Posted by No where else is it more important to inspire curiosity than in your subject lines. If people aren’t curious, they won’t open the email, read your message and click your link. It all begins with creating curiosity in those very few words they see in their inbox.
Here are a few subject line formulas to get you started.
Simply replace the words in brackets with your own words.
For example,
- Kindly don’t [open this mail]
Could become…
- Kindly don’t go to bed tonight, do this instead
- Kindly don’t join unless you have what it takes
- Kindly don’t run naked through the streets (I’d open that one!)
Here are the subject line formulas:
[80] likes to [4358] likes – SAY WHAT?
[Black Friday shoppers] are the worst [customers]
[Everything you wanted to know about [sex] but were too afraid to ask
2 hours before [launch] and we are still scrambling
3 disgusting facts about [Christmas]
7 most popular [homes]
8 bizarre [money] habits that make millennials [richer]
A [dumb tip] and [knuckle headed spoof]
A faster way to [get more dates]
A surprise [gift] for you!
A surprise [gift] inside
A very ~controversial~ [opinion]
Age old [dating] advice on [ramping up attraction]
Are you eating [poison?]
Are you making this [landing page mistake?]
Can you deal with [these situations?]
Check out my new [pics]
Did you hear [this story?]
Everyone’s gonna ask you about [these]
Exciting [announcement] (and special [invitation])
GREAT [news] here’s why
Happy birthday, [name of the person] Surprise inside
Hologram [underwear?]
Holy crap… [467,528?!?!]
How [name of the person] became a [digital marketer]
How to [Sleep]. [Sleep] for [Success]. Why [Eight Hours a Night] Isn’t Enough”
I was [right] – and that’s not good for you
I’m pulling the [plug…]
Important message (about [tomorrow’s big announcement])
Is this [you?]
Is this the hottest [career in human resources?]
Just wait till you see these [skirts]
Last chance to see [what’s inside Maxine’s shirt]
Last day to see [what this email is all about]
Last Day To See What [This Mystery Email] Is All About
Life gets crazy. So I [saved this for you]
Midnight deadline for [the witch’s heart]
New [customers] increased by [99 percent] in just [6 months]
Not Cool, [Guys]
Only Open If You Use [Toilet Paper]
Our most riveting [book] this month
Please don’t make this mistake in your [business]
POLL: Can you [answer this?]
Question about [your bathroom]
Research says that you will [live for 100 years]
Seriously, Who [DOES] This?
Shhh… Don’t tell [my wife]
SO excited — had to share! [Oprah] related
Surprise! When [brushing your teeth] is Bad Advice
The [$1,000 hair trend] with a [dirty little secret]
The curious case of [Mary Typhoid]
The truth about [moving expenses]
The Two Possible Futures of [Virtual Reality]
This is how much [working from home] saves you
This is what your [neighbor] is doing this weekend
This REALLY [ticks me off]
This. Is. [It.]
We don’t normally [do this.]
We have got a [challenge] for you
We’ve been waiting for MONTHS to [announce this …]
Weekly alert: [wrongs] that prove you [right]
What [tasty treat] do they eat [in prison?]
What a [cat] can teach you?
What can you [afford?]
What if [you are wrong?]
Whoops!
Why will [this] change your life?
Why You Should Keep Your [Clothes] in the [Freezer.]
Yep, [that] just [happened…]
You NEED to see this [new eye treatment]
You’ll like [this one]
You’ll think I’m [crazy…]
You’re [Invited]
You’ve [Changed]
You’ve never seen a [suit] this color…
Your [fingerprints] are all over the place
Don’t Open [This Email]*
*Note about this last one: I know it’s a popular one to use because it works. But for whatever reason, I NEVER open an email that says not to open it.
I guess it’s because I know what the writer is doing, and I refuse to fall for it. However, if the email writer said something like, “Don’t Open Your Sock Drawer,” then I would totally open that email to see why not.
Okay, that got you started with curiosity subject lines. Now let’s work on headline formulas for inspiring curiosity and getting your content read. Please be sure to test to see what work best for you.