/heartblog.victory.digital\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/8074-background.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-07-15T10:03:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"Tips on how to craft the perfect email subject line.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/8074-background.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/8074-background.jpg\",\"width\":1620,\"height\":720},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Crafting the perfect email subject line\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/heartblog.victory.digital\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/heartblog.victory.digital\/\",\"name\":\"Heart Internet\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/heartblog.victory.digital\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/heartblog.victory.digital\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/heartblog.victory.digital\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Heart Internet\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/heartblog.victory.digital\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/heartblog.victory.digital\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HeartInternet_Logo_Colour.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HeartInternet_Logo_Colour.webp\",\"width\":992,\"height\":252,\"caption\":\"Heart Internet\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/heartblog.victory.digital\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/heartinternet\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/heartinternet\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/heart-internet-ltd\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/heartblog.victory.digital\/#\/schema\/person\/58ed7f27cc0f3ab6e69135742a5eee28\",\"name\":\"Eliot Chambers-Ostler\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/heartblog.victory.digital\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/cropped-Eliot-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/cropped-Eliot-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Eliot Chambers-Ostler\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/author\/eliot-chambers-ostler\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Crafting the perfect email subject line - Heart Internet","description":"Tips on how to craft the perfect email subject line.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Crafting the perfect email subject line - Heart Internet","og_description":"Tips on how to craft the perfect email subject line.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/","og_site_name":"Heart Internet","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/heartinternet\/","article_published_time":"2016-07-15T10:03:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1620,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/8074-background.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Eliot Chambers-Ostler","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@heartinternet","twitter_site":"@heartinternet","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Eliot Chambers-Ostler","Estimated reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/"},"author":{"name":"Eliot Chambers-Ostler","@id":"https:\/\/heartblog.victory.digital\/#\/schema\/person\/58ed7f27cc0f3ab6e69135742a5eee28"},"headline":"Crafting the perfect email subject line","datePublished":"2016-07-15T10:03:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/"},"wordCount":811,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/heartblog.victory.digital\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/8074-background.jpg","articleSection":["Your Business"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/","url":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/","name":"Crafting the perfect email subject line - Heart Internet","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/heartblog.victory.digital\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/8074-background.jpg","datePublished":"2016-07-15T10:03:00+00:00","description":"Tips on how to craft the perfect email subject line.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/8074-background.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/8074-background.jpg","width":1620,"height":720},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/crafting-the-perfect-email-subject-line\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Crafting the perfect email subject line"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/heartblog.victory.digital\/#website","url":"https:\/\/heartblog.victory.digital\/","name":"Heart Internet","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/heartblog.victory.digital\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/heartblog.victory.digital\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/heartblog.victory.digital\/#organization","name":"Heart Internet","url":"https:\/\/heartblog.victory.digital\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/heartblog.victory.digital\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HeartInternet_Logo_Colour.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/HeartInternet_Logo_Colour.webp","width":992,"height":252,"caption":"Heart Internet"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/heartblog.victory.digital\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/heartinternet\/","https:\/\/x.com\/heartinternet","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/heart-internet-ltd"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/heartblog.victory.digital\/#\/schema\/person\/58ed7f27cc0f3ab6e69135742a5eee28","name":"Eliot Chambers-Ostler","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/heartblog.victory.digital\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/cropped-Eliot-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/cropped-Eliot-96x96.jpg","caption":"Eliot Chambers-Ostler"},"url":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/author\/eliot-chambers-ostler\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8011"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8011\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}