Email Subject Line Statistics That Will Make You Pause, Wonder, and Act!

How many movies are you planning to catch in the theatres this month? Whatever the number might be, one thing is for sure: You are only considering purchasing tickets for these movies because you found yourself enraptured by their trailers, right? Now you see, just how trailers play a pivotal role in influencing our opinion of a movie, subject lines do that when it comes to emails.

347.3 billion– that’s how many emails are exchanged every day. Inboxes are overflowing, and email fatigue is very, very real. In this scenario, if you want to have a realistic shot at tempting your audiences into opening your emails, you need to step up your subject line game; there are no two ways about it. 

That subject lines are important is simply not a theoretical claim; it is backed by some pretty solid numbers. Today, our article will delve deeper into some of these email subject line statistics so that you know what all to keep in mind regarding them while shaping your future campaigns (besides developing a sound understanding of their relevance, obviously). Eager to find out what they are? Let’s go!

1. 64% of recipients decide whether to open the email or not based on subject lines (Source: Finances Online)

Yep, subject lines are quite literally the make-or-break elements of your emails. It is the first thing that a subscriber notices about the email. So, logically, if the first impression isn’t appealing enough, why should the reader bother engaging with it? Hence, craft email subject lines for newsletters such that it piques their interest and, at the same time, gives them a clear idea of what they should expect upon opening the email. Get this: 33% of users open an email when they find its subject line catchy. All the more incentive to pour those creative juices into drafting it, isn’t it?

2. 69% of recipients mark emails as spam based on the subject line (Source: Invesp)

Email deliverability tops the priority lists of all email marketers out there. After all, the copious amounts of hard work put into finessing the copy and design, segmenting the list, and setting up the automation workflows, all stand to go in vain if the email fails to land up in the recipient’s mailbox, to begin with. One of the surefire ways of staying on top of email deliverability involves mindfully curating your email newsletter subject lines. Those that sound incredibly salesy or spammy are bound to nudge recipients towards clicking on that “Report spam” button. 

3. Personalized email subject lines can increase open rates by 50% (Source: Marketing Dive)

This statistic shouldn’t come as a surprise. With so many brands clamoring for their attention, audiences will understandably be drawn towards those that strive to appeal to their specific interests and sensibilities. Personalized email subject lines, thus, enjoy considerably more success than their non-personalized counterparts. And remember, your personalization doesn’t have to remain confined to the age-old tactic of addressing a subscriber by their first name. While there’s nothing wrong with that, the modern-day marketer can play around with a lot of possibilities given the plethora of data they have at their disposal. For instance, you can track your subscribers’ preferences, interests, past purchases, and browsing patterns to compose personalized subject lines for them. Imagine receiving an email whose subject line is talking about a product that you absolutely adore. You wouldn’t spare any second thoughts before opening it, would you? 

4. Subject lines evoking urgency have a 22% higher open rate than those that don’t (Source: Zippia)

Want to spur your subscribers into action? Use your subject lines to generate a sense of urgency in their minds; all agencies dabbling in email newsletter design would tell you this.  Bring to their attention a super-tempting deal, and put a timeline against it. Now, the onus is on them to act within the given time frame or risk losing out on this offer. Remember, the best salesperson in your team is always going to be good ol’ FOMO (fear of missing out). Nobody wants to be the person who missed the party, you’d agree? 

5. Subject lines with emojis can increase unique click rate by 28% (Source: Swiftpage)

Emojis are an excellent communication device, helping to convey sentiments that might be hard to represent through words alone. However, one is advised to exercise caution when including emojis in their subject lines. Why? Because they carry an informal tone, and, thus, may not necessarily align with your brand image. Emojis resonate with a very specific demographic, in the first place, and if your target audience doesn’t belong to that, you are better off omitting them.

When the coast is clear on the brand image and demographic front, there are still a few things you might want to keep in mind. Take a look:

• Use no more than one emoji in the subject line. Two is definitely a crowd when it comes to them.
• The emoji should be used as a means of complementing the text, and not substituting it. 
• Different operating systems render emojis in different styles. Therefore, always test your subject lines before sending them out.

6. Subject lines having the word “free” are 10% more likely to be opened (Source: Business 2 Community)

Customers always look to receive something of value from the brands they follow. One of the best ways of standing up to that expectation is by sending them product guides, ebooks, or samples from time to time, either at a discounted rate or free of cost. And as the statistic suggests, whenever you are doing so, don’t feel shy to pop the word “free” in the subject line.

7. 82% of marketers aim to keep their subject line length under 60 characters (Source: Convince & Convert)

Given the number of mobile users is on a perpetual rise, paying attention to the length of your subject line has become more critical than ever. Go above the prescribed limit, and you run the risk of your subject line being clipped by the email client, thereby spoiling your subscriber’s user experience. 

8. A/B testing your email subject lines and content can boost your ROI by 28% (Source: Litmus)

Your audience’s tastes and interests are incredibly dynamic in nature. Hence, it is imperative that you formulate multiple versions of your subject line and subject them to A/B testing to identify what resonates best with them. Doing so will improve your campaign performance by leaps and bounds, and, as the statistic mentions, do a whole world of good for your ROI.

Wrapping It Up

Subject lines might demand a lot of hard work, commitment, and perseverance, but it is all worth it- the numbers above bear uncompromising testimony to that. Wish to deepen your understanding of subject lines? Pore over the examples produced by the best brands in business; luckily, there’s no dearth of them on the internet!