BETWEEN THE LINES
There are two sides to every subject line. Its most
obvious function is revealing information about the
email, but it also reveals information about the sender
in nuanced ways. Take capitalization: a subject line
in title caps (“This Product Is Revolutionizing The
Industry”) screams formality; lowercase (“what’s
going on?”) screams familiarity; all caps (“TRY THIS
NOW”) simply screams. Informal subject lines,
written in a friendly format, offer an understandable
appeal for recipients, and they tend to outperform
formal or scream-y subject lines whenever they’re
compared. Also influencing a recipient’s perception
of friendliness is word choice, as hinted above. Plain
vocabulary, mild slang, and even mild cursing can
establish a sense of familiarity–the latter, of course,
when implemented judiciously.
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When it comes to indicating the content of the
email, there are a couple of routes to take. An overly
informative subject line cuts like a double-edged
sword: it may give some recipients reason to open,
while giving other cause to ignore. On the other end
of the spectrum, an ambiguous “hey”-style subject
line may peak a recipient’s curiosity, but if used too
often its effect may be diluted. A common technique
is initiating a kind of call and response–a question or
phrase that engages the recipient and compels them
to open the email (e.g. “Is your closet this clean?”).
This middle ground, if you will, adds some indication
of what’s in the email with out giving away the whole
thing. Whichever direction you go with your subject
lines, it’s important to test different tactics and use the
data to make informed decisions.
