February 2022
View our original newsletter here: Subject Lines
What makes a great subject line in business writing? ACTion
Struggle to come up with subject lines that encourage your readers to open your emails? Are you sharing the information they need so that they understand why you're writing to them?
Subject lines are the first thing your readers see before opening your messages. And there are three questions you should answer in your subject lines to give your readers the information they need and to encourage them to open your messages.
We share tips, resources and information about subject lines in our recap of February!
"Subject lines are a critical part of email format. They’re the first thing people read. They can help a person decide whether to open the message or not. And they can help a person find an email in their messy inbox at a later date..."
Tip: When writing subject lines, keep it short and sweet, and remember to ACT.
Want to know how to answer these three questions and keep your subject lines short and to the point?
Don't Just Take Our Word For It
See what other industry experts are saying about subject lines...
Career experts shared their top 19 tips for writing a good subject line
"How can you write the perfect email subject line? It's an important question to ask yourself whenever you're preparing to send out an email. A bad subject line can land your important note in the trash, while a well-crafted one increases open rates..."
20 Tips to Write Catchy Email Subject Lines [+ Examples]
"No matter what they say, people do judge emails by their subject lines. In fact, 47% of marketers say they test different email subject lines to optimize their emails' performance. That's why it's so important to craft subject lines that are compelling enough to get people to click through...."
Check out this great visual guide to write super subject lines!
Need words that make potential clients happy and empowered? Try some of the words on these lists!
Go Further
Want to know where we got this tip? A variety of resources. But the book SEND: Why People Email So Badly and How to Do It Better by David Shipley gives some great information about all things emails, from constructing effective emails to navigating email etiquette.
"Send—the classic guide to email for office and home—has become indispensable for readers navigating the impersonal, and at times overwhelming, world of electronic communication. Filled with real-life email success (and horror) stories and a wealth of useful and entertaining examples, Send dissects all the major minefields and pitfalls of email. It provides clear rules for constructing effective emails, for handheld etiquette, for handling the “emotional email,” and for navigating all of today’s hot-button issues. It offers essential strategies to help you both better manage the ever-increasing number of emails you receive and improve the ones you send..."
Quote of the Month
“A subject line is like a newspaper headline, a title on a book’s spine, or the key slogan of a print media ad. It tells the user what this is all about. And it should do so in sparkling style — seamlessly channeling your brand.”
— Win Goodbody
Senior Product Manager, Sitka Technology Group