So, you have finished writing a marvelous email using the best techniques you know. (If you aren’t sure how to get started, check out our article on email marketing.) Though you have one problem. You are having a tough time thinking of a subject line! It’s the first thing your clients are going to see, so there is a lot of pressure to make it great! Not to mention, you have to come up with a bunch of email subject lines because you are going to be sending a lot of emails as a business owner.
Let’s fix that, shall we?
By breaking down email subject lines into several unique categories, you can help focus your efforts in a particular direction. For our purposes, we’re going to focus on these seven categories.
Informative: The Efficient Subject Line
Informative subject lines are a favorite since it gets right to the point. They are very efficient as long as you engagingly phrase them, or else your reader will lose interest. Your informative headlines should clearly state the topic. It is the opposite of the curiosity headline. It works best for blunt subjects that do not benefit from obscuring. The information is reason enough to click. If you use numbers, make sure you use the symbol, not the word. When choosing numbers, 5, 7, 10, 15, and 20 are some of the best ones to use.
Use words like New, Attention, Announcement, Introducing, Finally, Now, Fix, Learn, and Numbers.
Sample Subject Lines:
“Introducing our newest pet sitter!”
“# New Tips for _____.”
“Don’t worry! You can fix _____!”
Self Interest: What Do I Get?
People love to learn how to better themselves. No matter how successful we are, there is always room for improvement. When writing a self-interest headline, you’re telling your reader that by opening this email, their life will improve in some way. Make sure that whatever you promise you can deliver on. There is nothing worse than deceptive email subject lines.
Use words like Easy, Secret, Worth, Free, Benefits, Better, Guaranteed, Guide, Gold mine, How, and Get rid of
Sample Subject Lines:
“How To Be a Better ___________!”
“7 Benefits to ____________!”
“Free Guide To _____________!”
Sales: The Subject Line We All See
These are the kinds of emails everyone is familiar with – and so sick of seeing! Luckily, in the pet sitting business, you will not use this as often as product-based businesses. Occasionally, you may still have a reason to drum up business with sales. However, if you are advertising a discount, make sure that it is not too steep. In this age of scammers, high price reductions (Over 50%) are more suspicious than inspiring. You can have a little fun with these subject lines. In other words, do not be afraid to be punny! Pet puns are usually worth a chuckle, and sometimes that is all you need to get a click. Also, take advantage of first name personalization here for a little more of a connection.
Use words like Free, New, Spoil, Now, Upgrade, Today, Update, Special, Deal, and Limited.
Sample Subject Lines:
“Re-fur your friend for a fun treat!”
“Taking a Va-cat-ion? Book our services now!”
“FREE visit when you buy a service package!”
Urgency: The FOMO is Real
These subject lines capitalize on a fear of missing out or FOMO as people are calling it these days. Am I missing some critical information? What if my negligence causes something negative to happen? However, be careful using these types of headlines too often. It could either lose power entirely or give you a reputation as a heavy-handed fear monger, which is not great for your image. So, make sure that you use this power sparingly.
Use words like Missing Out, Last Chance, Reminder, Tonight, Urgent, Exclusive, Don’t, Mistakes, Fooled, Victim, Safe, and Warning.
Sample Subject Lines:
“9 Mistakes to Avoid while _________”
“You’re missing out on _____”
“Are you a victim of ______?”
Re-Engagement: One Last Shot
Hopefully, you will not need to send out very many of these emails. These are the emails you send out when people have not opened your emails in a while. When choosing these, you will want to make sure you are not too pushy, or else it will push people to unsubscribe instead of coming back! It is okay to be a little silly with this since that may help improve the chances of catching their attention. Also, using their name is a nice touch.
Use words like: Do you, Remember, Still, Back, Miss You, You, Deactivate, Last, Welcome, Waiting, Missed, and Have you.
Sample Subject Lines
“We don’t want to whine, but we miss you!”
“Did we make a faux paw?”
“<Name>, are we barking up the wrong tree?”
Friendly Fun: Make Them Smile
Sometimes, you do not need to be super serious or strictly professional. People tend to respond better when things get emotional. Sometimes, you will find that people are more likely to click on an email simply because you made them laugh. It is a natural reaction. We all like feeling special and amused. By letting yourself have fun with some of these subject lines, you will find that your audience is more likely to click. Try to relate the funny things to your content if possible. But you can also try to sprinkle these snippets in whenever they seem appropriate. Thankfully, our industry gives us a wide variety of pet-related humor to reference. For example, when you need ideas check out this list of animal idioms or pet puns. Personalizing the subject line with their name is also a friendly touch.
Use words like Purrfect, Ruff, Love, You, Feeling, Hope, Family, Real, Fun, Play, Help, and Fix.
Sample Subject Lines:
“Welcome to our furry family!”
‘Struggling? You are not alone!”
“Happy Purrthday, <Name>!”
Email Subject Lines Are Just the Beginning
We hit you with a lot of information just now, but hopefully, that helped crack your subject line writer’s block. To get you started, we have generated a whole list of subject lines for you to use in your pet sitting business! CLICK HERE to download it for free, right now!
If you would like more information on how to do some spectacular email marketing, we have a whole series for you. Get started here!
Be sure to come back next week for a new article on Starting a Pet Sitting Business!
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