10 Great Email Subject Lines

When it comes to advertising and branding techniques, our email subject lines are rarely at the top of our to-do lists.

However, maybe they should be. 

The reality is that more than 45% of customers will open an email based on its subject line.

Worse, more than 60% of customers will delete an email based on its subject line!

That means that the copywriting techniques you're using on your email subject lines can seriously make or break your email blast's marketing potential.

​With just one sentence, you could be drawing customers in or turning them off your brand altogether.
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To help you out, we've put together a list of ten email subject line ideas to help you step up your email campaigns.

​Check out these email subject lines so good you couldn't even learn them in ad school. 

1. The "Today Only" Email Subject Lines

One method of drawing in your clients is to create a sense of urgency. 

Taking a tone that implies your time sensitivity can make your clients fear that they'll miss out if they don't open your email. 

To get this message across, you can use words such as "alert", "important", or "urgent".

All of these words help send a message that the contents of the email are either subject to limited time or limited availability. 
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A few email subject lines that you could use from this category include:

• Today Only! Get this before it's gone
• Available for ONE DAY only
• WEEKEND SALE!
• Earn double points today only!
• Memorial Weekend Sale: One-day FLASH deals!
  
  

Subject lines like these show the viewer that the contents of the email will not be available forever.

​Customers looking to get a bargain are more likely to open the email in the hopes that they'll find a deal inside, improving your marketing rates.

2. The Curiosity Email Subject Line

Have you ever heard the phrase curiosity killed the cat? Well, maybe they should have said curiosity killed the customer! 

Humans are naturally curious beings.

When we see attention-grabbing or mysterious headlines, our interest gets piqued and we want to learn more.

A good example of this is click-bait on YouTube or news channels.

When people see clickbait headlines with phrases like "You Won't Believe What He Did" or "This is How He Found Out She Was Cheating," you're automatically drawn in.

The same principle applies to email subject lines. When you create a subject line that uses a cliffhanger or an intriguing fact, your customers are more likely to open the email and see what's inside. 

Some companies that did this well include:

• GrubHub, with their email titled “Last Day To See What This Mystery Email Is All About”
• The classic "Don't Open This Email" sent by Manicube
• Chubbies curiosity-inducing subject line: “Hologram Shorts?!”

3. The Pain Point Subject Line

Everyone has pain points. And, if you've got a successful marketing strategy in place, you should know what your target audience's pain points are.

This helps you know how to properly address them. 

One way of creating email subject lines that grab your audience's attention is to play on their pain points. Think about why your customers need your service and what problem you'll solve for them.

From there, think about how you can turn that pain point into a subject line. 

A few good examples of pain point subject lines include: 

• Get what you need without breaking the bank!
• Your problems, solved.
• Stop wasting money and start saving big. 
• How to survive Covid-19 as a business. 
• 5 tips to stop wasting time. 
• 
  

These are just a few ideas that can be used to target your audiences.

​Play up pain points such as lack of time, lack of money, or economic difficulties to grab your audience's attention and entice them to open your email.

​4. The Humorous Subject Line

Humor is another great copywriting method you can use to intrigue your audience.

Funny subject lines are a good technique because they can get across a bit more of your brand's voice. 

People also develop positive impressions of people and things that they find humorous.

​By using humor to get your audience's attention, you're starting your emails off on a positive and cheerful note. 

A few companies that pulled this off well include:

• Travelocity who sent marketing emails with the subject line “Need a day at the beach? Just scratch n’ sniff your way to paradise…”
• 
  
• Baby Bump, who brought some humor into the beauty of pregnancy with their line “Yes, I’m Pregnant. You Can Stop Staring At My Belly Now.”
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• Groupon, that played on humorous family dynamics with the subject “Deals That Make Us Proud (Unlike Our Nephew, Steve)”
  
  

These are just a few examples of subject lines that can be great attention grabbers.

When taking the humorous route, try to tailor your subject line to your business and its unique value proposition. 

5. The Vain Subject Line

We all like to think highly of ourselves, and the vain subject line is perfect for playing this up. This subject requires a little bit of creativity to make it really work for your customers. 

The idea behind this type of subject line is to get your customers to feel as though they'd be inferior if they didn't use your product.

You want to show them that using your product makes them better than their peers. 

Get inspired by a few companies that mastered the art of the vain subject line, such as: 

• Fabletics, who sent the email titled “Your Butt Will Look Great in These Workout Pants” or 
  
  
• Sephora, which sent its customers an email that said “Products the celebs are wearing”
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Both of these are examples of companies playing up their products against a customer's vanity to get them to open the email and ultimately make a purchase.

6. The Greedy Subject Line

When we talk about greedy subject lines, we're not saying your customers are greedy.

However, what we are saying is that most customers won't want to pass up an amazing deal. Because of this, sending emails with offers in the subject line can work wonders. 

Interestingly enough, the higher the discount you offer the less reliable its effect on your customers' opening rates.

​There's little research as to why this is the case, although it could be that customers think these are fake offers. 

Some offers you could use include: 

• Take $10 off your next purchase
• Here's 20% off to celebrate your birthday!
• WEEKEND SALE! All products 15% off
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However, by offering realistic discounts such as a 25% coupon, you can improve your emails' open rates. 

Choose a discount that's relevant to your customer and that's big enough to be exciting without being so big that it's a turn-off.

7. The Lazy Subject Line

The lazy subject line is perfect for businesses that offer a service. These subject lines are designed to show your customers the value your business provides by saving them time. 

After all, who wouldn't like a magic wand to make their life easier?

A few good examples of email subject lines in this category include: 

• Boost your sales by 80%!
• Increase your clickthrough rate by as much as 10x what it is now.
• 101 ideas to keep your kids occupied this summer
• Steal these marketing secrets from industry leaders
• ​
  

Each of these subject lines offers your customer a way of improving their current tactics that don't require additional effort. As such, customers are drawn to open the email and see what you have to offer. 

8. The Retargeting Subject Line

Retargeting emails are emails that get sent to customers who were already contacted once but didn't take an action.

They might be sent to people who visited your site, but never made a purchase, for example. 

Sometimes, sending a follow-up email is all it takes to get your customer back in the door.

A few good examples of retargeting subject lines include: 

• Oops! Looks like you forgot something...
• We noticed you left something in your cart!
• Here's 20% to help you complete your purchase.
• Did you miss out on our latest sales?
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These email subject lines get the attention of customers who previously showed interest in what you had to offer and need a little extra persuasion. 

9. The Personal Subject Line

Personal subject lines are some of the easiest to implement. These subject lines simply input the person's name or personal facts about them to give it a personal touch. 

For example, try using casual language in your subject line to promote a friendly tone. Or, mention your customer's name or birthday to make the email more personal to them. 

Some examples include: 

• Hey Sam, we think you'll love this deal
• Happy Birthday, Sam! Here's 20% off to celebrate
• Sam, are you ready to boost your sales? 
  ​
  

Personal subject lines have some of the best open rates for emails. That makes them a great addition to a successful email marketing campaign. 

10. The Straightforward Subject Line

Sometimes, simply getting right down to the point is not only the easiest way to market your product, but also the most effective.

Straightforward subject lines can convey a message to your audience without getting lost in the weeds. 

While these email subject lines might seem boring, that's not necessarily the case. In fact, simplicity can sometimes be more attention-grabbing than complex lines. 

A few good examples of marketers who used straightforward subject lines include:

• Barack Obama who sent an email with the single word "Hey" as his subject or
• Al Franken, who sent an email stating “Yes, this is a fundraising email”
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Both of these may be straight to the point, but they certainly grab your attention. 

Craft Game-Changing Email Subject Lines

With these tips, you'll be able to create email subject lines that completely transform your email marketing strategy.

They'll help you capture your audience's attention and entice them to read your emails and take action from there. 

If you're interested in learning more about how to create amazing email copy, you should consider getting a copywriting certificate.

At the San Francisco School of Copywriting, we give you copywriting tools that transform your business. 

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