One of the most important parts of any email campaign is the subject line.
It’s the first thing your subscribers see, and it’s often the deciding factor in whether they open your email.
However, writing a strong subject line can feel harder than it looks.
If you want to boost your open rates, these tips will help you create subject lines that grab attention and encourage people to click.
Personalise when possible
If you have the data, add personalisation to your subject lines.
For B2C campaigns, including the recipient’s first name can work well.
For B2B emails, using the business name might feel more relevant.
Most email platforms let you add dynamic fields, so pulling in names or company details is easy.
And it’s worth doing—research from Stanford University showed that personalised subject lines increased open rates by 23%.
Keep it short and clear
The average person receives more than 100 emails per day.
Because of this, most people skim their inbox and make quick decisions about what to open.
Short subject lines help your message stand out, especially on mobile.
Since around 41% of emails are opened on phones, every word matters.
Mailchimp recommends keeping subject lines to 9 words or 60 characters.
Use numbers to add impact
Numbers won’t suit every email, but when they fit naturally, they can work well.
A Yesware study of 115 million emails found that including numbers increased open rates from 51.9% to 53.2%.
Numbers catch the eye and add specificity. For example:
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“Increase your CTR with AI technology”
vs -
“Increase your CTR by 63% with AI technology”
The second version feels clearer and more authoritative.
Create genuine urgency
Urgency can motivate people to take action quickly.
Phrases like:
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“Limited time”
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“Ending soon”
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“Last chance”
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“While stock lasts”
…can encourage higher open rates.
But use this technique carefully.
If every email claims to be urgent, people will stop believing you—and may even view your brand as untrustworthy.
Avoid spam-triggering language
Email deliverability is influenced by many factors: your domain reputation, subscriber behaviour, engagement, and more.
But certain words can still raise red flags for spam filters.
Using a single “trigger” word won’t land your email in spam on its own, but overusing them can cause issues.
ActiveCampaign has a helpful list of 188 words to use sparingly.
Also avoid excessive capital letters—subject lines like “OPEN THIS NOW!!!” tend to perform poorly and look unprofessional.
Be cautious with emojis
Opinions on emojis are mixed.
A Return Path study suggested they can improve open rates, while research from Nielsen found no positive impact.
Emojis can help your subject line stand out or create a friendly tone.
However, in some industries—especially B2B—they may look informal or out of place.
If you want to use them, test them slowly and monitor the results.
Always test and learn
The best way to know what works for your audience is to test regularly.
For each campaign, try running an A/B test with two different subject lines.
Send each version to a small segment of your list, and then use the winning subject line for the remaining subscribers.
Over time, these small experiments build valuable insight into what your audience responds to.
Need help improving your email marketing?
If you want better email subject lines but don’t have the time to test everything yourself, we can help.
Email marketing is one of the services we manage for clients through our marketing and tech VA support.
For a friendly, no-pressure chat about how Bright Cat can support your email marketing, call Jo on 07828 796700 or send us an email.
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