What are email subject lines for events?
Email is one of the most effective marketing tools used by businesses today to communicate with their target audience, especially when it comes to promoting events. Email subject lines for events are the brief lines of text that give a preview of the content of the email and its purpose. The goal of email subject lines for events is to entice the recipient to open the email, learn more about the event, and ultimately register or attend. A well-crafted subject line can significantly increase the email open rate and ultimately drive event attendance.
However, given the huge volume of emails people receive every day, it has increasingly become a challenge for businesses to come up with innovative ways to stand out. Thus, it is essential to design email subject lines that capture the attention of the recipients and encourage them to open the email and read the contents. In this article, we will discuss why writing engaging email subject lines for events is important and provide tips for writing effective subject lines that deliver results.
Importance of writing engaging event subject lines
The subject line is the first thing a recipient sees in their inbox, and it plays a significant role in whether or not they open your email. According to a study by Zippia in February 2023, 47% of email recipients open emails based on the subject line alone, while 69% of email recipients will report spam based on the subject line. That means if your subject line is not compelling enough, your email will most likely be ignored, tagged as spam, or deleted.
In addition to getting your email opened, a great subject line can also increase attendance at your event. It gives potential attendees a preview of what they can expect at the event, and if the subject line is engaging enough, it can create a sense of excitement and urgency that motivates them to immediately register.
Tips on how to write the best event subject lines
1. Keep it short and sweet
The ideal length for an email subject line is between 6 and 10 words or approximately 50 characters. This ensures that the subject line is concise and easy to read, even on mobile devices. Longer subject lines are prone to being cut off due to the screen size, causing relevant information to be omitted. On the other hand, subject lines that are too short may end up lacking sufficient details. Thus, the length of the subject line should be just right to be fully displayed across all devices and provide enough information to reflect the content of the email.
2. Highlight the value proposition
Your subject line should include clear incentives for opening the email and attending the event. What will your customers gain by attending? How will this event benefit their needs or how will it solve their problems? Your subject line should be specific, focused, and present something valuable to the readers. Make it worth their time and efforts. Examples include:
“Join our event to enjoy exclusive perks and rewards”
“Get a personalized demo of our product which will help you grow your business”
“Unlock the secrets to improve productivity at our event”
3. Use numbers and statistics
Incorporate numbers and statistics in your subject line to make it more compelling. In fact, data from Zippia states that subject lines containing numbers have 57% open rates. Examples are as follows:
“5 reasons you can’t miss our event”
“20,000 tickets sold” or “Only 100 tickets left”
“Join 1,000+ industry leaders at our event”
4. Make it more personal
Send targeted emails with personalized subject lines to increase open rates. Statistics from Zippia show that personalized subject lines have an open rate of 50% as opposed to non-personalized ones. Utilize key indicators such as your customer’s age, demographics, membership status, and buyer characteristics to better segment your email list and determine your target audience. Here are some examples of things to include in personalized subject lines:
A. First Names – Insert the recipient’s first name in the subject line to make them feel special with a personalized invitation. Use phrases like, “Hi John, can’t wait to see you at our event!” Subject lines with first names garner a 41% CTR and a 29% open rate.
B. Location – Include regional language and cultural references to make the subject line more relatable for recipients. To peak the interest of readers from Georgia, Florida and Texas, you can write, “Come and explore the flavors of the South with us.” This creates a sense of familiarity and helps build trust with your customers.
C. Birthdays and Anniversaries – Offer deals or special promotions on the recipient’s birthday or anniversary of membership to entice a purchase. Use greetings like, “Surprise! We’re celebrating your birthday with a free gift.”
D. Interests – Appeal to your readers’ interests to evoke a positive response from them. If they’re into traveling, you can ask, “Ready for your next adventure? Check out these travel deals.”
E. Transaction History – Know what items your customers have recently purchased, browsed, or added to their carts and feature them in the subject line. Take the opportunity to upsell or cross-sell products by sending, “Loving your new purchase? Here’s more from the same collection.”
5. Appeal to emotion
Using emotional language in subject lines is a strategic way to motivate recipients to open and respond to your email. However, in order to do so, you need to collect and analyze data to discover what makes your customers tick. You can effectively appeal to their emotions by knowing who they are, what they want, what concerns they have, and how to address their concerns. The following are examples of emotional triggers that can be used for subject lines:
A. Anticipation or Excitement – Present your event as fun and something to look forward to by writing, “Ready for Adobe Summit 2023? Book your tickets now!”
B. Belongingness or Connection – Highlight a sense of inclusion or endorse a unified movement in your events by using phrases like, “Join the movement for change.”
C. Curiosity – Intrigue your readers by asking, “Guess who’s coming to our event?”
D. Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) – Promote your event as an opportunity for your customers to take part in an exclusive offering by sending, “Limited slots only – book now before it’s too late!”
While emotionally-driven subject lines can be strategically used to grab the recipient’s attention and create a sense of connection, it is important to avoid manipulative or deceptive tactics that exploit negative emotions like fear, guilt, or shame. Subject lines that use fearmongering or negative language can be seen as clickbait and may damage your brand reputation. Ultimately, the key to effective email subject lines is to balance emotional appeals with clear, concise, and relevant information. By providing value to the recipient and appealing to their emotions in a genuine and considerate way, you can improve the open rates and engagement of your email campaigns.
6. Create a sense of urgency
Creating a sense of urgency in your subject line prompts readers to act quickly. According to Zippia statistics, urgent subject lines have an increased open rate of 22%. There are several ways to create a sense of urgency in your subject lines:
A. Set deadlines – Offer rewards to recipients by giving away free tickets or early bird discounts to your event, which are only available within a given timeframe.
B. Solve problems or concerns – Notify your customers that you can provide concrete solutions to their problems through your upcoming event by starting off with phrases like, “Save time and money” or “Discover the latest technologies.”
C. Make limited offers – Entice your readers with special deals or upgraded privileges that can only be attained by attending your event.
D. Use urgent language – Use action-oriented language in your subject lines by using phrases like “Last chance to register for our event!” or “Don’t miss out!” to compel recipients to act sooner rather than later.
7. Test and optimize
Don’t be afraid to test out different subject lines and observe what works best for your business. Use A/B testing to compare open rates and adjust your approach accordingly. Analyze which key factors have a better impact on your target audience and apply the necessary strategies.
Make a good first impression
Writing catchy and informative email subject lines for events is crucial for getting your email noticed, increasing attendance at your events, and achieving your marketing goals. By following these 7 tips and continuously testing and optimizing your approach, you can create subject lines that grab attention, inspire action, and drive results.
Create engaging subject lines with Riptide
Riptide from SwaysEast equips you with the proper analysis tools to track and collect critical information about your target audience. This lightweight email plug-in, which can be easily integrated with your favorite email provider, helps you collate personalized content to better connect with your customers and maximize potential leads. Using data-driven metrics, Riptide accurately assesses email performance and provided you with in-depth statistics on number of views, interactions, CTRs, devices used, as well as geographical locations, all neatly displayed in the form of charts and graphs. All of these important metrics can be easily viewed on a comprehensive dashboard for your convenience. You can also assign tags or labels to specific groups of emails in order to easily filter through relevant information accordingly.
Get started on creating the best email subject lines with Riptide today. Click here to SCHEDULE A FREE APPOINTMENT.
