Words to use and avoid in email marketing subject lines

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Words That Work Wonders: High-Performing Subject Line Keywords

Crafting compelling email subject lines is a crucial skill for any email marketer. A well-crafted subject line can significantly increase open rates, leading to higher engagement and ultimately, better conversion rates. Conversely, a poorly written subject line can lead to your email being ignored or, even worse, marked as spam. Choosing the right words is key to making your emails stand out in a crowded inbox.

Power Words that Drive Clicks

New: The allure of something new is universally appealing. “New Arrivals,” “New Features,” or “New Collection” can immediately grab attention.
Free: Who doesn’t love free? Offering something valuable at no cost is a powerful motivator. Use sparingly and ensure you deliver on your promise. Examples include “Free Shipping,” “Free eBook,” or “Free Consultation.”
Sale/Discount: Announcing sales and discounts is a classic, but effective, way to attract attention. “50% Off,” “Limited Time Sale,” or “Discount Inside” are all solid options.
You/Your: Personalization goes a long way. Using “You” or “Your” makes the email feel more relevant and targeted to the individual recipient. “Your Exclusive Offer,” “Just For You,” or “Tips For Your Business” can improve open rates.
Now: Urgency is a powerful tool. “Act Now,” “Shop Now,” or “Limited Time Only” encourage immediate action. Ensure the urgency is genuine to avoid losing credibility.
Easy: People are drawn to simplicity and convenience. “Easy Steps,” “Easy Guide,” or “Easy To Use” can resonate with busy individuals.
How To: Offering valuable information and solutions is a great way to build trust and engagement. “How To Increase Sales,” “How To Write Better Emails,” or “How To Achieve Your Goals” are effective subject lines.
Secret: Curiosity is a powerful motivator. “The Secret To Success,” “Secret Discount Code,” or “Secret Recipe” can pique interest and drive clicks.
Discover: Similar to “Secret,” “Discover” suggests uncovering something new and valuable. “Discover New Trends,” “Discover Your Potential,” or “Discover Hidden Gems” are compelling options.
Best: People are often looking for the best solutions and products. “Best Practices,” “Best Deals,” or “Best Products” can attract attention.

Creating a Sense of Urgency and Scarcity

Urgency and scarcity are psychological triggers that can motivate immediate action. When used ethically and strategically, they can significantly boost email open and click-through rates. Here are some ways to incorporate these elements into your subject lines:

Limited Time: “Limited Time Offer,” “Limited Time Sale,” or “Ending Soon” clearly communicate a time constraint.
Last Chance: “Last Chance To Save,” “Last Chance To Register,” or “Last Chance To Buy” emphasizes that the opportunity is about to expire.
Ending Tonight: Creates a strong sense of immediacy.
Hurry: A simple yet effective way to convey urgency. “Hurry, Sale Ends Soon!”
While Supplies Last: Emphasizes the limited availability of a product or service.
Only X Left: Creates a strong sense of scarcity and encourages immediate purchase. “Only 5 Seats Left!”

Words to Avoid: Spam Triggers and Overused Phrases

Certain words and phrases are red flags for spam filters and can significantly reduce your email deliverability. Avoiding these terms is crucial for ensuring your emails reach your intended audience. Additionally, some words and phrases are simply overused and ineffective, leading to low engagement rates.

Common Spam Trigger Words

These words and phrases are frequently associated with spam and can trigger spam filters, preventing your email from reaching the inbox. While spam filters are constantly evolving, avoiding these terms is generally a good practice.

Free: While “free” can be effective, overuse can trigger spam filters. Be judicious in its use and ensure the offer is genuine.
Guaranteed: Overly strong guarantees can be seen as deceptive.
Discount: Similar to “free,” excessive use of “discount” can be problematic.
Cash: Associated with get-rich-quick schemes and scams.
Money: Same reason as “cash”.
Credit: Especially when referring to credit repair or offers.
Loan: Triggers related to financial spam.
Debt: Similar to “loan” and “credit”.
Act Now!: Excessive use of exclamation points is a red flag.
Click Here!: Suggests a potentially harmful link.
Order Now!: Again, the exclamation point raises suspicion.
Apply Now!: Can be associated with fraudulent applications.
Unlimited: Overly generous claims can be seen as suspicious.
Miracle: Implies unrealistic or impossible results.
Amazing: Overused and often considered hyperbolic.
Best Price: Claims of the best price are often unsubstantiated.
Opportunity: Can be associated with pyramid schemes or MLM offers.
Winner: Suggests unsolicited prize notifications.
Congratulations: Often used in conjunction with scam messages.
Urgent: Overuse diminishes its impact and can trigger filters.
Important: Similar to urgent, overuse dulls the effect.
As Seen On: If you can’t substantiate the claim, avoid it.
Remove: While necessary in the email body, its presence in the subject line can raise suspicion.
Viagra/Cialis: Obviously triggers spam filters.
Adult Content Keywords: Any sexually explicit terms.

Overused and Ineffective Phrases

These phrases are not necessarily spam triggers, but they are often ineffective because they are overused and lack originality. They tend to blend into the background and fail to capture attention.

Newsletter: Simply stating “Newsletter” is not compelling. Highlight the value of the content instead.
Update: Similar to “Newsletter,” it’s generic and uninteresting.
Weekly Update: More specific, but still lacks a hook.
Daily Update: Unless it’s a critical update, it can feel overwhelming.
Hello: Too generic and impersonal.
Greetings: Similar to “Hello,” it lacks personality.
Special Offer: While “offer” can be effective, “special offer” is overused and lacks specificity.
Don’t Miss Out!: A common and often ignored phrase.
Check This Out: Lacks specificity and feels generic.
New Products: Better than nothing, but could be more specific and engaging.
Our Latest: Incomplete; “Our Latest [Product/Service/Article]” is better.
Thank You: While polite, it’s not an attention-grabber unless followed by something specific.
Message From Our CEO: Unless the CEO is a well-known figure, this is unlikely to generate much interest.
Important Information: Often perceived as marketing jargon.

Optimizing for Mobile: Keeping it Concise

A significant percentage of emails are opened on mobile devices. Therefore, it’s crucial to optimize subject lines for smaller screens. Conciseness is key. Mobile screens typically display fewer characters than desktop screens, so shorter subject lines are more likely to be fully visible.

Recommended Subject Line Length

General Recommendation: Aim for subject lines that are 40-50 characters long. This ensures that the most important information is visible on most mobile devices.
Prioritize Keywords: Place the most important keywords at the beginning of the subject line to capture attention quickly.
Test Different Lengths: Use A/B testing to determine the optimal length for your specific audience and industry.

Techniques for Concise Subject Lines

Use Strong Verbs: Active verbs are more engaging than passive ones and can often convey the same information in fewer words. For example, instead of “Information about our new product,” try “Discover our new product.”
Cut Unnecessary Words: Eliminate filler words like “the,” “a,” “an,” and “of” whenever possible.
Use Abbreviations and Acronyms: If your audience is familiar with industry-specific abbreviations and acronyms, use them to save space. However, avoid using obscure abbreviations that might confuse readers.
Focus on the Benefit: Instead of describing the product or service, highlight the benefit that the recipient will receive. For example, instead of “New Project Management Software,” try “Manage Projects Easily with New Software.”
Use Emojis Sparingly: Emojis can add visual appeal and save space, but use them judiciously. Avoid using too many emojis, as this can make your subject line look cluttered and unprofessional.

Personalization and Segmentation: Targeting Your Audience

Personalization and segmentation are powerful strategies for improving email marketing performance. Tailoring your subject lines to specific audience segments can significantly increase open rates and engagement.

Benefits of Personalization

Increased Open Rates: Personalized subject lines are more likely to grab the attention of recipients because they feel more relevant.
Improved Click-Through Rates: When subject lines are personalized, recipients are more likely to click on the email and explore the content.
Higher Engagement: Personalized emails demonstrate that you understand your audience’s needs and preferences, leading to higher engagement levels.
Stronger Customer Relationships: Personalization helps build stronger relationships with your customers by making them feel valued and understood.

Segmentation Strategies

Segmenting your email list allows you to send targeted emails to specific groups of people based on their demographics, interests, behaviors, or purchase history. Here are some common segmentation strategies:

Demographic Segmentation: Segment your list based on factors such as age, gender, location, and income.
Interest-Based Segmentation: Segment your list based on the topics or products that recipients have expressed interest in.
Behavioral Segmentation: Segment your list based on recipients’ past behaviors, such as website visits, email opens, and purchases.
Purchase History Segmentation: Segment your list based on recipients’ past purchases.
Lifecycle Stage Segmentation: Segment your list based on where recipients are in the customer lifecycle (e.g., new subscribers, active customers, inactive customers).

Personalization Techniques for Subject Lines

Use the Recipient’s Name: Including the recipient’s name in the subject line is a simple but effective personalization technique. For example, “John, check out our new products!”
Mention Location: If you have location data, use it to personalize your subject lines. For example, “Local Deals in [City]”
Reference Past Purchases: Acknowledge past purchases to show that you remember your customers. For example, “Enjoy your [Product Name]? Here’s something else you might like.”
Tailor to Interests: Use data about recipients’ interests to create highly targeted subject lines. For example, “New [Interest] Content Just For You”
Address Pain Points: Identify your audience’s pain points and address them directly in your subject line. For example, “Struggling with [Problem]? We can help.”

A/B Testing: Refining Your Subject Line Strategy

A/B testing is a critical component of any successful email marketing strategy. It involves creating two or more versions of a subject line (or email) and sending them to a subset of your audience to determine which version performs best. By continuously A/B testing your subject lines, you can identify what resonates with your audience and optimize your email marketing campaigns for maximum impact.

Key Elements to A/B Test

Length: Test different subject line lengths to see which performs best on mobile and desktop devices.
Keywords: Experiment with different keywords and phrases to see which ones drive the most opens and clicks.
Personalization: Test different personalization techniques, such as using the recipient’s name, location, or past purchase history.
Emojis: Test the impact of using emojis in your subject lines.
Urgency: Compare subject lines with and without urgency cues to see which ones motivate immediate action.
Offer: Test different offers, such as discounts, free shipping, or free gifts.
Question vs. Statement: Test whether a question mark leads to more opens than a statement.

Best Practices for A/B Testing

Test One Element at a Time: To accurately measure the impact of each element, only change one variable at a time. For example, if you’re testing different keywords, keep the length and personalization the same.
Use a Large Enough Sample Size: To ensure statistically significant results, use a large enough sample size. The larger the sample size, the more confident you can be in the results.
Track Key Metrics: Track key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates to measure the performance of each subject line version.
Analyze the Results: Carefully analyze the results of your A/B tests to identify patterns and trends. Use these insights to inform your future email marketing campaigns.
Iterate and Optimize: A/B testing is an ongoing process. Continuously iterate and optimize your subject lines based on the results of your tests.

Subject Line Examples: Good and Bad

To illustrate the principles discussed above, here are some examples of good and bad email subject lines:

Good Subject Line Examples

“[Name], 20% Off Your Favorite Shoes!” (Personalized, offer-driven)
“Last Chance: Summer Sale Ends Tonight!” (Urgency, clear benefit)
“Discover 5 Ways to Boost Your Productivity” (Value-driven, specific)
“Easy Recipes for Quick Weeknight Dinners” (Simple, addresses a common need)
“Limited Time: Free Shipping on Orders Over $50” (Clear offer, scarcity)

Bad Subject Line Examples

“Newsletter” (Generic, uninteresting)
“Important Information” (Vague, lacks a hook)
“Click Here for Amazing Deals!” (Spammy, overused)
“Free! Free! Free! Get Your Free Gift Now!” (Excessive use of “free,” spam trigger)
“Special Offer Inside!” (Unspecific, lacks urgency)

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