Email Subject Must NOT Trigger Email Blocking
The first step in order to get your email read is to have your email land in the recipient’s Inbox instead of the Spam or Bulk folders, hence the email subject must have a low email spam score to avoid the email blocking on the way from the sender to the final recipient
(your target reader).
To ensure a smooth delivery and avoid the email block, you should keep in mind a few good email subject lines best practices, such as:
Spam Subject – Shouldn’t Be Used Ever!
Don’t use HTML subject lines written in CAPITALS ONLY!
It is similar to when someone yells at you – I would delete such an email promptly as soon as I’d get a glimpse at its subject line.
Don’t use spammy subject lines filled with crazy characters like the one below:
.•*`¯¯`*•. . . CAN YOU SAY, FREEDOM??? IS THIS YOU? . . .•*`¯¯`*•.
Nothing screams ‘spam subject‘ louder than these…
The first thing someone will do IF somehow the spam email manages to get through the email spam filters along its way… is to delete it.
So in the end, you not only risk being blacklisted for this behavior, but you will get no benefit from these spam emails, anyway - nobody reads them.
If you’re not sure (although the example above is pretty obvious) run your email through a spam trap software or anti-spam service to determine your email spam score.
As a rule of thumb, try to keep your spam scores as low as possible. There is no accepted standard, each service has its own rules. Read carefully to see what is the maximum upper spam limit and keep safely below that.
Write Clever Email Subject Lines
Finally, don’t use too many punctuation signs. It is unnatural to send an email to a friend and end it with 2 or 3 exclamation marks, isn’t it?
A question mark, though, is different – it helps build curiosity and the desire to open the email and find the answer.
To write catchy subject lines for emails you should try to raise your readers curiosity. Leave something only suggested instead of full disclosure…
(isn’t innuendo always more powerful than direct proposals?)
Ask a question, give them a hint of what they’ll find inside the email body, but keep the subject line clean and as short as possible.
A length of maximum 20 words would be a good upper limit, but keeping it under 5 is far, far better.
The best subject lines for email marketing are designed with only one purpose in mind – make the reader open the email.
Best Marketing Headlines for Good Email Subjects
To come up with good email subjects you should first start by looking around to the media.
Newspaper Headlines would be a very good starting point.
Remember, the writers are trained professionals who know how to write the perfect headline to make people curious and want to read more on the following page.
This is very similar to follow up email marketing, where the email subject headline is followed in many email clients by a short excerpt (the part that people would be able to see in the email preview pane) that is specifically designed to make them willing to read more.
The newpaper headlines are followed by a short text excerpt of the article itself, to give the reader a glimpse of what is all about and then it simply says you should read the rest on page 16…
…the same technique is also applied on blog posts where there is sometimes a [more tag] that would split the post allowing the reader to follow it on a separate page.
Writing email subject lines is no different from writing the best headlines for newspapers or magazines.
You only need to be creative and inject into them some human passion and feelings, especially to be able to raise curiosity, but sometimes also envy or greed, etc…
Professional Email Subject Lines Writers Always Test The Results
Whatever your idea for the best email subject lines would be, it is always clever to test before sending to a large number of people.
Email segmenting and subject lines split testing are the best practices these days, but I have a trick to share that I’m always using even before testing on real people.
The Advanced Marketing Institute Group has a tool on their website to help analyze headlines and email subject lines and give them a score based on three different segments:
- Intellectual
- Empathetic
- Spiritual
The Emotional Marketing Value (EMV) – as they call it – has a maximum value of 100, but common headlines
only reach values of up to 25-30% usually.
On their website there is a…
…free testing tool that I found to be an excellent resource as my
email subject line tester.
Go for it, play with it for a while, try to get the higher EMV possible score.
Then post your findings on the comments below.
I have written a 100 EMV headline that I will share with you later, as a prize for reading all these, but till then, let’s play with it for a while first.
Let’s find together, the best email subject head line ever!
2. Right-Click then Copy
3. Paste the HTML code into your webpage
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
What a great tool. I've payed with it already and moved my score from 22% to 40%. I'll test it out on my list and see if my open rates improve. I've noticed recently that in the IM nich the headlines are getting closer and closer to spam. It's almost like the old bait and switch tactic. The headline has nothing to do with the content. It may work for awhile but subsribers will not put up with it for long. Let's make the subject lines creative and inticing without resorting to spam.Great post – thanks
It is just so, Luca!And it pisses me off to see my Inbox full of junk all day… Let the creative juices boil and let's see what we can come up with.Steve Lorenzo SEOVirtuoso
Everybody needs to read this! I am sure you have seen so many smail subject line that you never open or put them in your spam folder. Totally awsome information Steve, keep them coming. I love it! don kopp
Yes, Don… I've seen much too many, indeed!Unfortunately, I am opening quite a lot of them due to the nature of my professional interests and the sad thing is that many of them have good content inside… yet probably very low open rates, so basically all the effort is wasted because of the stupid subject lines.Steve Lorenzo SEOVirtuoso
This looks like a very useful tool. The headline is clearly the most important part of an email, with the possible exception of the call to action. If people don't open the email the call to action will never be read.
Thanks Earl!First of all, for passing by and leaving this comment, BUTSecondly, because you just gave me an idea to write a follow up to this post, based on the 'call to action' you have mentioned.Steve Lorenzo SEOVirtuoso
Yup Subj is just as important as a headline to spark interest and illicit action. It could also include Social Proof (Get the … Everybody is Talking About) ummm my favorite social proof are sitcom laugh tracks – everybody else is laughing – you should too. Subj could also include other psychological factors…
I agree, Steve!There are many sources of good ideas on this line of thought: 100s of websites with humorous 'punch-liners' for instance…And another good one is also your own Inbox. Watch for those that aroused your interest and you didn't delete them instantly, for starters…Steve Lorenzo SEOVirtuosoSEO Video Tips
Great post Mate – Its the You Have Funds or You Have Received A Payment or Your order Is Complete that pisses me off. It seems that some people will resort to this sort of trash just to get people to open messages.What they are saying is 'sign up for this so I can spam you'Thanks for sharing this Steve
I agree Peter!The main problem with those messages is that they get through the SPAM filters (maybe one reason they're used so much lately…) – however, they're still spammy, in that they are deceptive.Unless the guys are really handing you money… it's not true, hence it should be considered spam, I'd say…Steve Lorenzo SEOVirtuosoSEO Video Tips
Thanks Steve,You aren't the only one who says it should be considered spam. Check out what the US Federal Trade Commission says in the CAN-SPAM Act:http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pub.....me…..In particular pay attention to the second point in the guidelines for compliance: "2. Don’t use deceptive subject lines. The subject line must accurately reflect the content of the message." And I bet a lot of the people using these lines don't realize:"Each separate email in violation of the CAN-SPAM Act is subject to penalties of up to $16,000."Something to think about next time you consider telling people about your "Notification of Payment"
Allen,While you may be aware that I do not have to comply to this CAN SPAMact (at least not exactly in that form, because I live in the EU and wehave different laws here) … I have chosen to do so by my own will.Moreover… I don't even have to comply to any law requirements, aslong as use my mind and my good sense:"Would I want that to come to my Inbox from someone else?" – is the first thing to ask before sending an email…Now, of course I know not all people are so bright minded as we do, Allen… LOLSo no wonder there are others who would be happy with far less quality than we do… but… there is a saying around here where I live:"If the world would be full of only smart people, we would all be starving!"(no offense meant to whom may read this at anytime, folks… LOL)Just as I use as the motto of my newsletter(see where you can signup guys: Internet Marketing Tips And Tricks) -"My Readers Are Smarter Than Theirs…"Steve Lorenzo SEOVirtuoso SEO Video Tips
Here's an easy email headline that should always get through spam filters, isn't deceptive, and invokes curiosity:When was the last time you …
Excellent, Brian…Yes, this is the way to do it properly and professionally, indeed.Kudos, Brian!Steve Lorenzo SEOVirtuosoSEO Video Tips
Steve, this is a great post! As you know, I'm one of those who abhors the deceptive subject lines that get one kicked out of Rodger's room.
You are now on my "must read" list.
Thanks Ken!
You're most welcome to my blog anytime.
Soon, I will have an eBook on that topic that I will launch on Warrior Forum. I will send you a review copy.
Steve Lorenzo SEOVirtuoso
SEO Video Tips
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