Craft your Email Subject - Online Help | Zoho Campaigns

Craft your Email Subject


Email subject line is the bridge between your recipient and your email. Subject is one of the few things that your recipients notice before opening the email, the others being sender name and pre-header.
subject-desc
Subject lines aren't always easy to write, but following the proven practices given below will help you avoid the common mistakes and sharpen your email subject lines.

Chisel your subject

Short and simple

Less is more when it comes to a subject line. A smart subject line has around four to six words at the maximum.

Spell check

This is easy to overlook, but even a typo will affect your open rates. Make sure to check for spelling and grammatical mistakes in the email subject and message.

Add pre-header

Inbox providers of your email recipients generally take the first few lines of your email message and set it as pre-header. It may include salutations or other lines you don't want to show up in the inbox view. You can set your customized pre-header. 
Pre-header

A/B testing

Test your emails for different subject lines using A/B testing. You can pick the line with better responses. To learn more about A/B testing, click here.

Relevant content

Your email subject and message should be relevant. If your email message is about a webinar, then the subject should also talk about the webinar. 

Mobile responsive

Most of your recipients are likely to open emails in mobile devices. So, make sure your emails are mobile-friendly. While testing your emails, try opening emails from your mobile devices and check if the email looks fine.

Subject personalization

You can personalize your emails to make your recipients feel more engaged with Zoho Campaigns' merge tags. You can easily add the merge tags for recipients' first and last name by clicking on the Personalize option next to Subject text box while creating a campaign. 
Personalize email subject

Emojis

Using emojis have varied results depending on the audience and how well you use them. For email clients which don't support emojis, the symbol ☐ is displayed. So, know how your recipients will view your emails and then decide on including emojis. 

Things to avoid

All CAPS

Writing in all caps is an equivalent of yelling at your recipients. All caps may stand out in the inbox, but it'll give a negative impression to your recipients. Also, spam filters consider subject line with all-caps as suspicious.

Faking Re/Fwd tags

Including “re” or “fwd” in email subject might appear clever, but it misleads your recipients and creates mistrust. Also, anti-spam services are smart and can easily identify fake RE: and FW: tags. To learn why you should avoid faking re/fwd tags and how anti-spam services detect it, click here.

Excess punctuation

Too many punctuation marks in the subject line is considered suspicious by spam filters as phishing emails generally have excessive punctuation marks. 

False promises 

On opening emails with false offers in email subject, recipients will either unsubscribe or mark them as spam. If you're giving an offer for a few products, state it clearly in the subject. 

Aggressive statements

Demanding your recipients to open your emails will have a negative effect and lead to spam complaints. Subject lines seeking help, emergency, sensitive information, and other favors are considered suspicious by recipients and spam filters. 

Words to avoid using in a subject line:


Industry



Words to avoid


Retail
as seen on, discount, buy, clearance
Personal
meet singles, dear friend, please help, desperate
Get rich quick
additional income, home-based job, extra income, online degree
Financial schemes
quote, claim, Paypal, invoice
Marketing
lead generation, Search Engine Optimization(SEO), trial offer, sign up today 
Pharmaceutical
Lose weight, reverse ageing, online pharmacy, Viagra

Related Topics

    Access your files securely from anywhere

      Zoho CRM Training Programs

      Learn how to use the best tools for sales force automation and better customer engagement from Zoho's implementation specialists.

      Zoho CRM Training
        Redefine the way you work
        with Zoho Workplace

          Zoho DataPrep Personalized Demo

          If you'd like a personalized walk-through of our data preparation tool, please request a demo and we'll be happy to show you how to get the best out of Zoho DataPrep.

          Zoho CRM Training

            Create, share, and deliver

            beautiful slides from anywhere.

            Get Started Now


              Zoho Sign now offers specialized one-on-one training for both administrators and developers.

              BOOK A SESSION









                                            You are currently viewing the help pages of Qntrl’s earlier version. Click here to view our latest version—Qntrl 3.0's help articles.




                                                Manage your brands on social media

                                                  Zoho Desk Resources

                                                  • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                  • Digest


                                                  • Functions


                                                  • Meetups


                                                  • Kbase


                                                  • Resources


                                                  • Glossary


                                                  • Desk Marketplace


                                                  • MVP Corner


                                                  • Word of the Day


                                                    Zoho Marketing Automation

                                                      Zoho Sheet Resources

                                                       

                                                          Zoho Forms Resources


                                                            Secure your business
                                                            communication with Zoho Mail


                                                            Mail on the move with
                                                            Zoho Mail mobile application

                                                              Stay on top of your schedule
                                                              at all times


                                                              Carry your calendar with you
                                                              Anytime, anywhere




                                                                    Zoho Sign Resources

                                                                      Sign, Paperless!

                                                                      Sign and send business documents on the go!

                                                                      Get Started Now




                                                                              Zoho TeamInbox Resources



                                                                                      Zoho DataPrep Resources



                                                                                        Zoho DataPrep Demo

                                                                                        Get a personalized demo or POC

                                                                                        REGISTER NOW


                                                                                          Design. Discuss. Deliver.

                                                                                          Create visually engaging stories with Zoho Show.

                                                                                          Get Started Now









                                                                                                              • Related Articles

                                                                                                              • How to craft a dynamic subject line

                                                                                                                Ever wondered why your campaign goes unnoticed in your contact's inbox even though it has all the ingredients including an elegant email template, personalized content, and catchy images? It might be due to the absence of a powerful subject line. ...
                                                                                                              • How email engagement magically boosts inbox placement

                                                                                                                Mailbox providers such as Gmail, Yahoo! and others have been validating a lot of data points like spammy content, email engagement, and user interests to offer inbox placement —i.e. the number of emails that actually reach an inbox as opposed to ...
                                                                                                              • What does the emoji icon do in the subject field?

                                                                                                                Using emoji in your email subject lines can be effective to generate attention from the readers resulting in a positive reception increasing your email open rates and number of people engaging with your campaigns. To add an emoji, click ...
                                                                                                              • When I create a new campaign, it says, “Personalize your subject line.” What does this mean?

                                                                                                                You can customize your subject lines using merge tags. For example, you can use your subscriber’s first name in the subject line to address them directly. Here are a few common merge tags: Subscriber's email address - $[EMAIL]$ Subscriber's first ...
                                                                                                              • Getting started with email deliverability

                                                                                                                Identifying the needs and interests of contacts and conceptualizing email campaigns around those are part and parcel of a marketer's daily routine. Sometimes marketers may assume that crafting a compelling campaign alone will help them hit their ...
                                                                                                                Wherever you are is as good as
                                                                                                                your workplace

                                                                                                                  Resources

                                                                                                                  Videos

                                                                                                                  Watch comprehensive videos on features and other important topics that will help you master Zoho CRM.



                                                                                                                  eBooks

                                                                                                                  Download free eBooks and access a range of topics to get deeper insight on successfully using Zoho CRM.



                                                                                                                  Webinars

                                                                                                                  Sign up for our webinars and learn the Zoho CRM basics, from customization to sales force automation and more.



                                                                                                                  CRM Tips

                                                                                                                  Make the most of Zoho CRM with these useful tips.



                                                                                                                    Zoho Show Resources