Great Subject Lines Convey Urgency

When you create a sense of urgency with your subject line, you are increasing the odds that your subscribers will click.

35 percent of consumers say they open emails based on subject lines alone. That means you need a great subject line.  An urgent subject line will make people click.

This post will focus on subject lines that are selling scarcity. This may be a “time-limited offer” or “only a few available”.  Subject lines that tease scarcity can result in an email open rate 22 percent higher than the industry average.

Examples

Here are a few examples shared by Target Market Magazine

• SALE ENDS TODAY! Up to 50% off! — Colour Pop Cosmetics

Not only were we intrigued by a 50 percent off sale for a makeup brand that rarely has sales, but the subject line clearly puts a time limit on getting the deal. If we wanted to grab some makeup at a steal, we needed to act fast. Click, click, click.

• Status: low in stock — Third Love

The low-in-stock message gets us every time. This subject line from bra retailer Third Love made us worry that we’d miss out if we didn’t open the email. So we did.

• Tonight only: A denim lover’s dream — Guess

We love denim as much as the next person, so when this email came into our inboxes promising a one-night-only deal, we couldn’t pass it up. Plus, we wanted to know what the “denim lover’s dream” was all about. Guess used urgency and curiosity for the win.

• Last Day To See What This Mystery Email Is All About — Grub Hub

When someone tells us that this is the last day to uncover a mystery about our favorite thing, food, you’ve got our attention. This email from Grub Hub paired urgency with secrecy, which was a sure-fire way to pique our interest.

• One more chance to get 35% off! — J.Crew Factory

You mean to tell us there won’t be any more chances?!? This is our ONE chance to get that deal. OK, fine, we’ll click.