Who would have thought that something so simple and seemingly insignificant as an email subject line could make or break your webinar registration goals? Well, in a world where our inboxes are overflowing with emails, it takes much more for an individual to open and engage with your email versus simply  hitting the ‘delete’ button. Subject lines are like making a  first impression – you really want to get it right. They set the tone for how well your email performs and have the power to convert potential customers. So, how can you nail that first impression? Read on to find out 10 best practices for your webinar email subject lines:

1. Make it personal

Everyone wants to feel seen and known. When you receive hundreds of marketing emails a week, or even in a day, it’s easy to feel like just another subscriber receiving the same email as thousands of other people. Emails often lack that personal touch that is crucial to making them more human, rather than promotional in tone, helping them to resonate with the recipient. An easy way to make your subject line more personalized is to use the recipient’s first name. According to Hubspot, emails with an individual’s name in the subject line have a higher click-through rate than those that did not. You can easily use merge tags to include a recipient’s name or even location into the subject line to make the email sound more catered to them.

• “Jerry, we think you might want to check out our upcoming webinar”
• “Emily, your exclusive offer awaits…”

2. Experiment with emojis

Sometimes a visual attention grabber is needed to engage your audience. This is when it can be fun to play around with emojis. However, use them sparingly. If you’re going to use emojis, we recommend only using one, and avoid including  them in every email.

• “🫀 Unlocking heart health with Dr. Roth in our upcoming webinar”
• “Don’t forget to register for our upcoming webinar ➡️”

3. Keep it short and sweet

It can be tempting to try and cram all the information about your webinar that you can into your subject line, but that might be causing more harm than good. If part of your subject line is cut off in the inbox, it will not communicate the full message. When a recipient sees an entire essay in the subject line, it might also deter them from reading it. We recommend keeping your subject line to 7-9 words max. Tip: test on mobile and desktop before sending as  the amount of characters shown will vary.

4. Evoke curiosity

When a subject line evokes curiosity, our brain has the natural impulse and desire to investigate and gather information. Open rates will benefit from this sense of mystery and anticipation that your subject line creates because the recipient will want to open it to learn more about your webinar. 

• “Wonder how exercise influences metabolic health and aging?”
• “Want to learn 5 tips to increase your social media engagement?”

5. Make them feel special

Implementing exclusivity into your marketing campaigns can be very powerful. Making your customer feel special gives them a sense of belonging and in turn fosters brand loyalty, which encourages them to open your email. Some example phrases include:

• “Your exclusive offer awaits…”
• “You’re Invited!”

6. Use numbers

Our brains have a natural tendency to try and make sense of things and to organize incoming information so that it makes logical sense. That is why using data and numbers in subject lines is so effective. It provides the order that our brains crave and increases the credibility and straightforwardness of your message. 

• “10 tips to increase your social media engagement”
• “Learn how to increase email open rates by 50%”

7. Create a sense of urgency / FOMO

Nothing gets people to act quicker than a limited time offer. Using language that creates a sense of urgency makes people feel as though they are missing out if they don’t open your email. The goal is to generate excitement for your webinar, so using catchphrases like “last chance” can generate FOMO and cause your recipients to take action. Using one word with all caps can also help create urgency. However, if you are going to use all caps, we recommend limiting it to one word. 

• “LAST CHANCE: Register for our webinar on email best practices”
• “Only a few seats left for our upcoming microsurgery workshop”

8. Take advantage of preview text

Making a good  first impression in the inbox is everything, but when you are given such little space to do so, it can be difficult. That is why it is necessary to take advantage of all the real estate available. Utilize the preview text to elaborate on your subject line and give a sneak peek at your email content. Taking advantage of all real estate does not mean making both the subject line and preview text as long as they can be, however. It is still important not to make them too wordy. 

9. Put yourself in their shoes

Lastly, a good rule of thumb when crafting a subject line is to put yourself in the place  of your target audience and ask yourself, “Would I open this email?” If the answer is no, then you might have to reevaluate your strategy. Think about what would make you want to open the email and try implementing that.  

10. Test, test, test

 When reevaluating your email marketing strategy, A/B testing is your best friend. Using A/B testing can provide more clarity into what your specific audience prefers and will help inform and guide your overall strategy.