To get customers to open the emails you send, a concise, results driven subject line will make a big difference in your overall open rates.

Building the most effective email to grab the attention of potential customers starts with your email subject line. When you don’t write a compelling subject line, your email can go directly to the delete folder without being opened. Effective subject lines are clear, precise and get your potential customers to open up the email. You want to compel email recipients to open the email that you send, and this is possible when you consider the following factors as you write your email subject line.

Make Your Email Stand Out

While you might think a catchy, funny email subject line is going to get more attention, the opposite is actually true. When your subject line is clear, your email is more likely to be opened. Recipients often receive so many emails in a day, that they aren’t going to take the time to figure out an email subject line that is too complicated. You can add in a clever word once in awhile, but if you have a question, it’s always better to choose clear over clever.

Do Your Research Regarding Spam Words

Some words will trigger spam filters, so it’s important to do research on words that will raise red flags. If you use the wrong words in your subject line, your emails will go directly to the spam folder of the recipient and never be seen. While you can use one word that might be considered a spam word, more than one can cause a spam email.

Consider the Action of the Words You Use

Learn from the professionals who study email open rates. Words that promote results, such as profit, or money, are more effective in email subject lines than words that are vaguer. Pay attention to words that are going to get results, and stay away from annoying, overused words that no longer result in click-throughs.

The Number of Characters Matters

You only have so many characters to write an effective subject line, and that means every character matters. If you use filler words that don’t offer any value, this will detract from your subject line. Studies have shown that it’s not necessarily the length of your email subject line that matters, as long as each word is useful. Short or long, email subject lines need to focus on words that are clear, precise and descriptive.

While gimmicks aren’t going to get people to open emails, tactics can be used that will get more people to open the marketing emails that you send out. Personalizing emails may make a difference, but sometimes recipients find that a personalized email feels too intrusive if it is unsolicited. You can use capitalization to your benefit but stay away from capitalizing the entire subject line. Symbols are also an excellent way to get attention, but you have to do your research to figure out what symbols are the most useful and what one’s may trigger spam filters.