Your email subject line is the gatekeeper, deciding whether your email gets opened or sent straight to the trash. It's a small piece of text with a big responsibility. But don't worry, we're here to help you master the art of crafting email subject lines that get your sales emails opened, read, and responded to.
Email subject lines are crucial in sales. They're the first thing your recipient sees, and they can make or break whether your email gets opened. A well-crafted subject line can pique your recipient's curiosity, offer value, and ultimately lead to higher open rates.
A good email subject line is brief, personalized, interesting, offers value, creates urgency, avoids clickbait, and includes relevant keywords. Let's break these down:
The ideal length of an email subject line varies between devices. On average, the maximum subject line is about 60 characters long before it gets cut off by the email provider. Aim for a subject line of around 50 characters to ensure it appears fully on desktop, mobile, and tablet devices and on various browsers.
Including the prospect’s name in the subject or opening line can significantly increase open rates. People want to hear from other people, not faceless brands. Use your personal email address or an alias that includes your first name to give your message a more human appearance.
A good subject line is your chance to pique the recipient's interest. It could be a question about a recent project they've started or finished, an ask for their help, or a comment on a recent news story in their industry. The key is to make it about the prospect.
Creating a sense of urgency can encourage the recipient to open the email sooner rather than later. Avoid creating false urgency or overusing urgent language, as this can annoy your recipients and damage your credibility. Instead, use urgency when it's genuinely relevant, such as when you're offering a limited-time discount or when the recipient needs to take action by a certain deadline.
While you want to grab attention, make sure your subject line accurately represents the content of your email. So, use this tactic sparingly to avoid annoying your prospects with constant urgent requests.
Including relevant keywords can help your email stand out in a crowded inbox and make it more searchable. Plus, keywords can help your email avoid spam make it into a folder the prospect will review later.
While crafting email subject lines, avoid these common mistakes:
Crafting the perfect sales email subject line is both an art and a science. It requires creativity, a deep understanding of your audience, and a bit of experimentation. It's about finding the right balance between being informative and intriguing, without coming off as spammy.
There are different types of sales email subject lines, each serving a different purpose:
The average email open rate for all industries is 21.33%. Open rates are one of the best ways to gauge the success of your email campaigns and measure engagement with your audience.
A higher open rate indicates that your subject lines and overall email content or sales sequences are resonating with your recipients and capturing their attention. It signifies that they are interested in what you have to say and are willing to take the time to read your emails. Here are some examples of email subject lines that may get you more opens:
Testing your email subject lines is crucial to understanding what types of sales engagement or marketing nurture approach works best for your audience. Here are some ways to test your subject lines:
Remember, what works for one audience might not work for another, so it's important to continuously test and optimize your subject lines based on your audience's preferences and behaviors.
Capturing the attention of your recipients and driving open rates starts with crafting compelling email subject lines. And luckily, GPT-4 makes it all that easier! To help you achieve the best quality output, we have carefully refined our prompts to provide valuable insights and boost the effectiveness of your emails.
Don't forget that personalization and human touch are crucial for aligning the generated subject lines with your brand's voice and maintaining authenticity. So, while AI-powered platforms or plugins can provide a solid foundation for generating creative and impactful email subject lines, it's up to you to refine them to perfectly fit your unique brand.
First, train ChatGPT on carrying out your tasks by assigning it a role, as follows:
Imagine you are a seasoned sales copywriter and your task is to brainstorm and create compelling email subject lines that drive engagement and increase open rates. You have been assigned to develop subject lines for different email types, including cold emails, follow-up emails, emails after no response, and meeting request emails. Your goal is to leverage your expertise in sales copywriting and generate subject lines that align with best practices, effectively convey the message, and grab the recipient's attention. Provide high-quality subject line variations tailored to the given context. Remember to keep the subject lines concise within 50 characters and follow the guidelines for sales email subject lines. Say OK when you understand your role!
Now, you can use any of the following prompts to brainstorm subject lines with the platform.
Generate 6 subject line variations for a cold email. Add the context of the email body here: [copy & paste the email body copy]. The central idea of the email is [mention the sales angle]. The goal is to create subject lines that evoke curiosity, highlight the unique value proposition, and create a sense of urgency. Keep the subject lines below 50 characters and ensure they follow best practices for sales email subject lines.
Provide 6 subject line variations for a follow-up email. The previous email focused on [mention the key topic or request]. Please provide any additional context or details about the previous email. I want subject lines that offer additional value, highlight a recent success story, or present a personalized solution. Please ensure the subject lines are concise, compelling, and follow best practices for sales email subject lines. Keep them within 50 characters.
Generate 6 subject line variations for an email following up after no response. The previous email was focused on [mention the main topic or offer]. Please provide any additional context about the previous email. I want subject lines that introduce a new perspective, present a time-sensitive opportunity, or ask a thought-provoking question. Please keep the subject lines concise, personalized, engaging within 50 characters, and in line with best practices for sales email subject lines.
Provide 6 personalized subject line variations for a sales meeting request email. The recipient works as a [mention recipient's role] in [mention recipient's company]. Please provide any additional context about the recipient's industry or interests. I want subject lines that emphasize a shared connection, address a specific pain point, propose a collaborative opportunity, and follow best practices for sales email subject lines. Please ensure the subject lines are concise, engaging, tailored to the recipient's needs, and within 50 characters.
Crafting compelling sales email subject lines is both an art and a science. Like with any other lead engagement asset, it requires creativity, understanding of your prospect's needs and interests, and a good grasp of email marketing best practices. With the right approach, your email subject lines can significantly increase your open rates, click rates, and conversions, ultimately driving more sales for your business. Remember, the goal is not just to get your emails opened, but to elicit a response and start a conversation that could lead to a sale.