The right subject line is key to getting people to open, read, and respond to your emails.
You work hard to write the perfect email to a prospective customer. You hit the send button full of hope that you will get a positive response. Then, the waiting begins. A day goes by. Then another. Then another. Crickets. It is frustrating when our recipients do not respond to our emails.
First, the bad news: If your recipients do not want to respond, they won’t. They will probably ignore your email if they are uninterested in your offering. We cannot control other people’s behavior.
However, you can get a reply if you have strong credibility and a compelling subject line. If your subject line and content resonate with a recipient’s emotions, you can even overcome the resistance to entertaining a message from an unknown sender. So, there is hope.
If you want your recipient to respond to your email, three things have to happen. The person must:
- Open your email
- Read it
- Respond to it
Persuade your recipient to open the email
Two factors affect your recipient’s likelihood of opening your email: your credibility as a sender and the effectiveness of your subject line. You probably know people whose emails you will open no matter how busy you are. Your boss, your key clients, perhaps a few direct reports–these folks are too important to ignore.
But what if you do not fall into the illustrious group whose emails are automatically opened? That’s where your credibility comes into play. Have you previously sent this person useful messages? She will remember. Do you have a good reputation? She will know. When you build your personal brand by consistently sending valuable emails, your recipient is more likely to open your next message.
The subject line often determines whether a person will open your email. An effective subject line is:
- Brief
- Targeted
- Contains a call to action
Your subject line should be brief, consisting of five to eight words. It should show a compelling benefit to the recipient and create a sense of urgency by including a call to action. Let’s look at some examples.
Situation: You need your manager to decide on your proposal.
- Weak subject line: “New Proposal”
- Strong subject line: “Decision Required: New Proposal for XYZ Project”
Situation: You need a staff member to turn in their monthly sales report.
- Weak subject line: “Need Monthly Report”
- Strong subject line: “Action Required: Monthly Report Needed by February 19”
If you are a credible sender and your subject line is compelling, your recipient is likely to open your email. Next, you need her to read it.
Entice your recipient to read your email
Your recipient is busy. Among the hundreds of emails blinking at her, she must choose which ones to read. Why should she read yours? To make your emails readable, do three things:
- Get to the point.
- Use plain language.
- Keep the right tone.
Make your recipient’s life easy, and she is apt to give you her attention. Get to the point: Place your main point or request within the first 40 words of your email. Use plain language. Avoid jargon and identify acronyms the first time you use them.
In addition, make sure your tone is friendly, respectful, and professional. Imagine you are conversing with a friend — this reduces the chances of sinking into stuffiness. At the same time, don’t be too casual. Minimize slang and steer clear of emojis (until the other person uses them).
Trigger a response
Here’s what you need to do:
- Ask for a response in your subject line. I have been amazed at the power of simply writing “Please Respond” in my subject lines.
- Offer a clear call to action. It might be obvious to you that if you send a contract, the recipient should sign and return it, but in the crush of email traffic, your recipient might not connect the dots and remember what she is supposed to do. Tell her.
- Set a deadline in the subject line. Deadlines help move your message to the top of the pile by creating a sense of urgency. You increase the odds of receiving a response by providing a time frame and a reason to respond.
In summary, persuading your recipients to respond to your emails requires them to open and read them and choose to reply. Provide genuine benefit to the recipient and write compelling subject lines, and watch the replies roll in.