A study done by MailChimp shows us what subject lines work and which ones flop miserably. Check out the top five from each category:

Five Best Email Subject Lines

[COMPANYNAME] Sales & Marketing Newsletter

Eye on the [COMPANYNAME] Update (Oct 31 - Nov 4)

[COMPANYNAME] Staff Shirts & Photos

[COMPANYNAME] May 2005 News Bulletin!

[COMPANYNAME] Newsletter - February 2006

Five Worst Email Subject Lines

Last Minute Gift - We Have The Answer

Valentines - Shop Early & Save 10%

Give a Gift Certificate this Holiday

Valentine’s Day Salon and Spa Specials!

Gift Certificates - Easy & Elegant Giving - Let Them Choose

Notice that all of the top subject lines included the company name. It´s important to let people know who is sending them information. Also, each of the top subject lines indicated that information was contained within the email, making people want to open it.

With the worst emails, you´ll notice that all of them were obviously selling something and these subject lines received the worst open rates, between 1-14%! This study could be very useful in figuring out how to craft your own subject lines to get readers to open your emails.

All email marketers strive for better clickthrough rates and one of the best ways to do that is to carefully craft your email subject lines. With the right subject line, you can really grab those readers and getting them to read your email newsletter is the first step towards getting higher click rates.

Subject lines are tricky. You can slave for hours over just the right wording and still not get the results you want. That doesn´t mean it is impossible to craft a good subject line, but it can take time and patience. Also, you may not realize when you have a winning subject line, which is why it is important to test your lines. Track the results to find out which subject lines are most popular and have the best results, then try to use the same style over and over again.

For example, if you find that your readers tend to open email newsletters that have questions in the subject line, then use this technique more often. You don´t need to be a genius, either . . . you probably have a lot of emails in your very own inbox that would serve as inspiration. Which emails do you open? What about the subject line caught your eye? Use that in your own subject lines.

Once you have your readers opening your email to read, you can bet that your clickthrough rates are going to rise. And with higher clickthrough rates come higher sales. So, it is worth it to really work on those subject lines.

What helps you make the decision whether or not to read an email that appears in your inbox? For most people, email is no longer a quick medium of communication, it´s a major chore, slogging through all that spam and junk mail, just to get to the gems. And sometimes the gems get deleted by accident. That´s where the from and subject lines come in.

From Lines
Your subject line doesn´t stand on its own, people tend to take the from line into account just as much as the subject line. The majority of readers tend to delete emails that come from a company, assuming that it is trying to sell them something, which is why you will usually see personal names on emails from internet marketers, they are giving it a personal touch.

While an email from “Make Money Company” and “John Arkson” might contain the exact same content, more people will click on John Arkson´s email because it looks more personal. However, you need to be careful that your subject line and email content follows up on that personal theme.

Subject Lines
Your subject line is vital. While someone might be more inclined to click on an email from an individual, strangers are still considered suspicious by many. That´s why your subject line must reflect that personal tone. Having a sales pitch in that subject line doesn´t look good. Something more friendly, like what you would send a friend, is often the key to improving open rates.

Your email content is also quite important. If you have a friendly subject line, but your email is nothing but a product pitch, people probably won´t be opening your emails again! So, keep the tone in mind when writing all three, from and subject lines and email content.

Do you answer when someone asks you a question? I know I do. We are automatically programmed to respond when someone asks something and that makes questions very useful as subject lines. Here are a few things to consider when creating queries as subject lines.

Length. The question doesn´t have to be a long one, in fact, short is better. The amount of space you have to write your subject line is not a lot, so keep it between 3-5 words.

Subject. Your question should be related to what is inside your email. The subject line offers a peek inside and helps the reader decide whether he will delete or read your newsletter.

Familiarity. Being friendly will open far more doors than a very formal question. If you are normally very strict and upright about how you right, then stick to that format, but in general familiar greetings are more effective.

Problems. Ask if your reader has a problem. This implies that you are going to give them the solution inside the email and prompts them to open it.

Asking a question in your subject line is far more effective than many plainer subject lines. People like to answer questions and they hope the answer to their problems is inside your email. After that, it´s up to you to sell them on the solution.

Have you ever noticed that the emails you open most are from friends and family? Often, the subject line is what reminds us that someone we haven´t heard from in a while is worth reading. The subject lines you´ll find from long lost friends don´t read like a used car salesman talking, they are friendly and personal. And they get you to open them. So, how do you write personal subject lines? Here are a few ideas.

Use the person´s name in the subject line. Saying something like, “Hey, Mark,” will get the person´s attention and most autoresponders have this option built in, you just have to select it and the name will automatically be entered into the subject line.

Ask a question. Everyone likes to answer questions, so using a line like “Do you ever worry about your parenting skills?” will draw the reader into your email and she will want to open it to find out if you have the answer.

Use your real name. Most email programs display the sender´s name and something like “Email Marketing Co.” will be left until later. A name, on the other hand, can often get a reader to open the email and is a good thing to include in the subject line. You could also use it in the subject line as part of the title, i.e. “Jeff here, how´s it going?”

Subject lines are the portal to your email. If they don´t work, you won´t sell. It´s that simple. So try a more personal touch today.

Subject lines are the first things your reader sees in his inbox and if they are not enticing, they stand little chance of being opened. That´s why it is important that your subject lines are designed to grab people´s attention and get them to open your email. Here are a few ideas on creating subject lines that will make everyone want to open your newsletter.

Offer something. You can offer a free report, precious information or anything else that your reader might want. For example, if you write a jewelry newsletter, you could let people know in the subject line that you have included a 50% off coupon for earrings.

Give them half a sentence. Start off with the first sentence of your newsletter as the subject line, but cut it off so they have to open the email to read the whole thing. Obviously, this only works if you have an enticing first sentence, so you may need to work on it.

Keep it simple. By limiting your subject lines to just a few words that briefly explain the contents of the email, you will stand out from all the run on sentences that are so commonly used as subject lines.

Ask a question. This is a good way to actively engage your reader with a subject line. A simple question like “Are you interested in saving more money?” is a lot more interesting than a line that reads “Click here now to find AMAZING savings!”

It takes practice to write enticing subject lines. You will find that you need to constantly try new ways to reach your readers and get them to open your emails. Once you find several subject lines that work . . . keep using them.

It can be difficult to write subject lines that will grab people’s attention and get them to open your email, but just as important as what to write is what NOT to write. Some subject lines just beg to be deleted and might even warrant an unsubscribe, something you definitely want to avoid. Here are five commonly used subject lines that make readers hit the red X.

Sorry, I sent you the wrong link. Maybe you made a mistake and sent out the wrong or a broken link in your email. Apologizing for it in your subject line is not a good idea, though you can certainly do so within the actual email. A subject line like this will undermine your reputation, particularly if you use it more than once. Double check your links before sending out an email and avoid this problem.

“Name”, are you ready for this? Really, after the “Name”, anything could be written, but people will only look at the fact that you don’t know their name. If you are going to use a personalized email template, make sure the name section is functioning by signing up for your own newsletter and sending a test version. Otherwise, stick to generic greetings.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION YOU DON´T WANT TO MISS! First of all, this type of subject line will most likely land your email in the Spam folder, but if you do make it through, most people will just delete the email without opening it. Why? Because using CAPS makes it look like you’re shouting and who wants to open an email that screams at them?

There are plenty of other subject lines that can drop your reputation, but these three mistakes are the most common of the bunch. Avoid them and you boost your chances of getting subscribers to open the email.

Subject lines are hard to write. You’ve got to think about them. For one thing, people will read your email based on that subject line. One mistake many email marketers make is to put their business name in the subject line when the business name isn’t all that well known. To be honest, your business name is one of the least important aspects of your email message. Most people won’t care and those that do won’t read the email just because it’s from you.

So why will people read your email? Here are a few ways to get their attention with your subject line:

• Promise a necessary benefit
• Make them laugh
• Give them something they can’t get anywhere else
• Provoke an emotional response (fear, greed, lust, etc.)
• Tell them something they don’t know
• Ask a question that begs an answer

These are just a few of the techniques you can use in your subject line to get people to open your email and read it. Can you think of any more? You’d better because if they don’t get past your subject line you won’t make the sale.

Subject lines are the most important part of your e-mail. You’ve got to capture people’s attention. And you just have a few words to do it in.

The most important thing about your subject line is the verb. What does it say? Does it compel your reader to click and read your e-mail? If not, why not? This is absolutely critical because if you don’t capture your readers’ attention with that subject line they’ll just delete your e-mail.

There are different kinds of subject lines. The best ones promise a benefit. Your readers are looking for what is in it for them. You have to give that to them in the subject line before you give it to them anywhere else. If you hook them in the subject line then they’ll be more willing to walk with you through the rest of your e-mail.

Take a look at the subject line of this blog. Does it grab you? It must have, you’re reading. But why does it grab you? It does two things primarily:

• It asks a question. That may not seem like much, but a carefully worded question in your subject line asks the reader to think about something, which leads me to the second thing …
• It promises a benefit. The benefit this rhetorical question promises is an answer. Not outright, but implied. The reader thinks that I will answer the question posed, “Does your subject line grab your readers by the throat?” Well, the obvious answer is “Yes,” or “I hope so.” But the reader wants to know why he should grab his readers by the throat.

The subject line above also likely startled you. The image of something grabbing you by your throat made you think of pain. Why would you want that? By associating a negative with a positive, you can spark curiosity in your readers. There is no better reader than a curious one because she will stick with you to the end. Capture that curiosity in the subject line and your reader will marry you.