I used to spend hours crafting the perfect email… and then slap on a subject line like “Quick update” or “You’ll want to read this.”
Yeah. Crickets. It took me way too long to realize that no matter how good your email is, if your subject line doesn’t stop the scroll, it’s dead on arrival. That little string of words? It’s your gatekeeper. Your sales pitch before the sales pitch.
So if your course emails, product drops, or newsletters aren’t getting opened? I’m willing to bet your subject lines need some love.
Here’s what I’ve learned (the hard way) about writing subject lines that actually get opened and more importantly, get people to click.
The First Lesson I Learned: Clarity Beats Cleverness
I used to think subject lines had to be witty or mysterious to work. I’d write things like:
“Guess what I’m launching?”
“This made me cry…”
“So I did a thing.”
And don’t get me wrong — they sometimes worked. But most of the time? People just ignored them.
When I switched to clarity and value-driven lines, my open rates jumped by 20–30% overnight. Here’s what that looked like:
“Free Masterclass: 3 Ways to Grow Your Audience Today”
“How to Pre-Sell Your Course Without a Website”
“Enroll Today, Start Earning Tomorrow (Last Chance!)”
Clarity tells them why to open. Curiosity alone doesn’t always get the job done.
And yes — subject lines are just one part of the equation. If you’re trying to seriously lift open rates, using email analytics to improve open rates helps you pinpoint exactly what’s working — and what’s not.
My Subject Line “Hit List” (Stuff That’s Worked for Me)
Over time, I started saving the subject lines that consistently performed well. Here are some of my favorites — feel free to steal, tweak, or test:
-
“Only 24 hours left – doors are closing!”
-
“Your 7-day course growth plan (free download inside)”
-
“You asked for this – it’s finally here”
-
“How I made $2,137 in one weekend (the breakdown)”
-
“Don’t make this course pricing mistake”
-
“This strategy doubled my email list (no ads)”
Notice the themes? Urgency. Specificity. Numbers. Personal experience. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel — just make it relevant, personal, and actionable.
If you’re already sending out regular updates, you’ll want to know the best days and times to send promotional emails so those subject lines have the best shot at being seen.
What Didn’t Work? (Aka My Greatest Subject Line Fails)
Let’s take a moment for the graveyard of my terrible subject lines:
-
“Open this.”
-
“Update #17.”
-
“Just wanted to say hi.”
-
“Hello from me :)”
These didn’t just flop — they tanked. I had open rates under 10%, and unsubscribes spiked.
Why? No clear value. No hook. No reason to open.
Even worse — vague subject lines can hurt your inbox placement. If you’re not careful, you’ll end up flagged as spam. These days, I follow best practices for avoiding spam filters like my business depends on it (because it kind of does).
Best Practices I Live By Now
Here are the tried-and-true tips I follow before I hit “send”:
-
Keep it under 9 words – Shorter subject lines usually perform better, especially on mobile.
-
Use power words – Words like “exclusive,” “last chance,” “free,” “easy,” “limited,” and “secret” get attention.
-
Personalize when possible – If your email platform allows, add their name (e.g., “Sarah, your bonus is inside”).
-
Test subject lines – A/B test two variations if your platform supports it. Small changes = big difference.
-
Avoid spammy caps and punctuation – “!!!FREE COURSE!!!” is a one-way ticket to the junk folder.
-
Match tone to audience – If your people are casual, be casual. If they’re buttoned-up pros, be polished.
If you’re building up your newsletter game, pairing a killer subject line with a clean format helps too. Check out this guide on creating a monthly newsletter for your store — it makes the whole process smoother.
One Little Trick That Changed Everything
Ready for a weird trick? Try writing your subject line after the email.
Seriously. I used to write it first and then twist the email to match. Now I write the full email, then ask: “What’s the one big idea here?” Then I craft a subject line around that.
And sometimes, I’ll write 5–10 options, walk away, and come back to pick the strongest one. Most times, the last one I write is the best.
By the way, your subject line should always make sense for the people you’re emailing. That’s why I rely on segmenting your email list for better targeting before any big campaign. One line doesn’t fit all.
Bonus: Preview Text Matters Too
Quick reminder: The subject line doesn’t live alone. It’s always paired with your email’s preview text (the line that shows up next to or underneath the subject line in most inboxes).
Use this real estate! Don’t just repeat the subject line. Use it to add curiosity, urgency, or detail.
Example:
-
Subject line: “The one tool I use for every launch”
-
Preview text: “It saves me 10+ hours and brings in more sales — here’s why.”
Together, they’re a dynamic duo.
Final Thoughts
Writing high-converting subject lines isn’t about being a genius copywriter, it’s about knowing your audience and making every word count. And honestly? You get better the more you practice.
Some days I still overthink it. But when I stick to what works — clarity, relevance, urgency — I get results.
So before your next big launch or email send, take an extra 5 minutes to really think about your subject line. It might be the difference between an unopened email and your next big sale. Now go write a few and watch those open rates climb.
