10 Business Email Subject: Field Tips

Tips for your Business Email's Subject Field

Many in the business world underestimate the importance of the email subject line. With email being relied on more than ever, your Subject field is even more critical for the clarity and organization of your email communications.

This field can impact how you are perceived, even if the recipient opens your email. It can also affect responses and everyone’s ability to be efficient.

Subject fields need to be clear, concise, and relevant to the content of your email, so it doesn’t get lost in the shuffle. Proper word capitalization matters too (not all lowercase or all caps) and lends to your credibility.

Furthermore, most people glance to decide whether to open or read an email. So, it is at that glance that you have the opportunity to grab their attention.

Subject: Dos and Don’ts

Do be sure to include a brief, concise, and accurate phrase that describes your email content.
Don’t use a previous email; hit reply and start typing about an unrelated topic. If it is a new topic, start a new email.
Do be sure to type with proper capitalization and sentence structure; otherwise, you may be mistaken for a spammer.
Don’t type your Subject: field in all lowercase or all caps.
Do make sure that you think about the tone your chosen Subject will convey. This is very important when framing your email content.
Don’t use the Subject: field to ask questions or contain the entire email content. Doing so is lazy, and blank emails risk being misidentified as spam.
Do change the Subject: field when necessary to reflect a change in focus of an ongoing email conversation.
Don’t assume that a new contact will recognize your email address. Use the Subject: field to remind them why you’re emailing, such as “Your Request for Widget Specs.”
Do use proper grammar and check for misspellings.
Don’t use multiple exclamation points or question marks to emphasize your message. This is not necessary in professional email communications.

Business Email Subject: Fields Matter

I see Subject: fields daily that make me think twice before opening an email. If I have to think twice, I’d better recognize the ‘Sender’ field, or the email will likely go straight to the Trash. And that’s just for my day-to-day communications.

A recent study showed that what works for some doesn’t work for others. For example, while an email under 60 characters makes it more likely to be opened, 72 characters or more, the study found, makes it more relevant. Which is it?

Rather than becoming obsessive about character counts for mail blasts, you need to measure conversions (A/B Testing), determine which message works best for your specific market, and identify which subject line entices more views and, hopefully, more click-throughs.

The bottom line is determining what works for you with your specific market to accomplish your goals. Then, test, test, test, and then test some more.

So, as you can see from the tips above, the Subject field is an essential part of your email that helps you communicate clearly and efficiently.

Keep your Subject field relevant and pithy!