Hello fellow bloggers,

This may not be the exact right forum for this question but I’m hoping that this group will have some insight on this topic. Here’s the question:

There are a lot of “experts” who have posted thoughts and opinions on how email subject lines affect open rates. Unfortunately, a lot of these experts contradict one another. I’d like to hear from the real experts – the people who are working in the trenches. So, will you please share some of your favorite tips for subject lines? Also, please share how you test for effectiveness and if you have found any formula for crafting a really good subject line.
Thank you so much for your feedback. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts.
Marge

@margebrown

I send out over 100k emails per month on behalf of clients and my own company and compared to industry norms, we’re well-above average when it comes to deliverability, open rate, click-throughs, conversions, etc.  A few things we do:

• Convey a sense of urgency – “One day sale”, ” Only a few hours left”.  It gets the email opened.

• Keep it simple – Typically 5-7 words and easy to skim over.
• Exclusivity – “Private sale”, “Members-only”, Invite only”.  It makes the recipient feel like they are getting a special deal.
• Use localization – If you’re targeting a specific location, use the city name.
• Newsletters – be date specific “October 2012 newsletter” – these tend to get really high open rates (70%+)
• Avoid using a lot of punctuation or capital letters.  Some email marketing service providers you will only allow you to have one exclamation point in a subject line.  The over-use of either could get your email sent directly to the spam filter.  
• Use your company name.

**Edit** 

Also, make sure you test your subject lines.  

@kimberlyhouston

That’s great!  If you have any more questions, just ask.  I’m happy to help!

@iamconsulting @kristi-hines Thank you both for your help. This is great information and tips that I will use (or not use) to help my messages get to the intended recipients. So appreciate the help.