It's
all about first impressions. Before opening the email, that one line is
all that your readers will have to go on, and it's what they'll use to
decide whether to bother reading it or not. Today, a vast amount of
emails that anybody receives is spam, so you have to make sure that your
subject line sets your message apart and authenticates your message as
non-spam.
Think it over
It's important to take a few minutes to consider the appropriate subject line. Many people don't put much thought into it, they simply ramble off a quick sentence and focus more on the content of the actual email. It might be a better idea to write your email first and then, once you have a better idea of what exactly you're saying in your email, formulate your subject.
Make it personal
Keep your intended recipient in mind when you're trying to come up with the best line. Think about the types of keywords and phrases that will catch your reader's eye and use them. You should also consider what part of your message would be most important to your reader and focus on that for your subject line.
Be specific
Why are you writing this email to the reader? That's the question in their minds when they receive your email in their inbox. So to write a more powerful email subject line, you need to get straight to the point - this is not the right place to waffle on. Include details that help the reader to figure out what you're talking about in your email quickly and without confusion. E.g. if you're emailing a painter to find out his rates, you would say something like, "Enquiry: hourly painting rates."
Take action
If your email is requesting an action from your reader, include it in your subject line. If you are inviting your reader to a meeting you might say, "Invitation: Body Corporate Annual Meeting, Clubhouse Jan 19." (Remember - you're trying to be specific, so include the date) The same applies for any other action, or maybe you're sending a reminder - say so! Start your email off with 'Reminder:" If there's a deadline involved, it might also be helpful to include that in the subject line too.
Make the cut
Because you're trying to be as specific as possible - you're basically trying to fit as many words as you can into just one line. This doesn't mean you should try to use more words, you should keep it to one short line with about 70 characters. Here's the trick - leave out unnecessary words. It doesn't have to be a full sentence, so leave out articles, adjectives and adverbs.
Jo Watson Productions is a writing collective that offers full writing services. Check out our website for more information.
Think it over
It's important to take a few minutes to consider the appropriate subject line. Many people don't put much thought into it, they simply ramble off a quick sentence and focus more on the content of the actual email. It might be a better idea to write your email first and then, once you have a better idea of what exactly you're saying in your email, formulate your subject.
Make it personal
Keep your intended recipient in mind when you're trying to come up with the best line. Think about the types of keywords and phrases that will catch your reader's eye and use them. You should also consider what part of your message would be most important to your reader and focus on that for your subject line.
Be specific
Why are you writing this email to the reader? That's the question in their minds when they receive your email in their inbox. So to write a more powerful email subject line, you need to get straight to the point - this is not the right place to waffle on. Include details that help the reader to figure out what you're talking about in your email quickly and without confusion. E.g. if you're emailing a painter to find out his rates, you would say something like, "Enquiry: hourly painting rates."
Take action
If your email is requesting an action from your reader, include it in your subject line. If you are inviting your reader to a meeting you might say, "Invitation: Body Corporate Annual Meeting, Clubhouse Jan 19." (Remember - you're trying to be specific, so include the date) The same applies for any other action, or maybe you're sending a reminder - say so! Start your email off with 'Reminder:" If there's a deadline involved, it might also be helpful to include that in the subject line too.
Make the cut
Because you're trying to be as specific as possible - you're basically trying to fit as many words as you can into just one line. This doesn't mean you should try to use more words, you should keep it to one short line with about 70 characters. Here's the trick - leave out unnecessary words. It doesn't have to be a full sentence, so leave out articles, adjectives and adverbs.
Jo Watson Productions is a writing collective that offers full writing services. Check out our website for more information.
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