Among the billions of emails sent every day, how can you make sure yours stands out? We asked career, email, and marketing experts to offer their best advice for crafting the perfect email subject line. Find out what they said, plus examples of interesting topics, below. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay How to Write a Great Email Subject Line: Always write a subject line. Not including a subject line is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. The subject line often determines whether an email is opened and how the recipient responds. An email with a blank subject will likely be deleted, lost, or immediately irritate the recipient, who will be forced to open the email to figure out what it's about. Write the subject line first. For many professionals, the subject line is an afterthought added right before hitting send. But Amanda Augustine, career expert at career placement service TheLadders, points out that it can be the most important part of the email. Write the subject line first, so it sets the tone and you don't forget it. Keep it short. A typical inbox reveals about 60 characters of an email subject, while a cell phone displays only 25 to 30, Augustine says. Get straight to the point in about six to eight words. Put the most important words at the beginning. A whopping 50% of emails are read on mobile phones, says Dmitri Leonov, vice president of email management service SaneBox. Since it is unknown how much of the object will be viewable by a smartphone, it is important to put the most important information at the beginning. Otherwise, interesting details may be cut out. Eliminate filler words. With such precious space, don't waste it with unnecessary words like "hi," "nice to meet you," and "thank you," which can easily be included in the body of the email. Be clear and specific about what the email is about. The subject line should convey exactly what the email is about so that the recipient can prioritize the importance of the email without having to open it. For example, writing "Do you have a second?" it's vague, Augustine says, since the reader will have to open the email or respond to figure out what they want. If it's a job application, he suggests including your name and position, while if it's another colleague, you should identify the project the email relates to. Keep it simple and to the point. Especially if you're sending a marketing email, Kipp Bodnar, vice president of marketing software platform HubSpot, says it should be focused on one action, which should be communicated in the subject line. Offer a takeaway, indicate how the reader can use it, and specify how you will deliver it. Use logical keywords for searching and filtering. Most professionals have filters and folders set up to manage their email and probably won't focus on the message when they see it for the first time, Leonov says. That's why it's important to include keywords related to the topic of the email that will make it searchable later. Please indicate if you need an answer. “People want to know if they really need to read it now and if they need to respond,” Augustine says. If you need a response, make it clear in the subject line by saying “please reply” or “necessary thoughts on topic X.” If not, simply start the line with "Please read" or add "no response necessary" or "FYI" to the end. Set a deadline in the rowof the object. Especially if you have a lot of information to convey in the email itself, including a deadline right in the subject line, it exponentially increases the chances of readers responding. For example, after the email topic, you might say, “Please respond by EOD Friday.” If someone reported you, be sure to use their name. If you're referred by a mutual acquaintance, don't save it in the body of the email, Augustine says. Put it in the subject line to grab the file's attention right away. He also suggests starting the subject line with the full name of the person who reported you. Highlight the value you have to offer. If you're sending a cold email to someone you don't know, "you need a subject line that indicates value and communicates what they're going to get," Bodnar says. Pique the reader's interest by offering them something that is useful. Whether you're offering a speaking opportunity, a discount, or a service, make it clear in the subject line what's in it for them. Personalize it with the recipient's name or company name. You need to know who you're sending the email to, and they need to recognize that it's about them or a topic that interests them, Bodnar says. Using your name or company name is one of the best ways to do this, he says, and increases the chances that the recipient will open the email. For example, you might write "Increase company sales by 25%" or "John, compare yourself to the competition." Create urgency by limiting the time frame. To get someone's attention and get them to respond, consider setting a deadline for your proposal. The most common ways to create urgency include “reply now,” “register today,” and “limited space available—respond soon.” Don't start a sentence that ends up in the body of the email. If you start a thought or question that ends in the email, the reader is forced to open the email. It's annoying, and since the goal is clarity and respect for the recipient's time, it's not very helpful, Augustine says. Consider whether an instant message, call, or in-person chat might be a better medium for your question. 1Be sure to reread the subject line. Augustine also warns against copy and paste errors. Sometimes, when people send a similar email to multiple people, they forget to tailor it to each reader and end up with the wrong name or title in the subject line. The easiest way to avoid this is to re-read the subject line before hitting send. Don't put the words IN ALL CAPS. Using all caps can get someone's attention, but in the wrong way. It's the digital equivalent of yelling, and your job is to make the email as easy as possible for the recipient to read rather than making them anxious, says Leonov. Instead, use hyphens or colons to separate thoughts and avoid special characters such as exclamation points. Works Cited Augustine, A. (2017). How to write the perfect subject line for an email. Retrieved from https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/how-to-write-the-perfect-email-subject-lineGordon, W. (2019). How to create the perfect subject line for an email. Retrieved from https://www.inc.com/william-gordon/how-to-craft-perfect-email-subject-line.htmlBodnar, K. (2014). The 17 Best Email Subject Lines to Increase Open Rates. Retrieved from https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/the-17-best-email-subject-lines-for-increasing-open-ratesBrooks, C. (2018). 13 tips for creating an effective email subject line. Retrieved from https://www.campaignmonitor.com/resources/guides/effective-email-subject-lines/SaneBox. (n.d.). How to write an effective email subject line. Retrieved from https://www.sanebox.com/blog/2014/08/14/write-effect-email-subject-linesMorgan, C. (2019). 20 of the best email subject lines to increase opens and clicks. Extracted from/