More Tips on Great Email Subject Lines

Not to beat a dead horse, but there's no more important content in your organization's email and e-newsletters than the subject line.

I've thought and written a lot about this topic, but was struck by these imaginative suggestions from Gail Goodman, CEO of e-newsletter service provider Constant Contact:

• Ask a question
  • Obviously, the question has to be relevant to your audiences
• Be a tease
  • You're not going to believe this...
• Tell it like it is
  • The just the facts approach works best when you have a specific audience and know their interests
• Get up close and personal
  • Use "you" in the subject line -- Your gift can change this family's life.

Lots of great ideas here for you to put to use. I urge you to experiment, but wait to complete the body of the email before you write the subject line. Review the email to identify the most compelling element; then feature that in the subject line.

Do you have other email subject line strategies to share? Please comment below.

Get the Getting Attention e-news? Subscribe now for key articles and case studies on nonprofit communications.

Comments

[tom belford]

Nancy, the best advice is your own at the end ... write the subject line last. I find that 9 out of 10 times the writing process sharpens & crystallizes the core point I want to convey ... sometimes changing from my original intent. Revisiting the "placeholder" blog title or subject line almost always yields something punchier.
Tom

[Nancy E. Schwartz]

Thanks for your comment, Chris. Yes, consistency is critical but that can be addressed by including the name (or an abbreviated version) of your e-news in brackets, followed by the attention grabbing headline. Best of both worlds.

Here's a recent example from the Getting Attention e-news that motivated thousands of readers to open the email:
[Getting Attention] How to Do Grand Plan Marketing 90 Days at a Time

Best,
Nancy

[Chris Anderson]

I've been wrestling with this one for a while. There seem to be benefits to using this kind of subject line, but there are also benefits to using the same subject line every month.

A consistent subject line is less likely to be seen as spam. Your readers come to expect it.

What do you think?