10 inspiring subject line ideas and why they work

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Nothing makes us beam with pride like an effective, well-crafted subject line. Getting an email to appear in the inbox is a mammoth task, not to mention the content that follows. We thought it would be fitting to spark your creativity this month with some top-notch subject line inspiration.

This element of an email is small but powerful. A full 47% of email users say that the subject line of an email determines whether or not they open it.

We present you ten great email subject lines to inspire your next email marketing campaign and increase your open rates.

Subject line inspiration from 10 smart brands

Since we teamed up with the subject line experts at Phrasee to learn the secret sauce behind the best subject lines, we've been scouring the wilds of inboxes for some top-notch examples. Check out our top picks of the ten best email subject lines to boost your marketing strategy. We'll cover the following scenarios:

1. Cancellation email
2. Welcome email
3. Webinar announcement
4. Thank you email
5. Announcement email
6. Onboarding email
7. Email with updates on law and data protection
8. Apology email
9. Purchase confirmation email
10. New Product Email

Let's get started!

1. Show that you care – even when they leave

Reference: Share your thoughts?

What we liked: Of course, it hurts when someone unsubscribes or deletes their account, which is why we like Cometteer's subject line in their cancellation confirmation email so much. They don't take themselves too seriously and show that they want feedback, even if a less than stellar user experience caused their reader to unsubscribe:

2. Send a customized welcome email

Reference: Welcome to your tailor-made bathroom.

What we liked: Make a good first impression and capture your reader's attention. Good subject lines give your email recipient an idea of ​​the email content while also inviting them to open the email in the first place.

While most brands have a “Welcome to [company name]” subject line for their first welcome email, Hawthorne took a different approach. They briefly remind new subscribers who they are and what they do, while also generating interest in the inbox. The subject line is cleverly opaque to readers unfamiliar with the brand, urging them to open the email to see what their “custom bathroom” looks like, or rather, what a “custom bathroom” even is. Check it out:

3. Encourage webinar registrations with a personal appeal

Reference: What if you could bring products to market 12 times faster?

What we liked: The subject line of this webinar from Asana was particularly impressive. Webinars aren't the most exciting things, which makes them difficult to generate excitement about, but they're a great opportunity to provide detailed instructions on how to use your products and platform.

People are careful with their time and probably receive invitations to webinars on a regular basis. How do you position your webinar to make it worth readers' precious time?

Instead of announcing the webinar in the subject line, Asana puts the value proposition front and center. They tell email subscribers exactly what they'll get by opening that email (i.e. signing up for the webinar) and phrase it in a way that's likely to resonate with their business-focused user base. Here's how to make it personal:

4. Give thank you emails self-awareness

Reference: No marketing email.

What we liked: Honestly, our immediate reaction to that subject line was, “Is that sarcasm?” It’s not, but even if it were, we’d still open the email to find out.

If that's not a marketing email from Brooklinen, what is? It turns out to be a simple, sincere thank you message. There's nothing wrong with giving your customers an extra thank you every now and then.

Brooklinen knows you can never go wrong with a little confidence. Subscribers already know they'll receive e-commerce emails from their favorite brands. Don't be afraid to have a little fun with your audience and surprise them from time to time to keep them engaged and looking forward to your emails:

5. Show your caring side in a product announcement email

Reference: Forgot something in your last box?

What we liked: Announcements of new products or services are some of the most attention-grabbing emails brands send. It's your first chance to reveal what you've been working on and excite your subscribers.

Dollar Shave Club, a subscription-based shaving and hygiene company, highlighted a customer problem (forgetting to add a product before automatic delivery) ahead of its announcement of instant deliveries.

Identifying a customer pain point in the subject line is risky, so the subject line must be deliberate and carefully crafted. If done right, it's the perfect segue to a product or service announcement that makes the pain point disappear:

6. Keep onboarding emails short to keep readers’ attention

Reference: Superpowers when shopping online.

What we liked: We just really love it when brands in industries where the tone is usually rather dry bring a little lightness to their email marketing.

Instead of sounding like this email is from the legal department, the privacy department is letting everyone know that they don't take themselves too seriously. They know there's a human on the other end of this email, not a robot. This allows them to maintain an approachable tone and resonate with subscribers.

You will also receive bonus points for the line “Order with confidence from dubious websites” in your email:

7. Make sure that the legal jargon remains brand-compliant (and entertaining)

Reference: Here you will find underrated but important legal German.

What we liked: Every brand needs to send privacy updates at some point, but let's be honest: Have you ever been excited by the message “Updates to our privacy policy and terms of service”?

Just because your email is legitimate doesn't mean you have to forego your brand voice in the subject line. Simple's approach is very honest, yet optimistic in tone, and clearly expresses what we all think when we see an email with privacy updates:

8. Apologies must be authentic, but not too intrusive and on-brand

Reference: Oops: Someone hadn’t had coffee this morning

What we liked: We all make mistakes and sometimes those mistakes warrant an apology or an “our mistake” email. It happens and the best thing you can do is keep it lighthearted for your audience. Whatever the reason for an apology email, it's only as bad as you make it out to be in your communication (unless identities were stolen, then that's pretty bad).

There's nothing out of character about FilterEasy, even accidental use. The “oops” adds a playful tone while letting you know, in a brand-appropriate way, that a mistake has been made.

We'll be right back as we get in touch with FilterEasy to help them effectively review their email content and never have to send an apology email again. (Just kidding, right?)

Take notes. This will help you stay relaxed even if you make a mistake:

9. Confirm the order and say “thank you” in a meaningful way

Reference: Well done

What we liked: Ilia stays true to its brand and focuses on the message of doing good for the environment and using better products for your skin. We like the play on words and the feel-good vibes we get with just three simple words. This well-worded thank you email says “thank you” without saying thank you. Clever!

10. Bait and switch tactics – but cheeky!

Reference: Username: NEW 💪 Password: GEAR 💪

What we liked: Okay, we know that loss-leader offers are the last thing you want to hear in relation to your digital marketing campaign, but check out this cheeky subject line from Strong by Zumba. Strong plays on the look of a password reset email that's guaranteed to stand out in inboxes, but includes a full email of new product announcements. And just in case they don't stand out, they've added emojis for an eye-catching effect. Remember to use emojis in moderation, though, as too many smileys can be spammy and trigger a spam filter.

In addition, the username and password game also creates an air of exclusivity – capture more email opens by exploiting your reader's fear of missing out (FOMO). We know we're being tricked, but we're not even mad!

We don't think this trick should be used more than once, but if cheekiness fits the brand, we say give it a try:

Show us your favorite subject lines!

We know you have them. Spread the love and creativity and share your favorite email subject line examples with us in the comments below or on our social media. These can be from brands you subscribe to or even top performers from your own brand – we're not picky.

Everyone knows that a compelling subject line increases your email open, click, and conversion rates. Make sure you preview all your emails in different email clients and on mobile devices with our Campaign Precheck tool to optimize your emails for higher open and deliverable rates. Now you're ready to bombard your email list with perfect emails with subject lines that readers can't resist.

This blog post was updated on September 2, 2022. It was first published in August 2019.

Author: Melissa Berdine

Melissa got into email marketing by a happy coincidence in 2017 and has been hooked ever since. She creates emails for luxury hotels, sustainable food, Netflix series, CBD brands and more, all while having no less than four drinks on her desk and her dog napping next to her. In her free time, Melissa enjoys rewatching 90s sitcoms.

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