Creative Email Subject Lines to Successfully Restart a Dead Conversation

On average, business professionals receive hundreds of emails every single week. Even though we’re living in a social media world, email still remains the most effective form of business communication.

Some people won’t even read every message that pops into their inbox – so how can you make your email stand out?

Imagine a situation in which you’ve managed to successfully get your recipient to open up your emails once or twice but now conversation has stalled. There is no guarantee that they are going to continue with the conversation.

The key to successful email marketing lies in the personalisation of your emails, the customisation of the email and in marketing automation.

Marketing Automation?

Marketing automation is technology or software that helps businesses to manage marketing campaigns across multiple digital channels. This allows them to track the results easily too. An example of this would be designing and sending out a generic template email when people complete a specific action, such as subscribing to a list that you have created.

In marketing and sales, a subscriber list is very important. Getting contact’s email address is often the easy part, but how do you keep them engaged? There are some examples of enticing commercial emails. But if no one opens your emails, how is your business supposed to grow?

This is where the customisation of emails comes into place.

So What Do You Do?
You can’t send the same email again, as that would come across as rude. You need to think of a way to email them again without coming across as needy or pushy. We think that the answer lies in the subject line. A creative, well thought out and straight to the point email subject line could be the difference between getting a reply or your email sitting unread in their inbox.

“This will only take a few seconds”
No one wants to read an email that is going to take them longer than a couple of minutes to read. The longer your email, the more likely that it will get ignored or remain partly read. Therefore, to even get to the point of your recipient reading your email, we suggest putting how long it will take to read in the subject line. Not only is your email screaming ‘read me – I’m really short’, you’re also letting them know that you’re aware they are busy people.

“Re: *subject of your last email*”
It would be presumptuous to assume that the person you are emailing actually remembers what you were last talking about. Even if your last email wasn’t that long ago, it’s definitely worth reminding them about it. By popping the subject of your last email into the subject line, they are more likely to open up your email. If they are especially busy, they are unlikely to open any new emails.

The ‘Re:’ in the email lets them know that you’re not contacting them with anything new to deal with and therefore makes them less wary of giving it a read. In fact, a ContactMonkey study that was carried out revealed that emails with “Re:” in the subject line are opened 92 percent of the time.

“Have You Any Questions, *include name here*?”
When thinking of creative ways to capture someone’s attention enough to make them open your email, we suggest putting their name into the subject line. If nothing else, this could make them curious enough to give it a read. This allows gives them the idea that you’re not a random stranger sending them emails – it gives an impression of an already formed connection.

Emojis
Whether you’re a fan or not, it’s hard to deny the fact that a majority of emails are now opened up and read on mobiles. The latest phone models are basically the same as computers these days, making it easier for people to read and reply straight from theirs. If your target audience is part of the millennial generation, they are more likely to be using their mobile device. To stand out in a clogged looking email inbox, we suggest popping in an emoji. This will stand out to those who are scrolling through on their phones – and it looks inviting.

“Request For Expertise”
A really good way to entice your intended reader into opening your email, in a sea of emails, is to give them a compliment in the email subject line. We’re not talking about getting really personal, but a slight stroke of ego, is definitely a good way to encourage someone to open your message. We suggest asking for their “expertise” or requesting their “professional opinion” – this is making them feel important.

Before putting together the perfect response to emails, we suggest that you think about the customer that you are targeting. Different audiences will need different approaches. Once you have your target audience in mind, you can choose a reply that will specifically stand out to them.