6 Best Email Newsletter Subject Line Ideas 2024: Expert Tips
Try Publicate For Free Today
Start Now
You have milliseconds to grab the attention of your subscribers and convince them to open your newsletter. That’s why getting the subject line right is so important.
Learn what to do (and what not to do!) with this guide to the best email newsletter subject line ideas. Whatever your newsletter is about, we’ll show you how to make sure it gets opened, read and engaged with. Read on for tips and helpful subject line examples.
An email subject line is the first line of text recipients see when your newsletter lands in their inbox.
It’s usually one of the key reasons someone opens an email, so it’s always best to use catchy subject lines for emails.
Done well, subject lines improve your open rate. Done poorly, they can impact engagement and even get flagged as spam.
So, use it to grab the reader’s attention, summarize the email, and encourage them to open it
64% of email recipients choose to open or delete emails based on subject lines.
Subject lines are key to increasing open rates, which can then improve click-through rates (CTR) and conversions. Put simply: They can make or break your campaign.
Here are some more reasons newsletter subject lines are so important:
Remember that email subject lines are important for getting emails opened. However, the work isn’t done. Open rates aren’t the leading factor in a newsletter’s success; engagement and conversions are.
So, once recipients open your email, you need to delight them with professional and beautiful content.
Use an email builder to help. Email builders let you design newsletters quickly using pre-made templates and a drag-and-drop editor. The stack of templates are optimized for engagement, to maximize the success of every newsletter you send.
There’s no one correct way, or magic formula, to write an effective subject line.
Some of the best email subject line examples are simple and direct. Others are mysterious or humorous. When writing a subject line, think about how you can “hook” your audience.
Here are some avenues to explore for the best results:
It pays to know about your subscriber base.
Do they mostly open emails on their smartphones or laptops, and which email service provider (ESP) is most popular among your audience?
There are different guidelines to follow based on this information, because devices and ESPs show subject lines differently. Here’s the recommended subject line length for some key ESPs:
You should also ensure your email designs are responsive for mobile, desktop and every email client. Drag and drop newsletter builders come with templates that are responsive no matter where your subscribers get their emails.
In other words, the formatting will look great every time. Use can also the preview feature to visually see how your emails will render so you can send newsletters with confidence.
Three key components make up an email newsletter subject line. Here they are, along with some tips on getting them right:
Who is the email from? Use your name or organization, so recipients instantly recognize (and trust!) the sender. This is important to get your email opened instead of deleted or marked as spam.
Here’s how it looks in a Gmail inbox:
This is the main subject line - the copy that does the heavy lifting in getting emails opened.
Notice how Platypus Shoes keeps it simple, directly addresses the reader, and includes an emoji for a touch of playfulness:
This is a single line of copy that appears next to the subject line.
It often provides more information about the content of the email, or an extra persuasive trigger to convince recipients to open the newsletter.
In this example, Platypus gets more specific about the voucher on offer:
The best marketers call on a handful of techniques when writing subject lines.
In this section, we’ve rounded up six of the most powerful techniques, along with email newsletter subject line ideas for each one. Use them to spark your imagination and write the most irresistible subject line.
FOMO is a psychological principle that’s often used with great success in marketing.
Bring it into your subject line by using scarcity (limited availability) or urgency (limited time).
Use words like “Urgent”, “Last Call” and “Only x Left!” to encourage email opens.
Here are some email subject examples that use FOMO well:
And a powerful subject line from Google Store: Get Black Friday deals before they’re gone.
Leave a little to the imagination.
Humans have an innate desire to close curiosity gaps in our minds. Leave your subject line open-ended (like a cliffhanger) so subscribers want to find out what they’re missing. This helps convince them to read your company newsletter, or any email you send.
You can do this with an unusual subject line, or a promise of something unique or interesting.
For example:
Here’s another curiosity-raising example by Brondell: Help the planet with a bidet.
Humor builds connections. If you can bring some joy to your subscribers, they’ll be glad you’re in their inbox.
Getting humor right can be tricky, so make sure you only write a subject line that will appeal to your subscriber base.
Here are some catchy subject lines for emails that nail humor:
All humans have some level of vanity. It simply means we want to be liked and accepted by others.
Beauty and fashion brands play on vanity well, and you can take some tips from them to write a subject line that promises to make your readers more attractive.
For example:
Sales, discounts and promotions work well because consumers naturally want more for less.
How often have you opened an email that mentioned a good deal in the subject line, even if you didn’t need the product right then?
Here are some helpful email subject line examples when you have an offer to share:
Your subscribers have problems to solve. And, if you know your audience well, you’ll know what those problems, or pain points, are.
Use your subject line to position yourself as the solution to those problems. The following brands do it well:
We’ve already touched on “spam trigger” keywords that can spell bad news for your newsletter. However, some keywords have been proven to boost your open rate, when used in the subject line.
Alchemy Worx analyzed 21 billion marketing emails and found that the following words have the best effect on open rates, on average:
Conversely, these words have the largest negative effect on open rates, according to the study:
Alchemy Worx carried out another study which found the best keywords for open rates to be:
A different study by Adestra found the five top performers for open rate are:
Give your email newsletter subject line ideas an extra boost by following these best practices:
Let’s round this out with one of the most important best practice tips: Beautiful email design.
Follow up your great subject line with a beautiful email, so the entire subscriber journey is streamlined, cohesive and enjoyable.
The templates you’ll find with good newsletter builders are designed for engagement. You can choose the perfect one and customize it with your content and company branding. Save, organize and re-use content blocks (“elements”) to speed up the design of future newsletters, and ensure anyone on your team can collaborate with confidence.
Without using an email builder to create stunning, professional emails, even the best subject lines are wasted. No one wants to be hooked in by a great promise, to be let down by outdated designs, poor formatting or unengaging content.
In order to craft the perfect subject line, you need to avoid these common mistakes:
A strong subject line is nothing without a stunning, engaging email. Subscribers will simply ignore your newsletter if it’s not well-designed.
Create newsletters people want to open by getting inspiration from these email newsletter subject line ideas.
Then, create newsletters people want to read and engage with by using an email builder, where you can create beautiful emails and export them to any ESP - no designers or coders needed!
