The effectiveness of the subject line in a message is of great importance in email marketing. This is because the subject line is your first point of interaction with a prospective customer as an email marketer. It presents you with an opportunity to grab the reader’s attention and coax him or her to read further about your product or service.

The subject line in your email marketing campaign can be likened to a door-to-door salesperson who persuades prospects to try a product or service while each recipient’s inbox is like the door to his or her home. A smart salesperson who communicates important product information in as little time as possible is the one who will probably be the most successful. Similarly, the subject lines that work in email marketing must be well-thought through and worded appropriately.

Another reason why subject lines are important in email marketing is the widespread deployment of spam filters. The subject line is often used by spam filters to decide whether emails should be sent to the junk folder or to the inbox. If you want to have a chance of your prospects reading your email, you need to make sure your emails land in their inboxes.

Here are some important points to keep in mind when you are framing the subject line of an email marketing campaign:

Email marketing requires that your subject line be simple. No one needs a long, convoluted sentence as a subject line. It should be simple enough to introduce the message to the reader and make it clear enough for him to understand what the message is about. Email marketing subject lines should be lucid and, at the same time, be effective enough to inform the reader about the contents of the message. This almost always improves your chances of persuading your reader to open your email marketing message.

The main reason for a compelling subject line in an email marketing message is to invoke enough interest in the mind of the readers to open the message. A subject line that can do this has performed its task. It helps if your subject line can create just the right amount of urgency in the mind of the reader. For example, “Act now, stocks are finishing fast” or “Purchase today to avail yourself of a 25% discount”. It is important to use strong verbs in the subject line calling out to the reader to act fast. A question in the subject line may also help make it potent. For example, “Don’t you want to go on your dream holiday?” or “Won’t it be exciting to go to South Africa for the World Cup?”

Ensure that the subject line of the message in an email marketing campaign is short and crisp. A reader won’t want to spend too much time reading a subject line. A few words placed correctly can carry enough punch. Your subject line should have enough information in it to indicate what lies in store for the reader and at the same time not give too much away. Maybe, briefly let the readers know what they will be missing out on if they skip past or delete the message. You subject line should be intriguing enough to warrant a click.

All in all, a good subject line increases the chances of making your email marketing exercise a success. Even if your email has reached the recipients without being cast aside or blocked by their spam filters, there is still the challenge of competing with the other mails in their inboxes for their attention. So make your best effort at crafting that perfect subject line to carry your message to the intended reader. A great way is to test and test different subject lines until you get into the habit of framing them perfectly.