E M A I L S U B J E C T L I N E S TA R T E R K I T

Starter kit
15 Types of Subject Lines
that Almost Always Get
Opened and Read

© COPYRIGHT 2020. PUBLISHED BY RAY EDWARDS INTERNATIONAL, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 E M A I L S U B J E C T L I N E S TA R T E R K I T

Does email marketing still work? Only if your emails don’t stink to high heaven.

That sounds harsh, but it’s true. According to the Data & Marketing Association (dma.org),
email consistently kills the competition selling more than all the social media channels by a
HUGE margin.

This is true in my own business. For the past 3 years running, we’ve made over $1M… in a
writing practice… and almost all of it began, and often ended, with email.

If your emails aren’t getting opened, the 1st place to look is at your Subject Lines.

Everybody checks their email with their cursor hanging over the “delete” box, ready to trash
your hard work in the blink of an eye. As you skim down the Gmail list of new emails, you
“click, click, click” and then “delete, delete, delete” all the emails that look boring based
entirely on 2 things, the name of the sender and the subject line.

You can write the most gorgeous, persuasive, powerful email copy in the world, but if your
subscribers delete your emails because of a boring or “missing-the-mark” subject line, you’ve
wasted a ton of time and left lots of money on the table.

So, let’s have a little look at your subject lines and see if we can beef up your opens.

Here are 15 types of subject lines that almost always get opened and read.

#1
Right Between the Eyes
This is a very direct way of telling your audience what they’re gonna get. There’s no beating
around the bush. The driving component here is a clear benefit you’re offering. Not curiosity.
The key is to give them what they want right away.

“How to get more Facebook followers”

“Stage fright cured once and for all”

“How to write better email copy in half the time”

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#2
Curiosity Killed the Cat
Teasing your reader just enough to get them curious is a great way to get them to click. This
may be the most effective type of headline when it comes to getting it opened. Just make sure
you satisfy your reader’s curiosity before you lose their attention in the body of your email.

“2020 election prediction—disaster or dismay?”

“The number one, absolute, king kahuna secret to my success”

“Why my toddler is a better marketer than you”

#3
Shock & Awe
The idea here is to go right for your reader’s lizard brain. Provocative subject lines like these
stand out like cannon blasts in a cathedral.

“Get your pen out of my crack”

“This ain’t no booty call”
“Why I think about you in bed”

#4
Opposites Attract (aka… ‘Contrast’)
Putting together two seemingly opposite ideas into your subject line is a fantastic way to get
your emails opened. Any two contrasting ideas woven together into a curiosity statement is a
great way to get your reader’s attention.

“Why fat guys get hot girls”

“Wise words from a deranged psychopath”
“Donald Trump sends compassionate message
to illegal immigrants”
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#5
Play on Famous Quotes
Find a quote or famous saying by someone the people in your market would know. Then
tweak it just a tad so it stands out.

Dollar Shave Club could use something like this… “To shave, or not to shave, that is the
stupidest question ever”

Squatty Potty could use something like this… “I cramped, I squatted, I conquered”

Lunchables could use something like this… “That’s one small win for Mom, one giant leap
for Mom-kind”

#6
Twisted Clichés
Clichés are such a common part of everyday conversational language. They’re usually to
common to draw any attention in subject lines. But if you can twist them just enough, they can
really grab you by the eyeballs.

“When life gives you lemons, give it the finger!”

“All that glitters is bull crap”
“At the speed of grandma’s led foot”

#7
Ridiculous
Going for the outlandish and bizarre is another excellent way to raise eyebrows and tap the
curiosity bug. Just make sure you can tie it back to what the core of your message is,
otherwise it’s just nonsense.

“Don’t fondle the furniture”

“Transgender bulldogs run rampant”
“Titans, tyrants, and playful pimps”

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#8
Play on Pop Culture
Depending on what’s going on in popular culture, embedding some story or ideology from pop
culture usually resonates well and gets your emails opened. Of course, make sure your
market recognizes your pop culture reference. Beyoncé is super famous, but if you’re writing
to old white men, they probably have no idea who she is.

“Real Housewives bear all for organic farmers”

“Why binging Stranger Things will help you lose weight”
“Spiderman’s secret to email marketing success”

#9
Play on Popular Song Lyrics
Taking a super popular song lyric and fitting it to your market or promotion is a winner.
Like pop culture references, song lyrics can be really confusing if you pick one your market
wouldn’t recognize. These can fall on deaf ears if you can’t make them rhyme, so, proceed
with caution, or get a rhyming dictionary.

“Jingle bells, toddlers smell, infants laying eggs”

“Twinkle, twinkle little cat, how I wonder where you’re at”
“Ring around the toilet, that smell is gonna spoil it”

#10
‘Tis the Season
Taking advantage of holidays is a great way to get your readers interested in reading your
emails. It’s fun and festive and lets them escape their usual grind for a few minutes.

“Santa’s secret spaghetti sauce makes Mrs. Clause swoon”

“New year’s resolution that made my wife jump for joy”
“Gravy recipe even your dead turkey would approve of”

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#11
Favorite Characters
Pick a favorite book or movie or TV character your market would know to get their attention
loud and clear.

“Thor’s secret formula for perfect pillow talk”

“The George Costanza method of email marketing”
“Frodo’s famous Facebook ad strategy”

#12
Challenging the Norm
Challenging common knowledge and accepted practices get your reader’s attention and pique
their curiosity. It can cause a little anger to bubble up, which turns into curiosity with a side of
vindictiveness. So, if you’re not ready for some potential backlash, maybe steer clear of this
one. But being polarizing is a really great way to build a loyal following. There’s no middle
ground. People are either for you or against you, and that’s a really good thing.

If an email marketing expert said… “Why email marketing is deader than ever” … it would
raise a few eyebrows.

If your favorite cleaning solution company said…“Stop buying all those cleaning products”
… wouldn’t you want to know why?

If a parenting expert said…“The case against being nice to your kids” … would get most
molly-coddling Moms up in arms, which means they’d open up your email in a jiffy.

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#13
Numerology
Giving readers a specific number of ways to do something, or a list of reasons, or a specific
step-by-step way to do something is a great way to write a subject line.

“7 easy ways to get your husband to stop snoring”

“10 ways to monetize your blog”

“5-minute workouts you can do at work”

#14
Credibility & Believability
Giving some kind of accepted expert status to your claim provides your reader iron clad proof.
And proof is the most important pillar of persuasion, according to Gary Bencivenga, the
world’s highest-paid and most successful copywriter.

Site someone who is an undisputed champion of whatever you’re trying to sell, and show how
they would do what you’re trying to demonstrate.

“What Russian computer scientists know about

coding that you don’t”

“Warren Buffet reveals his #2 stock secret”

“World-class golfer teaches you his new swing”

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 E M A I L S U B J E C T L I N E S TA R T E R K I T

#15
Mutant
Now comes the really fun part. You can mix and match all of these different subject line types
to keep things interesting.

“Oprah’s best kept cleaning secrets”

“50 shades of email marketing genius”

“How to score a hot date with Rudolph’s

favorite fashion accessory”

Always remember, your prospect has a short attention span and goes into “automatic-
deletemode” whenever they open their email account.

Find a way to make some noise in their mind to jolt them out of their daze and get them
interested in what you have to say.

Go forth and prosper with your emails!

To Your Prosperity,

PS – If you found this Email Subject Line Starter Kit helpful, consider checking out my book,
How To Write Copy That Sells: The Step-By-Step System For More Sales, to More
Customers, More Often.

Inside this book, you’ll learn how to use many more useful writing tools to turn
prospects into buyers and loyal, lifetime customers. And you’ll do it all without
hypey, sleazy, slimy, or pushy sales tactics.

Go to www.RayEdwards.com/FreeBook get your FREE copy now.

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© COPYRIGHT 2020. PUBLISHED BY RAY EDWARDS INTERNATIONAL, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.