Building a list is just SO powerful.
It’s the fastest and easiest way to make money on the internet.
However, it will only work if you take the time to write emails that people want to read and this all starts with the subject line.
Think about it: It doesn’t matter how good your blog post, product, video or even email body copy is, without an enticing email subject line your subscribers won’t be feel compelled to open your emails and read your content.
For this reason I’d like to share with you some of my best converting email subject lines. I’ve ranked these in order of open rate. That is the percentage of my subscribers who actually chose to open these emails.
Obviously, it’s impossible to say with 100% certainty why these subject lines were successful. However, I’ve put some of my own thoughts as to the reasons against each one to help you think about how you can replicate good subject lines yourself.
As you know, I always like to give you the negative side of what we discuss here on the Gain Higher Ground blog so for good measure I’ll also reveal some of the worst performing subject lines that I’ve written!
7 Best Converting Email Subject Lines
“Why you should ignore Google+ (i.e. Google’s ‘answer’ to Facebook)…”
54.5% of my subscribers opened this email. It is very likely that its success is a combination of:
- Controversy – Most bloggers and marketers were raving about how good Google Plus was at the time so this subject line was flying very much in the face of that.
- Topical – At the time this email was sent Google Plus was being talked about all over the internet.
“Me on London’s Hampstead Heath (+a free internet marketing checklist)”
This had a 57.2% open rate. People love personal stories and seeing inside the lives of others. So I guess the lesson here is to really try to engage with your audience – they’ll be a lot more interested in your personal experiences than you might imagine.
“19 Internet Marketing Resources That I Love…”
The 59.8% of my subscriber base who chose to open this email were likely intrigued by resources that they feel could save them time and speed up their progress. As we’ve talked about resource lists, cheat sheet and the like are very popular in virtually every niche on the internet
“Why don’t you do this to make money online, {!firstname_fix}? (nothing to buy)”
The open rate for this subject line was a whopping 62.2%! It contains some features which tend to work very well:
- Results – It offers a method to achieve a specific goal that my subscribers want to achieve (or achieve more of)
- Personalisation – You’ll notice the presence of “{!firstname_fix}” which is the code that uses the subscriber’s own name. This helps to catch their eye and can increase open rates.
- Free content – I included the phrase “nothing to buy” as this was entirely free content. This helps people to click who are weary of those marketers who just promote product after product.
“…A quick recommendation and ‘the secret passage’…”
64.2% open rate with this one and I assume this is the very powerful marketing tactic of curiosity at play here. What is the recommendation and more to the point who isn’t interested in learning what the secret passage is?!
“{!firstname_fix}, do you fear the technical side of starting an online business?”
I was actually surprised by the very high open rate of 77.6% here. But again this is why testing is so important. Even though you don’t have to be technical to create your own successful web business many people still fear it so this is probably the most likely explanation.
“No charge. No opt-in. My new 56 page eBook FREE for you (link inside, {!firstname_fix})”
This is my best performing subject line of ALL TIME with my Gain Higher Ground related content.
83.6% clicked to open the email and I guess it appealed as it was free, people like eBooks they can download and of course I used personalisation (“{!firstname_fix}”) too!
And Now… Here’s The 4 WORST!
The following subject lines are some of the ones that have performed the worst for me….
“I’m half way to 72 today…”
This was just about my age and 23.4% were interested enough to open the email. So sharing personal information doesn’t always work. Perhaps there just wasn’t enough curiosity here?
“How To ‘Do’ Internet Marketing Without Your Computer”
Pretty dull subject line (even to me now!) and only 17.1% of my subscribers chose to open the email. Who wants to “Do” internet marketing anyway?
“SPRING (important behind the scenes news)”
I was surprised that only 15.6% open this one as I thought that the phrase “behind the scenes” would create more enticement. Perhaps people were put off by the word “SPRING”?
“2 QUICK things… “
How boring! This subject line doesn’t suggest excitement, a benefit or anything really that important at all! 13.4% were interested though which I suppose wasn’t that bad….
Conclusion
So things that work are:
- Controversy
- Being topical
- Curiosity
- Engaging with personal information
But remember you can’t “cry wolf” here. If you use these tactics in a cynical way, too often or don’t have the content to deliver on your implied promises then your subscribers will open your emails less and less in the future.
Can you think of an enticing subject line that made you compelled to click and open the email? How about subject lines that put you off and make you want to unsubscribe? I’d love to hear about it, so please let us know including any questions or feedback you have. I’ll reply to every comment 🙂
I know a blogger who always use hype email subjects, but well crafted. He writes something shocking in the subject but then the email is not shocking at all.
I thought I would get tired of this tactic after a few times. However, I’ve been subscribed for almost a year and every single time I open his emails.
I guess curiosity works.
Interesting Cristina…
I think hype is OK provided it is backed up and justified. I bet this blogger delivers some good material otherwise you wouldn’t keep opening the emails? But hype leading to empty promises is a guaranteed road to lower open rates (unless of course you can continually get new fresh subscribers onto your list).
Thanks for your comment 🙂
Rob
Hi Rob
I hope that all’s well with you and all your readers….
I’ll tell you the kind of subject line I absolutely detest…it’s the type that suggests that you have had prior contact with someone when you have not.
For instance:-
“Here is the report you asked for” from someone with whom you have NEVER communicated with before.
Or “You’re commission is here” – when all they’re doing is trying to sell you another “one button” marketing system to earn a “commission”
I get incredibly irritated by that sort of tactic I would make a point of never doing business with those people.
On the other hand – if they are honest enough to say what it is they are offering I will happily take a look to see if it’s of any benefit to me.
Also, althought it’s very rare to see an amusing subject line – I do find that when I do see one that makes me laugh I always open it up to take a look.I figure that I want to associate with others with a sense of humour – life’s just too short not to.
Having said all that – I will concede that I think that writing an effective subject line (ie, one that gets busy people to open an email) is a very difficult thing to do – and an incredibly valuable skill.
Cheers
Kevin
EXCELLENT points Kevin, thanks very much for taking the time to post them here.
The subject lines that imply prior contact also annoy me, especially the ones that start with “RE:”
You’re right that it’s a very hard skill and it’s also a lot of luck really. Most the the winners get found by accident. Of course, this is also why copywriters get paid so much! But for the rest of us it’s about testing, testing, and more testing. Which is why I keep a record of my best performing ones so I can better replicate their success.
Cheers! Rob
Hi Rob,
this is very interesting about the catching e-mail subject, but I would be more interested in “how to build a list first” because even if you’ve got the best subject line, nobody clicks it if you don’t have a subscriber to your list.
But it was very intersering.
Thank you, Erwin.
Hi Erwin,
Thanks for your thoughts, glad you found this useful.
On list building you might like to try these resources:
https://www.gainhigherground.com/14-ways-to-drive-traffic-that-actually-work/
https://www.gainhigherground.com/blogs-vs-squeeze-pages-and-why-you-need-both/
https://www.gainhigherground.com/how-i-doubled-my-email-opt-in-conversions/
https://www.gainhigherground.com/how-to-get-proven-buyers-passively-and-for-free/
Great to see you here on the blog Erwin, check back soon 🙂
Rob
“Hampstead Heath” – isn.t that where George Michael hangs out ……..You got the voyeurs vote there
Interesting insight though, essentially I read just about everything from those I follow and und unsubscribe from those I do not like. I do , though, find stuff gets into Spam inadvertantly, which I “blanket” clear daily , generally without a glance, and I do not recognise some of your subject lines you list, suggesting that is what is happening with some of yours.
Colin
p.s. I avidly read Nick Wrathalls stuff – great headlines, his posts are all copywriting related.
Hi Colin,
Haha – Apparently, so! To avoid any risk of doubt for newer readers here is a link: Rob On Hampstead Heath Video
Thanks for your thoughts, very interesting and I’ll take a look at Nick’s stuff as I haven’t actually heard of him before.
Cheers,
Rob 🙂
Wel I used to live in Hampstead and I never once saw George Michael on the Heath…….is the Milk Churn still there Rob?
I believe so Kevin – although I’ve never visited myself (yet!)
Well – if you like ice cream I can recommend it…..:0)
Kevin,3 rd cubicle on the left.
Rob – Re-reading the subject lin es, and putting them in order, I can see how the bottom 4 were the bottom four – other than how to do internet marketing without a computer.
Would I be correct in saying that your oldest registered readers have a higher open rates than new followers, or is that info not available, because as I said previously, essentislly the few people I follow, I open everything, those I do not I am bored with so don’t bother and get round to unsubscribing.
Colin
Hi Colin,
Thanks for your input, it’s very hard to say about new verses old subscribers.
Generally though subscribers tend to be the most responsive when they have just joined your list which is one of the reasons why it’s good to keep driving traffic to ensure your list stays fresh. As time moves forward some people will unsubscribe and some will become much more loyal – so it is hard to say really.
You’ve got a good approach there to the lists you are subscribed to but obviously some people are subscribed to lots and lots of different lists and therefore they just open emails every so often.
A bit of a weak answer I know, but hope it helps a bit 🙂
Rob
Hi Rob
Just to say thanks for the “seven” and “four”. I found the comments very interesting. It’s all part of the way forward!
Peter
Hi Rob,
Great post on converting lines – I have found the words “you are not alone” convert really well.
All the best.
John
Thanks John – glad you enjoyed 🙂
Hi Rob:
Very interesting this blog post of yours! I really appreciate your sincerity about what worked better for you and what not. I do not know if other people have asked you the question I’m about to ask you, but I wanted to know the following: What is better for a beginner related to the blogging issue: To brand yourself through your blog from the beginning or not to do that and instead focus yourself in giving value without branding yourself?
Thanks in advance and best regards.
Hi David,
Thanks for your kind words, always nice to hear that this stuff helps you.
On your question there is no right and wrong. It partly depends upon what kind of business you have. For example, if you are setting up in the personal development/self improvement niche then definitely a personality based business is the way to go. On the other hand I know people who operate under pen-names in the forex niche and dating niches. There are also lots of products on Clickbank which sell extremely well in multiple niches where the author is relatively unbranded – it’s literally just a name you see (and probably a penname in most cases aswell)!
Here’s an older post which has more for you: https://www.gainhigherground.com/can-i-make-money-online-using-a-penname/
In a nutshell: Brand yourself whenever possible. If not, you can still do well which is shown by all the other examples out there.
Hope this helps, thanks again.
Rob 🙂