Don’t Use Subject Lines that Resemble Spam

Instead of coming across as an unsolicited mass marketer, business and sales emails need to seem like one-on-one communications, even if they are mass mailings. If you ever hope to get a positive response, strive to have your emails resemble personalized notes that feel like one-on-one conversations.

When you see an email in your inbox that looks like a sleazy marketing offer, the first thing you do  is to delete it (or mark it as spam). That’s why one of the worst things you can do is write a subject line that looks like an aggressive sales pitch to the world.

Instead, try to make it friendly, personal and relevant to the recipient. For example, rather than saying “Get a FREE White Paper!!” try something more like “Here’s an article on racial injustice that I thought you might find interesting.”

Some common indicators of mass marketing emails include capitalizing the first letter of every word (or even all capital letters), using trigger words like free, save, click, and offer, along with ending subject lines with one or more exclamation points.

Remember, the biggest barrier to getting your message across with email is the subject line. If you can’t entice your reader to want to see what’s inside, they will never open your email and receive your message.