Learn how to write email marketing subject lines your audience can't resist with these tips, AI prompts, and real-life examples.
Email marketing subject lines can seem intimidating when you’re staring at a blank field.
The truth is, a lot goes into a really effective subject line. That said, once you get the hang of writing them, subject lines will be your secret weapon for sky-high open rates.
As somewhat of an email marketing expert (I’ve helped companies send thousands of marketing emails over the past five years, so I know what works), I’ll walk you through:
An email marketing subject line is the text that shows up alongside a new email notification in the recipient’s inbox.
The subject line is your first contact with your email subscribers. That makes it a great opportunity to tell them why they should open the email at all.
The big question is, why are we even addressing email marketing subject lines here? Well, they do a few very important things.
So, subject lines are important. How, then, do you write an exceptional one? You should include:
📖 Read next: How to build an email list
Now that you’ve got a clearer idea of what goes into a good subject line, here are a few examples you can steal if you’re still looking for inspiration.
Your appointment is confirmed, [name]!
We had a blast talking to you today!
What’s on your mind, [name]?
You’ve unlocked a world of deals at [brand name] 👀
An exclusive welcome to the [brand name] family
Come on in and have a look around, [name]!
Don’t head out the door without this [product type]…
For your eyes only: brand-new [product type]
Introducing our new [name of service]
Long time no see, [name]!
Let’s catch up…
We’ve got a gift for you, [name]!
[Inquiry topic]: We’re here to help.
Let’s get your [topic] questions answered.
We got your message about [topic]!
P.S. Get our best email newsletter examples here.
It’s PSL season 🍂 at [company name]
Webinars, features, and guest blogs, oh my!
A look back at [month]
Take your [topic] skills to the next level in 10 minutes.
Read this before your next [type of product] buy…
The [topic/industry] world is changing fast (and we know why)
Sent from the couch: [topic]
Drool-worthy deals on [product type] 😍
Brb, obsessing over [product type, topic, etc.
Now that you have a few examples of AI prompts to help you get started, let’s talk about some of the specifics so you can write your own prompts and subject lines.
What should your character count be?
The research tends to show that email marketing subject lines should be between 30 and 60 characters.
You’ll notice in some of the screenshot examples throughout this article that many subject lines are cut off on mobile devices. I specifically took screenshots on my phone to show this to you. If you can write a subject line that gets your point across in fewer characters, that’s what I suggest doing.
As far as words go, 9-word subject lines work best. Again, the fewer the words the better.
The key to a great AI email marketing subject line is the right prompt(s). Here are a few of our favorites. Just open chatGPT and copy/paste these in:
You’ll also want to be specific with any AI engine about the subject matter of your emails, so it helps to use keywords in your prompts like:
You may also want to give your AI tool an idea of the end goal of the subject line, so consider adding:
Now, I know that was a lot of information at once, so here’s a quick and easy recipe you can use to either guide your favorite AI tool or write your own subject line.
You’re almost ready to start sending. Before you do, keep a few key points in mind.
Lily is a content marketing specialist at SimpleTexting. She specializes in making helpful, entertaining video content and writing blogs that help businesses take advantage of all that texting has to offer. When she’s not writing or making TikToks, you can find Lily at roller derby practice or in a yoga studio in the Seattle area.
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