The Importance of Subject Lines

The topic of subject lines comes up a lot in firms that rely on email marketing and other digital strategies for promotional success. Whether you’re distributing an email blast to your customers or sending an email to a targeted media contact, the effectiveness of your efforts can hinge on the words you use in the subject line.

At Walker Sands, the ability to connect with the right people through email is our bread and butter. As a leading integrated PR and digital marketing agency, we understand the importance of subject lines and have developed strategies to improve both click-through rates and the value of email communications among key audiences.

Understanding the Importance of Subject Lines

Email overload is a reality in today’s fast-paced business environment. From prospects to media contacts, nearly everyone’s inbox is bombarded with an abundance of email communications, all of which are competing for the recipient’s time and attention.

To filter out unnecessary or irrelevant messages, most people spend just a fraction of a second evaluating email subject fields. If the subject field doesn’t immediately capture their attention, they move on to the next message in their inboxes — even though the main body of the email may contain information that is valuable and useful to their business.

The importance of subject lines becomes even more clear when you consider that a short, one-line description of your email may be your first and only shot at connecting with a customer or business contact.

The Importance of Subject Lines: What You Need to Know

There are several general guidelines that you can use to emphasize the importance of subject lines in your organization. The tactics for crafting impactful subject descriptions vary, but by making an effort to incorporate the following characteristics into your emails, you can dramatically improve the results you achieve from your email marketing efforts.

1. Keep It Brief. Subject lines need to quickly grab the recipient’s attention. It’s estimated that subject lines with 50 characters or less result in 12% higher open rates and 75% higher click-through rates than emails with longer subject lines. The takeaway? Keep it less than 50 words and focus on quickly putting your best foot forward.
2. Pique Their Interest. Subject lines have to be interesting and unique. Stay away from over-used words and clichés, and try to present your audience with a hook that captures their attention and incentivizes them to learn more by opening the email.
3. Offer Value. The best subject lines communicate the promise of value. In other words, your subject line has to convince the recipient that the email contains information or messaging that will improve their lives and/or their businesses.
4. Build Trust. Trustworthiness is a priority for brands that understand the importance of subject lines. The information contained in your email should be consistent with the promise you make in the subject line. Also, it’s critical to make sure that your subject line is free of spelling or grammatical errors to preserve credibility with your audience.

You have a lot riding on the effectiveness of your brand’s email communications strategy. At Walker Sands, we appreciate the importance of subject lines, and offer the experience and expertise you need to achieve greater impact through your company’s PR and email marketing initiatives.