Email marketing is a great cost-effective way to get your message out to your clients. But there is no point in spending time building a database, creating a special offer or filling your newsletter with enticing pieces of information if no one reads your message.

That is where the all-important subject line comes into play. You need to craft your subject line. It needs to stand out from the clutter of the inbox; while still being relevant to the message in the email. Many a marketer has tried to use a trick subject line to increase their open rate; but with spam filters hot on the heels of unsolicited mail, you may find that your message goes directly to the trash bin.

To avoid this you want to consider making your subject line useful and valuable to your reader. This means you will have to know your target market. Like a trailer to a movie, be specific about what is coming in the feature: the email message. What you have said in your message should be interesting, so make sure your subject line reflects this. Your reader is often time-poor so you should create a sense of urgency so they feel compelled to read your message now. However if every message is perceived as urgent: none will be. So use urgency with care.

Beyond subject lines; the key to good email marketing is building a relationship with your customers. You need to earn their trust. They should know that what you provide is good content, exclusive offers or whatever they have signed up for. If you emails are constantly about selling your product and offering no other value you will soon have a long list of unsubscribes.

Over time, the most compelling thing about an email message should be that it’s from you. Even before they read your subject line, your recipient needs to know at a glance that you’re a trusted source. Some email marketers choose to put the same identifier in the subject line every email, for example [Zeald] Top tips for crafting subject lines. This can both help and hinder your message, as some people will set up a rule filtering you into another folder where your message will go unread and unheard.

Be mindful of trigger words. These are the words that prompt a spam filter to put you in the trash can. Below is a list of words that often set the spam filter off, however if you use some of the words sparingly, not paired together, not all in CAPITALS and your message is content rich then it is ok to use them in your subject line.