How to write a great subject line.

Great subject lines are not just for newspaper articles. Your email needs to stand out!

Find out more in this article about how to write your killing headlines.

"You need to do whatever it takes to write a powerful headline" this is what Tina Laurence, one of my favourite copywriters, says about the importance of starting well when you write an email to your customers.

It is a piece of great advice! The heading is the most crucial part of your email and determines whether or not the reader will open it, not to mention being sent to the spam inbox.

Even if you have written the most compelling content ever, if the headline fails to grab your audience's attention, your chances are doomed, period.

So, how do you write a captivating sentence that will prompt your reader to open up the email among hundreds he receives every day?

First of all, be sure that the email does not end up straight in the spam! Shouting "$4 million guaranteed" or inserting too many exclamation points or unbelievable promises will be the best route to the spam inbox.

Avoiding the spam inbox is paramount, but what does it make your reader opening the email?

There are email categories that help to entice the audience.

Emails that help your consumers with specific solutions.

The first category is the benefit emails. It will help if you give something that your audience needs/wants/wishes that are doable and realistic; for instance, "How to cook delicious meals in less than 20 minutes". The email is for those who don't have time. This title would almost guarantee that your reader will open up the email, providing he/she is one of them. To be successful with this formula, you need to know your audience very well. "Find the best-selling coats two clicks away" for inviting people to visit an online shop. The benefits' category can offer solutions, discount offers, and practical suggestions.

On the other side of the spectrum, there are the emails that play on with the sense of urgency: "Sales end tomorrow, grab your offer now". People respond well to the feeling of missing out, and it is a known tactic in grabbing your audience's attention.

Another category includes a group of intriguing headlines the readers can't help but open, like:" You're invited" (invited to what? Let's open it to see) even better if it is personalised with the name of the recipient: "Keith, ABCZ company might want to invite you for an interview.". The personalised emails are, by far, what works best because it is a direct, personal call that gives a sense of exclusivity.

Whether you want to capture your readers by surprising them with unusual headlines or with something that can help them out or urgency, always remember that content that follows the headline is always up to the promise contained in it. Some very established and famous copywriters even suggest writing the headline first and then the body text.  Keep your emails short and concise, clear,  and straightforward. Emails are an effective way to communicate essential information. Follow the headline tone with a sub-headline that adds a little bit to the main topic to reiterate the concept expressed in the email title.

Always write the headlines several times and "kill your babies" along the way; it means to put yourself in your reader's shoes and chose the best, the closest one to the reader mood, showing empathy, possibility, even opportunity.  

Remember that words are money; therefore, do not leave them on the table.