We’ve all heard the phrase, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” But what about the dozens of email subject lines clamoring for attention in our cluttered inboxes? If you’re like me, you probably have judged an email by its subject line at least once.
Email subject lines are the very first impression companies make on email recipients, which is why it’s absolutely critical to craft compelling ones. If you want to stand out and boost your email open rates, start by paying closer attention to the subject line.
Read on for a few of our top B2B email marketing subject line best practices, along with some standout examples sure to get your creative juices flowing.
✅ Optimize Your Emails and Subject Lines for Mobile
With so many audiences now checking their email (or at least scanning their inboxes) on mobile, it pays to keep things short and sweet. This goes for both subject lines and email content. Limit mobile subject lines to around 30 characters (or less) so they can be easily displayed on any device. And don’t forget to write engaging preview text, or your email content will likely be duplicated in its place.
What matters most to your prospects isn’t your product or service; it’s what your product or service can do for them. Giving readers a brief summary of your offer within your subject line can boost your credibility and improve open rates.
Unless you’re aiming for a specific tone to get recipients’ attention, don’t use overly complex, elaborate verbiage. Rather, make the immediate benefits clear and place them up front as often as possible. This will ensure that you’re making the most of the one chance you have to get recipients interested.
✅ Don’t Make False Promises
Don’t mislead readers with your subject line. Your email subject line should always align with the email content. Clickbait email subject lines may be effective for some brands, but they’re unlikely to bode well with most B2B audiences. Think of the subject line of your email as a promise you’re making to your readers about what the email within holds.
Promising something in the subject line but not delivering it in the email isn’t a good B2B email marketing strategy. In fact, instead of improving your KPIs, false promises will likely frustrate your audience and lead to distrust, which can decrease open rates and interest from subscribers. It’s important to maintain your reputation, and damaging it for a fleeting increase in email open rates isn’t wise.
If you’ve promised a resource that will be delivered via email, use the subject line to indicate that the resource is inside. It’s an easy way to clearly communicate that the value you promised is waiting for the user.
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