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200+ Best Email Subject Lines to Increase Open Rates Watch Overview

200+ Best Email Subject Lines to Increase Open Rates

Email marketers are constantly seeking to increase email open rates.

After all, increasing the open rate has a big impact. For one, you also improve email deliverability, with email service providers regarding the open rate as a clue to the relevancy and legitimacy of your email.

So how do you approach it?

The subject lines of the emails you send are absolutely crucial—after all, 47% of email recipients decide whether or not to open emails based on the subject line alone.

The best email subject lines increase email open rates—47% of recipients use the subject line to decide whether or not to open the email

One subject line can far outperform another.

With that in mind, this post:

  • Gives you the basics on how to write a good email subject line...
  • Reviews important factors that help increase open rates...
  • And, most importantly, provides over 200 examples of some of the best email subject lines around from top marketers and businesses that you can use to model your own subject lines on, and as a continuing source of inspiration.

Download this list of 200+ of the best email subject lines so you have it to refer back to:

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How to write a good email subject line

How to Write a Good Email Subject Line

According to research from Mailchimp, the following factors are worth testing for improving email subject lines and increasing email open rates:

  • Personalization: can increase open rates for most users. Other research shows the increase can be from 26% to 50%, but would need testing for your own list.
  • Be specific: call out one of the main benefits your email provides, such as a specific deal, or a key piece of information the reader will get by opening
  • Watch the length: shorter subject lines can perform better. In general, use no more than 9 words or 60 characters. Others suggest no more than 50 characters. Again, test your own list.
  • Limit punctuation: too much, and it can look like spam. Limit the use of punctuation marks to a maximum of three.
  • Emojis: careful use of emojis can increase open rates, but overdo it or use them every time, and the positives can become negatives. Use no more than one at a time. You’ll see some examples of emojis in the subject lines below.

But one of the best ways to get better at something is to model what’s already working—and it’s no different for email subject lines.

So take a look at the 200+ examples below. Don’t copy them directly, but model them. Look for examples you can simply adapt to suit your own purposes.

But it's not just good email subject lines that get your emails opened…

Increase email open rates

Other Factors That Increase Email Open Rates

Segmentation

It’s important to send emails to subscribers who the email is most likely to resonate with. A segmented campaign can increase email revenue by up to 760%.

Email lists can be segmented based on previous actions the recipient has taken. As a basic example, customers on your list should be treated—and communicated with—very differently to prospects.

You can also get very granular, segmenting lists based on say whether someone has clicked a particular link in a previous email and thereby shown interest in something.

By emailing them separately with something designed to resonate with that specific interest, email open rates are likely to shoot up significantly.

Email Preview

in Gmail, and for other popular email clients and providers, the initial text in the email is also shown, and helps determine whether your email is opened.

Here’s an example where the email preview text has seemingly not been thought about or utilized for additional advantage in increasing email open rates.

Preview text like this is unlikely to increase email open rates

Whereas for this email from DigitalMarketer, the email preview has been fully considered, and is treated as part of the subject line to maximize open rates as much as possible:

Preview text likely to increase email open rates

The Sender

If the name of the sender is not consistent and recognizable, email open rates are likely to suffer.

Part of the purpose of email marketing is to build name and brand familiarity with your audience—even if they don’t open the email. You simply keep showing up. Over time, they come to know, like and trust you.

If the name keeps changing, you lose all that advantage, and just confuse—rather than endear—your audience.

For example, all the following emails were received in the space of a month from exactly the same business (who I won’t name and shame) but where the sender name kept changing, even at times seemingly used as part of the subject line.

A consistent sender can help increase open rates—here’s an example where that didn’t happen

Unfortunately, this type of strategy comes across as spammy, does nothing to build trust, and just encourages recipients to move the emails into spam or otherwise block the sender.

When You Send the Email

See our separate post on the best days to send emails, based on the analysis of billions of emails.

The post also covers the best times to send emails.

Best email subject lines

Best Email Subject Lines: 200+ Examples

The following examples have been categorized according to the type of hook or copywriting trigger or technique that was used by the marketer to maximize open rates.

For example, they might have used controversy, curiosity or focus on a specific call to action.

However, it's not always clear cut, and some of the best email subject lines incorporate a mixture—so don't be perturbed if you see a subject line that may have just as easily been placed in another category.

In compiling these examples, it was also interesting to note that for many marketers and businesses, just two or three copywriting techniques for the subject line tended to predominate over others.

For example, they may have practically always used scarcity/FOMO/urgency-, benefit- or offer/discount/sale-based subject lines.

Finally, for the examples shown, please note the following:

  • The sender is shown in italicized brackets at the end of the subject line.
  • Dates have been substituted with italicized square brackets and the appropriate date format, e.g. [yyyy] for a four-digit year.
  • Various styles of capitalization are used, including some entirely in lower case.

Download this list of 200+ of the best email subject lines so you have it to refer back to:

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Mystery/Intrigue/Curiosity

Best mystery-based email subject lines

Curiosity and intrigue have always worked well for increasing open rates.

In copywriting, the curiosity gap is "the space between what we know and what we want or even need to know".

This 'gap' feels uncomfortable—and recipients feel compelled to close it.

Here are some examples using intrigue, curiosity or a sense of mystery to encourage recipients to open the email:

  1. How bürüsud plus increased their audience by 40% (Quintly)
  2. [sneak peek] How to get 1 million downloads with your podcast… (Steve Olsher)
  3. what do T-Pain, Rhianna, Zuckerberg & MobileMonkey have in common? (Larry Kim)
  4. There goes another one… (DigitalMarketer)
  5. To create SUSTAINABLE SUCCESS IN EVERY AREA, you need to… (Derek Rydall)
  6. this is your REAL work (Jeff Walker)
  7. Make more sales and keep more customers doing this (Todd Brown)
  8. 📅 The day has finally arrived! (Aqua Sana)
  9. This “secret” will make you more sales (most won’t do this) (Todd Brown)
  10. We think you’ll like these… (Crowdcube)
  11. Don’t Be Satisfied With This (Daily Stoic)
  12. I’d love to be a fly on THAT wall (Travis Lee)

Scarcity/FOMO/Urgency

Best urgency-based email subject lines

Phrasee ran some research on a “random, anonymised sample of 700 million emails”, coming up with a quality score that showed how well a given phrase in an email subject line would perform.

A high score indicated how reliably a particular phrase would drive response. That doesn’t mean it would be a fail-safe, but that the results were above average and were less likely to underperform.

The same study is quote in some other sections below, but for scarcity-based subject lines, the following phrases were found to be top-performers (shown in declining order):

  • sale starts
  • back in stock
  • stock
  • sale now
  • now in

And these were least likely to perform well:

  • midnight
  • still time to
  • midnight tonight
  • ends midnight
  • ends midnight tonight

Here are some of the best email subject lines based on scarcity, fear of missing out (FOMO) or urgency:

  1. 48 hours left...90% off (5 freaking awesome bonus gifts) (Mike Koenigs)
  2. Don’t miss out, Steve - FINAL NOTICE (Mike Koenigs)
  3. Last call, 4 hours left (Martin Crumlish)
  4. Steve, your last chance to save: Social Video Summit (Social Media Examiner)
  5. Don’t Miss This Free Webinar (Lulu)
  6. Starting Soon: Your Last Chance to Attend Today’s Webinar (Rich German)
  7. Don’t miss out—get 25% off all music (PremiumBeat)
  8. Your competitors likely use us. Find out why. (EIN Presswire)
  9. Use it or Lose it - $50 Coupon for Today Only (BidVertiser)
  10. [Replay Inside] Your last chance to experience history (Steve Olsher)
  11. We’re going live in 15 minutes! (Justine Clay)
  12. Only 2 Days Left (Harry Dent)

Personalization

Best personalization-based email subject lines

Personalization doesn’t just mean using the recipient’s first name, although that might be part of it.

It also means taking account of exactly who they are, actions they may have taken previously, or other specifics for them as an individual, such as:

  • Interests
  • Birthdays and anniversaries
  • Location
  • Transaction history

Here are some of the best email subject lines that take advantage of personalization:

  1. Here are your personalised recommendations | Week of [mm/dd] - [mm/dd] (Google Ads)
  2. Steve, options to save on your subscription (Keap)
  3. Steve, can you help? (Magnetic Marketing)
  4. 🎉 STEVE, it's your credit day! Treat yourself to a new audiobook today. (Audible)
  5. Stephen, planning your next trip? First activate your promotion ✅ (Booking.com)
  6. Steve, proven ways to improve customer experience (Hewlett Packard)
  7. A Village of Movers and Shakers Ready to Collaborate with Steve (Rob Goyette)
  8. You have 31 notifications about Kath and others (Facebook)
  9. Steve, you’re in luck… (Magnetic Marketing)
  10. More related to “[previously-viewed question]?” (Quora)
  11. Hoping you can help (Magnetic Marketing)

Questions

Best question-based email subject lines

Phrasee’s study, referred to in the Scarcity section above, found the following “question words” had the strongest impact for email subject lines (shown in declining order):

  • what …?
  • won’t …?
  • do …?
  • can …?
  • may …?

And these had the least impact:

  • can’t …?
  • will …?
  • who …?
  • where …?
  • don’t …?

Questions can help increase email open rates because, as humans, we’re primed to seek answers to questions rather than leave them unresolved. Opening the email can help scratch that itch.

Here are some of the best email subject lines using a question-type format:

  1. Did you catch today’s replay? (Bob Proctor)
  2. sales conversations stressful? (Self Improvement Newsletter)
  3. 30% increase in revenue? (PostcardMania)
  4. Need a Facebook ads strategy? (Michael Stelzner)
  5. We’ve Been Tested. Did You Pass? (Daily Stoic)
  6. QUIZ: Do you want to double your cash? (Clickbank)
  7. ever noticed this in your mailbox? (PostcardMania)
  8. Ready to grow your audience? (David Riklan)
  9. What would you do to get your dream car? 🚙 (Guy Kawasaki)
  10. what’s hidden under your metrics? (Dan Martell)
  11. Can you feel it? (Derek Rydall)
  12. Are You High or Low? (Daily Stoic)

Social Proof/Results Proof

Best proof-based email subject lines

People tend to conform to the actions others have taken, because it adds a certain level of legitimacy and credibility, and we all have a fear of doing something that ends up looking foolish.

If enough other people are doing something, that risk in doing it ourselves is significantly reduced, and we have a reasonable excuse if it does end up going pear shaped.

We see social proof in action all the time, from positive reviews on Amazon for products we end up buying, to choosing the restaurant that looks busy over the empty one next door.

Proof of results works in a similar way, reducing the risks to ourselves of believing in something, and attracting trust and legitimacy. And if there’s proof, we want to know how to achieve the same thing.

Here are some of the best email subject lines that take advantage of either social proof or proof of results to increase open rates:

  1. Want to learn from a podcaster with more than 200M downloads? (Steve Olsher)
  2. How I Created $100,000’s in Passive Income + over 21 resources… (Hawk Mikado)
  3. Here is what they said… (Alina Vincent)
  4. How I built an audience of 10,000+ in under 3 years… (Martin Avis)
  5. The stories that inspired the Oscar-nominated films (Audible)
  6. how my first Reel got 10.5K views + infographic (Larry Kim)
  7. Why he pays $ 62,137/mo to run this traffic machine (MindMap and PDF Summary Download) (Youzign)
  8. How I made $262/hr sitting at urgent care last Thursday (Nick Wolny)
  9. 🚀 how i increased site conversions by 107% (Larry Kim)

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Use of Punctuation Marks

Best punctuation-based email subject lines

Punctuation marks can help an email subject line stand out in our overloaded inboxes and attract our attention, thereby increasing the likelihood of opening that email.

However, they have to be used carefully—overdoing it can make an email look like spam, consigning it either to spam or the trash.

Here are some of the best examples of email subject lines where punctuation has been used to good effect:

  1. Make organic marketing work for you! (Social Media Examiner)
  2. The #1 Audio Library for Creators & Marketers (Warrior Forum)
  3. Yum! Yum! Yum! (Uber)
  4. Why Choose Guru - Reason #1 Secure Platform (Guru)
  5. Replay + Bonus Extended | 5 Day Formula for Financial Freedom (Bob Proctor)
  6. Home Storage FBA makes $9,693 p/mo + 2 Hot new listings (Ben @ Flippa)
  7. Meet the new “krill killer” (Al Sears, MD)
  8. Keep ‘Em Guessing (and More Lessons From Content We Love) (Content Marketing Institute)
  9. [PLF Live] do you believe in “signs”? Here’s one… (Jeff Walker)
  10. Do you want to be an “Insider” among leaders in your industry? (Rich German)
  11. This week’s Movers and Shakers! (Crowdcube)
  12. (Q&A Today!) Can you hear it? (Derek Rydall)

Story

Best story-based email subject lines

Stories are of course a highly effective medium for getting our marketing messages across.

Stories are compelling, they invite engagement, we become immersed in them, they’re memorable, they fire up our imaginations, and they make it easy for us to relate to the messages they carry.

For all these reasons and more, using story-based subject lines can increase email open rates, while also helping to build powerful relationships with our audience—here are some of the best examples:

  1. Walking away from the ‘normal’ path… (Ali Brown)
  2. Why You Should Never Borrow Unhappiness (Daily Stoic)
  3. Profit from getting punched in the face (Dan Martell)
  4. “Direct mail won’t work”: TRUE Stories from 2 Marketers (PostcardMania)
  5. Why I believe in *leverage* (Alina Vincent)
  6. I’m crying as I write this...Gift for you tomorrow (Mike Koenigs)
  7. Google’s answer to Notion (Product Hunt Daily)
  8. The untold story… it was bonkers (Todd Brown)
  9. [WMO] He Only Had $0 to His Name (MaryEllen Tribby)
  10. When good marketing goes bad (Todd Brown)
  11. Kennedy was Away… But Now He’s Back (Pete Lillo)
  12. A different kind of cotton (Timberland)
  13. I thought about keeping this to myself (Larry Kim)
  14. An inspirational story of entrepreneurial grit (Keap)

Silver Bullet

Best silver-bullet-based email subject lines

People love the concept of a silver bullet solution to their challenges—the one thing that changes everything. If that weren’t enough, we expect it to be easy too, or at least to require minimal effort.

The reality under the hood is usually a lot more complex and subject to a myriad of other factors, but that doesn’t dent the timeless appeal of the silver bullet solution.

Most of us buy into the concept all too easily, which makes it an ideal basis of an email subject line—we can’t resist opening it. Here are some of the best email subject lines with silver bullet appeal:

  1. [Live Training] How To Go From Blank Page to Published Author in 90 Days (Rich German)
  2. The secret to creating desire and demand for your product (Todd Brown)
  3. Focus on just this one thing (Todd Brown)
  4. These 10+ Expert Tips Explain How to Really Scale Content Production (Content Marketing Institute)
  5. Build this automation in 3 minutes with zero experience (Keap)
  6. From zero to over $300,0000 a month in sales (Todd Brown)
  7. Rapid online course creation, launch and sales… guaranteed (Alina Vincent)
  8. Discovering THIS About Your Biz Will Change EVERYTHING (PostcardMania)
  9. 30 minute membership sites (Martin Crumlish)
  10. Transform your living room with Apple TV 4K. (Apple)
  11. this works +3,000% better than what i was doing (Larry Kim)
  12. The hidden force that will manifest your desires (Rich German)
  13. Making this tiny tweak in your offer language changes everything (Todd Brown)

Controversy

Best controversy-based email subject lines

There’s nothing quite like controversy to encourage us to engage.

Controversy fires us up, evokes passion, maybe anger, even rage, and can make us feel alive as we prepare to defend whichever side of the fence we happen to fall on—or maybe to simply nod our heads in agreement, and we can’t help but like someone who thoroughly agrees with us!

Either way, the stoker of controversy is memorable and stays at the forefront of our minds—and the use of it to get emails opened can be highly effective.

Here are some of the top examples with controversy-based email subject lines:

  1. Who’s Going To Pay for the Government Butter? (Harry Dent)
  2. The China Fallacy (Money and Markets)
  3. Packed Planes Controversy… (Andrew Lock)
  4. About TRUMP: I wish I didn’t have to tell you this… (Money and Markets)
  5. What Are You Making Up About This? That’s The Question. (Daily Stoic)
  6. Defy doctor’s orders… and win! (Al Sears, MD)
  7. would you do this? (I would) (Travis Lee)
  8. Is the GOP collapsing? (Money and Markets)
  9. 99% of entrepreneurs get this wrong (Travis Lee)
  10. Swedish study drops heart attract bombshell… (Al Sears, MD)
  11. are you messing this up as you read this? (Steve Olsher)

Use of Numbers

Best best-number-based email subject lines

There’s something about numbers that draws the eye. List articles for example have always been effective, attracting 38% more traffic compared to other types.

The use of numbers implies logic, organization, and order out of chaos, and we find ourselves inexorably drawn towards number-based headlines—and email subject lines.

Here are some of the best examples of email subject lines that use numbers to maximize email open rates:

  1. These blogs? You'll like 5 of them (Tumblr)
  2. 10 better ways to learn (Product Hunt)
  3. 2 for 1 sale ends today! Choose from over 500 listens. (Audible)
  4. Your invitation to—5 Stages of Agency Growth (Keap)
  5. Day 5 Recap + Replay Link | 5 Day Formula for Financial Freedom (Bob Proctor)
  6. Explore over 3 million stock photos and royalty images (Wunderstock)
  7. 6 subject line mistakes you may be making (AWeber)
  8. how to automate 5 types of Instagram DMs 🤩 (Larry Kim)
  9. 11 ways to become a Figma master (Product Hunt)
  10. 3 Ways To Be More Productive Today (Lilach Bullock)
  11. 3-Day Coaching Funnel Course (WebinarNinja)
  12. Invite: 10 spots for 10k MRR (Dan Martell)

News

Best news-based email subject lines

Who doesn’t like to get the latest information? To hear what’s new and changing? Some of the appeal is FOMO-based—we have a fear of being ignorant of something everyone else is aware of.

And some of the appeal is one-upmanship—getting the news first, and potentially passing it onto others, can give us a feeling of superiority.

And then there’s simply wanting to get the latest information on something so that we can be as effective as possible in what we do.

Either way, just the addition of the word new or news in a headline can boost conversion rates. The same goes for email subject lines—here are some of the best examples based on giving us the latest news on a particular subject:

  1. Exciting news (Todd Brown)
  2. 8 new assets available to trade (Coinbase)
  3. Introducing AWeber badges (Aweber)
  4. New Recovery Loan Scheme (Simply Business)
  5. Google previews MUM: its new tech for complex search queries (Wordtracker)
  6. 🎫 Announcing [yyyy] Brand Growth Summit (Larry Kim)
  7. It’s Levi’s® 501® Day! (Levi’s®)
  8. New from Tim — Interview with Sebastian Junger and "My Daily Practices and Habits to Fight Depression" Video (Tim Ferriss)
  9. We’ve made some updates (Vistaprint)
  10. New pitches on Crowdcube (Crowdcube)
  11. Idea Pins are now available! (Pinterest)
  12. Great news: Your order is ready (Fiverr)
  13. NEW Documentary: “Funnel Hacking LIVE” (Russell Brunson)
  14. You can now use your credits in the iOS app (Audible)

Pain Alleviation and Prevention

Best pain alleviation email subject lines

Pain is a big motivating force. We’re all wanting to move away from pain, and towards pleasure and gain.

But the desire to move away from pain is usually the more intense motivator. Anything that promises to alleviate pain, or help prevent us from feeling it in the first place—whether mental or physical—is likely to attract our attention.

Here are some of the best email subject lines that use the alleviation or prevention of pain as the main theme:

  1. Nature’s Tranquilizer for Better Sleep (Al Sears, MD)
  2. No budget? 10 ways to grow your biz for free (Aweber)
  3. Why Your Videos Aren’t Converting Into Sales (Warrior Forum)
  4. Get out of the alligator pit (Travis Lee)
  5. Your blog cravings, satisfied (Tumblr)
  6. {grow}: Why asking for help could be your next great marketing strategy (Mark Schaefer)
  7. Help protect your online shopping with these security tips (Norton)
  8. Here comes REVENGE (Al Sears, MD)
  9. The quickest way a speaker can clear a room (and how to avoid it) (Rusty Shelton)
  10. [IP2Location Tips & Resources] Protect your store from proxy servers with IP2Proxy (IP2Location)
  11. You Need to Arm Yourself With These Weapons (Daily Stoic)
  12. 3 biggest mistakes (and how to avoid them) (Steve Olsher)

Vanity

Best vanity-based email subject lines

People take pride in how they look, how effective they are, their personal skills, their accomplishments, what we believe we’re capable of in future, and more.

Marketing that appeals to our sense of vanity can be highly effective. It’s the basis of a number of billion-dollar industries, from fitness, to beauty, to personal development, and more.

Not to mention social media—after all, who doesn’t like (or wish for) a ton of likes and shares on their social media posts to confirm their sense of self?

Here are some of the top email subject lines using vanity to try to get us to open them:

  1. Your brand, at the forefront of culture. (Twitter Business)
  2. Your ads popping up everywhere (PostcardMania)
  3. [Ends Today] Be a Founding Member of Tony and Dean’s Program (MaryEllen Tribby)
  4. want clients to move heavens and earth to work with you? (Self Improvement Newsletter)
  5. Steve, we can’t wait to welcome you! (Hilton Honors)
  6. The future is what WE design (Ali Brown)
  7. YOU were in my vision… (Derek Rydall)
  8. 🔮I see EXCEPTIONAL in your future (DigitalMarketer)
  9. saw your name (PostcardMania)
  10. Your invite to the Driver Care Club (JustPark)
  11. With Your Help, We're Making 💰💰(Clickbank)
  12. We missed you! (Aqua Sana)

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Benefit

Best benefit-based email subject lines

Some of the best email subject lines simply tell us the exact benefit we’ll get from opening the email. This might be the promise of information on how to do something or the offer of a free gift or two.

Here are some of the top benefit-based email subject lines:

  1. How to create a lead magnet (DigitalMarketer)
  2. 7 Steps to Build a Successful Long-Term Content Model (Content Marketing Institute)
  3. Boost your lung power with ‘Qi Gong’ Breathing (Al Sears, MD)
  4. Getting your prospect’s attention in a crowded market (Todd Brown)
  5. Steve, How To Use Your Inbox As A Tool! (Magnetic Marketing)
  6. Don’t want your gifts? (DigitalMarketer)
  7. 3 must-have campaigns to grow sales (Keap)
  8. Get more leads, the “Dan Kennedy Way” (Travis Lee)
  9. 7 new landing page templates to use right now (AWeber)
  10. Write better Instagram ads… (Michael Stelzner)
  11. 3 Quality Signals That Help Content Rank Higher in SERPs (Content Marketing Institute)

Offer/Discount/Sale

Best offer-based email subject lines

Discounts, sales and offers always draw the crowds, and it’s no different with email. Most of us enjoy taking advantage of a bargain, or otherwise paying less than we normally would do.

Phrasee’s study (see Scarcity section above) looked at different sale-based phrases to see which were most effective. The following were found to have the most impact (shown in declining order):

  • on orders over
  • orders over
  • off selected
  • your next order
  • available
  • great deals

And these were the worst performing:

  • savings
  • $... off
  • off all
  • offer end
  • off when you

Here are some of the best email subject lines using offers, discounts and sales as the primary motivator to increase open rates:

  1. The new iPad Pro. Supercharged by the Apple M1 chip. Now available. (Apple)
  2. It’s time. Discounted hosting starts today. May 24th. (Bluehost)
  3. Stephen, thinking about travel? Get 15% off (Booking.com)
  4. There’s still time to enjoy 25% off your next order (Charles Tyrwhitt)
  5. [FLASH SALE] The Customer Acquisition Playbook (DigitalMarketer)
  6. Extra 20% off Outlet styles still on😍 (Timberland)
  7. Your 15% off is waiting for you! (Lulu)
  8. Up to 33% off almost everything! (Vistaprint)
  9. Did Someone say 15% off? 👀 (Lulu)
  10. Save 25% on all tracks for a limited time (PremiumBeat)
  11. Top Offers of the week ! (Tradedoubler)
  12. Sale ends soon. In fact, TOMORROW! (Moo)
  13. $75 credit applied to your account (PostcardMania)

Call to Action

Best call-to-action-based email subject lines

If you want someone to do something, tell them explicitly what you want them to do—in other words, give them a call to action.

Some will even do so without thinking too much about it. After all, much of society is organized around people simply following instructions, whether that’s in the education system or in their later careers.

Phrasee’s study found the following call to action phrases had the most impact (shown in declining order):

  • introducing
  • celebrate
  • buy
  • continues
  • get your

And these had the least impact:

  • spend
  • when you spend
  • claim your
  • get ready for
  • claim your free

Here are some of the best examples of ‘call to action’-based email subject lines:

  1. Send 2 free press releases (EIN Presswire)
  2. Stephen, activate your promotion to get 10% back in travel credit (Booking.com)
  3. Free account deactivation: Act now to save your data (Larry Kim)
  4. Connect with 7 of our SelfGrowth.com Official Guides Today (SelfGrowth.com)
  5. Your Final Chance - Open NOW… (Clickbank)
  6. Turn On Your Automatic Wealth-Creation Machine (Derek Rydall)
  7. Download My FREE Torn Paper Edge Graphics to Create Realistic Collage Effects (Chris Spooner)
  8. Unlock Your “Super Soldier” Genes… (Al Sears, MD)
  9. Stop chasing sales (David Riklan)
  10. Discover how to build an audience of buyers (David Riklan)
  11. price increase alert: save 25% today 😍 (Larry Kim)
  12. Partner with Vistaprint: Drive change that will improve your marketing efforts (Vistaprint)

Download this list of 200+ of the best email subject lines so you have it to refer back to:

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Transactional/Straightforward

Best transactional email subject lines

Finally, some email subject lines are plain and straightforward, such as when transactional in nature (such as confirming an order or providing a receipt), or when notifying us of service changes, providing us with a report or sending us a regular, familiar newsletter.

Here are some of the best examples of this type of email:

  1. Your Amazon order #123-456789-123456 (Amazon)
  2. Your Facebook Ads Receipt (Account ID: 12345678912345678) (Facebook)
  3. Your payment was successfully processed. (Zendesk)
  4. Marketer’s Mind Memo ([mm/dd/yy]) (Todd Brown)
  5. Changes to YouTube’s Terms of Service (YouTube)
  6. 5-Bullet Friday — Mmm dd, yyyy (Tim Ferriss)
  7. Funds Now - Important Update (PayPal)
  8. [HARO] Thursday Evening Edition (HARO)
  9. Consider it done: Your order is ready for your review (Fiverr)
  10. Receipt for your payment to [business name] (PayPal)
  11. Your receipt from Apple. (Apple)
  12. Summary of account activity (Dext Prepare)
  13. Testomato 15 days Incident Reports - [Mmm] 4 to [Mmm] 18 (Testomato)

To Conclude

To communicate effectively with our email audience, email subject lines are of course crucial. After all, nearly half of us use the subject line to decide whether to open an email in the first place.

When we increase email open rates, apart from building better relationships, we improve email deliverability overall and drive up response rates in our marketing campaigns.

Knowing how to write a good email subject line is therefore central. And what better way to do that than to model subject lines from top marketers and businesses that are already working?

With that in mind, this post has shared over 200 of the best email subject lines, across a variety of subject line-types or triggers designed to increase open rates, such as curiosity, FOMO and pain alleviation.

Use these examples as a source of inspiration and to model your own subject lines from—take two secs to grab your free copy of this list of 200+ of the best email subject lines so you have it to refer back to:

Download this list of 200+ of the best email subject lines so you have it to refer back to:

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Recommended related post: 11 Business Newsletter Examples

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@bySteveShaw

Steve Shaw is the founder of EverywhereMarketer, and has ran online businesses for over 20 years, serving over 13,000 customers in 137 countries. EverywhereMarketer helps you grow online visibility, attract more customers and grow your business across multiple channels.

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