Podcast Episode 038: Email Marketing Part Two: Subject Lines

As an Affiliate for Amazon and other companies, I earn from qualified purchases.

In this post: In the latest episode of “Align with The Massage Business Mama,” Susan Finn of “Rise Above the Noise” joins us to talk about email marketing and subject lines. 

“ALIGN WITH THE MASSAGE BUSINESS MAMA” A PODCAST BRINGS YOU

EPISODE 038: Email Marketing Part Two: Subject Lines

I want you to imagine a scenario where you have put all your marketing eggs in one basket – the social media marketing basket. All of your prospecting efforts come through social media, all of your client communication happens through social media, and all of your breaking business news is announced through social media. Now imagine that overnight, that basket gets ripped from you. 

Devastating, right?!!!

Well, ya, if you haven’t diversified your marketing efforts, then ya, it would be pretty devastating! 

But you all are savvy business owners, and you know the importance of NOT placing all your eggs in one basket! And that is why you have either already created an email list or are working on getting one started. 

Spoiler Alert: The above scenario is EXACTLY what just happened to Ali. Overnight she lost access to all of her social media accounts. BUT…thankfully, she has a diversified marketing plan, which includes email marketing! 

In Part Two of our email marketing series, Susan Finn of Rise Above Noise joins us to continue the discussion on email marketing. 

Susan is the “go-to” expert in the email marketing field. She helps service-based professionals scale their businesses. Find joy, flow, and ease in marketing to increase profits, save time, and protect energy.

And we are discussing subject lines. 

Some Rules for Subject Lines

1) Be Careful with punctuation. 

Never use more than two punctuation marks in your subject line. Multiple punctuation marks raise your spam score. Also, using an exclamation mark (!) in the subject line should be avoided at all costs, especially when it is preceded by a question mark (?).

Phrases like, “What’s the best massage for pregnant women? You’ll never guess!” will send you straight to spam. 

2) Never Use All Caps.

Some people try to highlight a phrase or a word that they wish their customers or clients to notice using capitalized letters. However, all caps adds to your overall spam score. 

3) Do not begin your subject lines with questions like “Do you like/want/have…?” 

“Do you want/wish/want to have…”

Emails beginning with these types of active questions trigger spam detectors quite easily. Avoid these types of direct questions in your subject line. 

4. Subject line should be consistent with the content of your email.

Emails with subject lines inconsistent with the content it promises to provide are sent right to spam.

5. Avoid subject lines that begin with “Re:” or “Fwd:”

We’re not talking about a legit re; or fwd: email. We’re talking about trying to trick people into believing that you are responding to an email they initiated. These types of subject lines are considered deceptive and are major triggers for spam filters, and rightfully so. Not only will it trigger spam, but it also does nothing to instill trust in the minds of those whose spam filters don’t filter out this type of subject line. 

6. Avoid Long Subject Lines

Short and precise subject lines work best for an email marketing campaign. It is a very real possibility that your emails will be sent to spam if your subject line is too long. 

A subject line with 50 characters or less is advisable. Ideally, a subject line with approximately 20 characters is best.

7. Avoid using spam words in subject line.

There is actually a set list of words that trigger spam detectors.

Here is a list of some such words: 

• Amazing
• Cancel at any time
• Check or money order
• Click here
• Congratulations
• Dear friend
• For only ($)
• Free or toll-free
• Great offer
• Guarantee
• Increase sales
• Order now
• Promise you
• Risk-free
• Solution
• Special promotion
• This is not spam
• Winner

Pro-tip: Browse through your email account’s spam folder and see the kind of subject lines that these emails have. It will help you create your list of ‘don’ts.’

For these and other helpful subject line tips, listen to our episode. 

Listen here: 038: Email Marketing Part Two: Subject Lines

If you have any questions or would like us to cover a specific topic on the podcast, please reach out! We love hearing from listeners! And are open to suggestions! So please, don’t be shy!