The subject line of your email is just as crucial as the content. Because, remember, getting your email subscribers to open (and read) your emails is the first step.

Consider it the hook that will entice your email list to want to learn more.

Because you want people to open, interact with, and hopefully buy something after reading your emails.

The first step of the email is the subject line

How can you tell if your subject line is effective? The key metric to look at here is your open rate. Because if you nail the subject line, your email will be opened by a higher percentage of your subscribers.

So, go locate your best-performing subject lines if you’ve been sending emails for months or years. That will provide you with an excellent starting point for determining what would work best with your email list.

And it’s fine if you haven’t sent enough emails for your company yet to know what works. Keep a watch on your open rates when you start sending emails on a regular basis, and you’ll start to detect patterns and eventually come to a point where you can predict what will resonate before you send an email.

You already know that a great subject line is essential for having your emails opened and read, and for encouraging your readers to take action.

Fortunately, we’ve compiled a list of the most effective writing ideas for email subject lines that can help you increase your open rate:

1. Make the sender’s name unique.

2. Create distinct subject lines.

3. Make use of action verbs.

4. Personalize your message

5. Use the preview text to pique people’s interest.

6. Respond to the offer as soon as possible.

1. Make the sender’s name unique

People on your email list are likely to want to help small businesses; it’s possible that’s why they came to you in the first place!

So, you want to make it crystal apparent that you’re the face of the company. Put a face to your company, and your subscribers will feel like they know you after a while. They’ll want to help you even more now.

2. Create distinct subject lines.

“How lengthy should my email subject line be?

While there is no definitive answer, research have shown that subject lines of 65 characters or less (or 5-9 words) are the most effective.

3. Make use of action verbs

Another simple psychology lesson: when receiving messages, people respond positively to clear, direct directions. As a result, don’t be afraid to use action-oriented language in your subject line!

Many small company owners avoid seeming too “salesy,” but urging people to do what you want them to do clarifies your message and helps you convert more customers.

4. Personalize your message

You should write your emails as though they were to a buddy. As a result, avoid becoming overly formal. And the more personalized and targeted each email you send is, the better it will perform.

In fact, customized email subject lines are thought to increase click-through rates by an average of 14%.

You might wish to send specific messages to new customers, existing and loyal customers, serial browsers, consumers interested in a specific product type, or customers in a specific geographic location, for example.

5. Use the preview text to pique people’s interest

The actual subject line and the preview text that follows make up an excellent subject line. The brief sample of copy that appears next to the subject line or under the sender in the recipient’s inbox is known as preview text.

And the text in your preview is an underappreciated approach to affect your open rate. It should support (or complement) the subject line of your email. And it could be the deciding factor in whether someone opens and reads your email.

6. Respond to the offer as soon as possible

You already know that your email subject lines should be tweaked to be as brief and sweet as feasible.

However, you should prioritize the most important facts. It’ll be less likely to be cut off that way, and it’ll draw notice.

If you’re running a limited-time offer, make sure you mention it! Use phrases like “Welcome” or “it’s here.”

The first thing your readers should see should be whatever message you truly want them to get.

Tell them just what they’ll get out of it. Because if they don’t recognize the value right away, they’re unlikely to open the email at all.