Email subject lines
One of the main factors behind the decision to open, read and act on an email is the subject line.
Open rates
Popular articles
How to keep subject lines and tweets short
Eight practical writing tips to keep those tweets and subject lines as short as possible.
10 points to watch
A quick outline of what you need to do and/or think about when constructing your subject.
Subject line inspiration: where to get it
Large collection of links, resources and ideas for finding creative inspiration for your next email.
5 lessons from a typical subject line test
Reviews the problems that crop up when you try to interpret your test results, and how to avoid them.
Truncation traps: three more subject line lessons
Looks at how shorter subject line displays in email clients can lead to problems with how you order your copy and how you use generic keywords.
Does your subject line shrink gracefully?
Explains the importance of the subject line outside the inbox and why you need to look at all the different ways your subject is displayed in mobile, email and webmail clients.
A special six-part subject line series on the blog:
Part I: The right subject line length?
Answers the question on how long (or short) your subject header should be.
Part II: Recognition, interest, action
Explores the three objectives your subject lines must pursue.
Part III: Branded subject lines
Describes the factors to consider when deciding whether to add a name, brand or newsletter title to your subject line.
Part IV: Personalized subject lines
Considers the key issues involved in deciding whether to add the recipient's name to the subject.
Part V: Copywriting and inspiration
Advice on finding the right words to trigger interest and action, with links to potential sources of inspiration.
Part VI: Final factors
A look at legal and spam issues, frontloading, testing, style and more.
Subject line research has many lessons
Reports on a study showing longer subject lines might be more effective than shorter ones. Then explains why the picture may be more complicated and what lessons this holds for those creating those subjects.
Scrabble has the answer
Explains how thinking of subject lines like a game of Scrabble can lead to better responses.
A special subject line series on insights drawn from Amazon emails:
Amazon and length
Amazon and personalization
Amazon and branding
Amazon and discounts
Subject lines: what's the story?
Those new to the field can learn why email marketers place so much emphasis on crafting the right subject line. Includes a list of points to bear in mind when reading up on the topic.