Reclaim Wasted Time on Emails

“The time I carried a human spine around in my suitcase”

“Something you can (& should) steal from me”

If either of those two subject lines showed up in your email inbox, would you open them? I did.

And then I added them to a folder called “swipe file” because they’re awesome email subject lines and I want to remember them for inspiration.

Those two emails were surrounded by about eight other new emails at that time of day in my inbox, but I only opened those two. Why?

Those two subject lines caught my eye and made me want to read what was inside! The other six emails were ignored or deleted, even though I purposefully subscribed to those email lists!

I subscribed to those lists with every intention of reading their emails, but life gets in the way and work gets busy and no one has time to read ALL THE EMAILS.

That’s why your subject lines are so important. You don’t want to get lost in the sea of emails and end up in the digital trash can!

(If you aren’t sending consistent, valuable emails to your list, that’s a whole other issue. For the sake of this blog post, we’re going to pretend you’ve already joined the other smart online business owners who regularly send emails to their list.)

EMAIL MARKETING MATTERS

You already know how important email marketing is right now. Some of the best and brightest online entrepreneurs use email as their main marketing tool!

That’s because email marketing is proven to have a much higher Return on Investment than anything you do on social media. Can you grow a large audience and find amazing clients and customers on Instagram? Absolutely! But Instagram could also disappear or take away your account tomorrow. You don’t own it. You own your list and you can use it however you please.

There are no algorithms to worry about with your email list. You send them an email; they will see it! But will they open it and read the whole thing? That’s the million-dollar question.

Do you know how to craft subject lines that inspire clicks?

What if you put all your creative energy into writing consistent, valuable emails to your list and no one opens them? That’s some serious wasted time and energy.

And that’s a real fear among many online entrepreneurs. I get it. That’s why I’m sharing my 3 favorite types of subject lines with you, in hopes of increasing your open rate and engaging your readers.

3 TYPES OF SUBJECT LINES

These are subject lines I use for my copywriting clients daily.

1. Curiosity! This is my favorite. If you get the reader feeling like they just HAVE to know what’s inside your email, you’ve done a great job with your subject line. Anything that leaves them guessing or wanting to know more works well, like the subject line about the human spine at the beginning of this post.

2. Numbers. If you have a numbered list, readers are more likely to open it because they know they can skim down to the list if they’re in a hurry. You have a lot to compete with to keep your reader’s attention. If you can give them 3 or 5 quick takeaways, they’ll be happy! Think a Top 5 Reasons type of list.

3. Trendy Topic. If your email can relate to something trendy, put that in the subject line. People love the feeling of community that comes from following a trend. In the fall, try to work in “pumpkin spice latte” somehow and you’re golden.

My last nugget of advice on creating compelling subject lines? Write it last. Get the body of the email done first because the inspiration for the subject line will come from there.

SUBJECT LINES AND WRITER’S BLOCK

Now, picture yourself sitting at your computer, beautifully-written email on the screen in front of you, cursor blinking next to “Subject Line: _____”….

Even with my three examples, you might still feel stuck. What if your email body doesn’t contain anything that falls into one of those three categories?

I actually have a total of 15 types of subject lines that are proven to get more people opening your emails. And I have a 7-step process I take with every email before I ever start trying to come up with a subject line.

That could be the answer to your “subject line writer’s block” prayers.

There’s a new training available that comes with 5 video lessons and a workbook, breaking down each type of subject line and providing examples written in each type. I also explain my professional copywriting process for coming up with excellent subject lines.

It’s like handing you the answer to higher open rates on a silver platter.

(And higher open rates often to lead to more quality leads and consistent sales… Just sayin’…)

The best part? It’s offered at a very low price right now. If you’re interested, grab my free guide to make more sales with your copy here — and then you’ll be directed to my training — How to Craft Subject Lines that Inspire Clicks.

This story was originally published on the Pursuit of Peace blog.