{"id":17781,"date":"2022-10-12T20:25:17","date_gmt":"2022-10-12T17:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/?p=17781"},"modified":"2025-06-25T12:59:07","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T09:59:07","slug":"email-subject-line-testing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/email-subject-line-testing\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Email Subject Line Testing Tips To Get More Email Opens"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Subject lines are like diamonds that need to be cut.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They&#8217;re the first thing your recipients see, and they can make or break your open, click-through, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/glossary\/conversion-rate\/#:~:text=Conversion%20rate%20formula,%C3%97%20100%25%20%3D%208%25.\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">conversion rates<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. In fact, a recent study showed that nearly <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">64%<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of recipients open emails based on the subject line alone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then why are they most commonly overlooked?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because sometimes, marketing and sales teams think they know better what will catch the eye of their <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/glossary\/prospect\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">prospects<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Is it worth risking budgets by trusting your taste and intuition regarding the subject line choice? The quick answer is NO. They often fail, and this is something we know from our experience, too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People perceive things, including your email messages, so differently that you&#8217;d better be sure you choose the right message \u2014 the one most of your audience would like and not the one you like.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you don&#8217;t <\/span><b>A\/B<\/b> <b>test your subject lines<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">you&#8217;ll never know whether you send the best click-worthy message to your contacts. And if you don&#8217;t send your best possible message, you won&#8217;t get the results you want from your email campaigns.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_17810\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17810\" style=\"width: 746px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-17810\" src=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/1665627864.png\" alt=\"A\/B testing importance\" width=\"746\" height=\"208\" srcset=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/1665627864.png 1000w, https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/1665627864-300x84.png 300w, https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/1665627864-768x214.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 746px) 100vw, 746px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-17810\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Statistics source: CIENCE<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this blog post, we&#8217;ll show you how to test your email subject lines to find the ones that get the most opens and, ultimately, bring more traffic, conversions, and revenue.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"table-of-contents\">\n<p class=\"table-of-contents__title\">Outline:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#what\">What does A\/B testing entail? <\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#test\">What to test in your subject lines?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#how\">How to set up an A\/B test<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"what\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But first, what exactly does A\/B testing entail?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>A\/B testing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (or <\/span><b>split testing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) ensures your email campaigns are as effective as possible. Simply put, it&#8217;s the process of comparing two versions of something (for example, your email subject lines) to see which one performs better.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perhaps you want to rebrand, change your approach to your leads when <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/glossary\/lead-nurturing\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nurturing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> them, or maybe test a new idea for your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/10-failproof-cold-email-formulas\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cold email<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> marketing campaign, which might seem crazy at first sight. This is where A\/B testing comes in handy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using A\/B testing, you can determine which email variations prompt more people to open your emails, click through to your website, or make a purchase. You can also use it to test the effectiveness of different calls to action, email length, personalization, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"content-banner third\">\n<p class=\"content-banner__title\">Snov.io Cold Email Tool<\/p>\n<p class=\"content-banner__description\">Send right emails at the right time<\/p>\n<div class=\"content-banner__link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/app.snov.io\/register?lang=en&amp;signup_source=blog&amp;signup_page=snov.io%2Fblog%2Femail-subject-line-testing&amp;cta_type=banner\">Start using for free<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"content-banner__img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/\u0440\u043e\u0437\u0441\u0438\u043b\u043a\u0430-\u0456\u043c\u0435\u0439\u043b\u0456\u0432.png\" alt=\"Email Drip Campaigns\" width=\"224\" height=\"224\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"test\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What to test in your subject lines?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your subscribers don&#8217;t like what they see in their inboxes, they won\u2019t bother reading further. Take your time to craft attention-grabbing, highly responsive email subject lines. You can use tips from our previous <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/cold-email-subject-lines\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">blog post<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> featuring psychological hooks that make people want to open your email.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You&#8217;ll need to create two versions of the same headline (A and B) and send them out to random recipient segments to see which resonates best with your audience. You can never be too sure about what will get your recipients to open your messages until you test it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But what are the criteria for testing?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some of our tried-and-true testing parameters, but don&#8217;t limit yourself: everything is testable!<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. Intrigue<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We&#8217;ve all seen those highly creative email subject lines that aim to arouse people&#8217;s curiosity.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don&#8217;t open &#8217;til after dessert<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We don&#8217;t usually do this<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We&#8217;ve been waiting for MONTHS to announce this\u2026<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I&#8217;m pretty sure you, too, have got something similar in your mailbox at least once. And you might have read articles claiming that no one can resist creatively intriguing subject lines because it&#8217;s human nature to be curious.<br \/>\n<i><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Well, maybe yes, maybe not. There are also marketing pundits who disagree, assuming that fun and creativity aren&#8217;t always the key to success. Sometimes, keeping it simple is the best way to go.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Marketers at Snov.io have recently tested subject lines according to the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Intrigue<\/span><\/i> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">vs. No intrigue <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">parameter. What will bring more email opens: if you say directly what the email will be about (Variant A) or keep the intrigue (Variant B)?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-17812\" src=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/1665627819.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"746\" height=\"453\" srcset=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/1665627819.png 1000w, https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/1665627819-300x182.png 300w, https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/1665627819-768x466.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 746px) 100vw, 746px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maybe people are more likely to open an email when they see that the message inside will be about something that interests them?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Well, in our case, the intrigue didn\u2019t work :-). Still, every email campaign is unique, and yours may show a different result.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. Sense of urgency<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Studies show that incorporating a sense of urgency and exclusivity in an email subject line can boost the email open rate by <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">22%<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. And we here at Snov.io fully agree!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s another A\/B test from our marketing team. Will creating a sense of urgency (Variant A) make people open an email, or will they react better to a kind reminder (Variant B)?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-17813\" src=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/1665627926.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"746\" height=\"430\" srcset=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/1665627926.png 1000w, https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/1665627926-300x173.png 300w, https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/1665627926-768x442.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 746px) 100vw, 746px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There&#8217;s also another reason adding a sense of urgency does wonders. Using urgency-inducing words and phrases such as <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today only,<\/span><\/i> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Expires<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fast<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instant access<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Last chance<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now or never <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">promise your recipients the right-now rewards that are only a click away. It would be a big mistake if marketers didn&#8217;t use it to boost their email open rates.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. Subject line length\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The shorter, the better. But sometimes, it&#8217;s tough to be laconic and put everything you want to say in a concise headline.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Collect CEO emails fast\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Find CEO email addresses in a heartbeat<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can try different lengths of your subject lines, but remember that <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">82%<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of marketers send emails with subject lines that don\u2019t exceed 60 characters with spaces (6-7 words). Otherwise, such headlines won&#8217;t be visible on mobile gadgets.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moreover, a recent study found that 7-word subject lines are the best in terms of overall audience engagement.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_17787\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17787\" style=\"width: 850px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-17787\" src=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/image4.png\" alt=\"Best subject line length\" width=\"850\" height=\"148\" srcset=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/image4.png 1037w, https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/image4-300x52.png 300w, https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/image4-1024x179.png 1024w, https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/image4-768x134.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-17787\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Source: Marketo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Still, this doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t experiment with longer headlines, as some prospects might be curious by the sight of a cut-off subject line and be more likely to open the email and discover what goes further.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4. Subject line tone\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Does a more playful tone result in more email opens, or does a more serious tone work better? Should you include some wit and humor in your email subject line, or should you avoid it?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Striking the perfect balance between serious and playful can be tricky \u2013 you don&#8217;t want your email to come across as boring, but you also don&#8217;t want it overshadowed by a funny subject line.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A disruptive FinTech tool to simplify your accounting<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A FinTech tool to cheer up your accountant<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the one hand, a playful tone could result in more email opens. After all, who doesn&#8217;t like a good laugh? But on the other hand, you don&#8217;t want to come across as too casual or unprofessional. So what&#8217;s the right move?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The answer is simple: it depends on your target audience. For the young audience, a playful tone is definitely the way to go. You might just have a knack for writing catchy subject lines that make people smile. But if you&#8217;re targeting an older and more serious demographic, you&#8217;ll want to avoid any jokes or references that might fly over their heads.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also, a more serious tone might work better if you&#8217;re trying to sell a product or service, while a more playful tone might work better for announcing a sale or new arrivals.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5. Personalization\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As practice shows, the open rate is much higher with the personalized subject line. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The name of your respondent included in the headline can increase your chances of getting a response<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">by a whopping <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">30.5%<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Attn.: [Name], Marketing Director at [Company]<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Attn.: Marketing Director at [Company]<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meanwhile, personalization doesn\u2019t necessarily imply only adding your recipient&#8217;s name to the email subject line. You can also try adding their company name, role\/position, or a special business event\/conference based on their location.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">6. Power words\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sometimes one word is worth a million. When added, changed, or removed in the subject line, this single word can alter how your subscribers respond to your emails. A certain power word can be a secret ingredient that adds emotion and ramps up the message you want to convey in your subject line.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Try out a lead-generation software for collecting targeted leads<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A lead-generation software for collecting <\/span><\/i><b><i>extremely <\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">targeted leads<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the power words of persuasion, you can make your recipients curious (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">unlock, eye-opening, little-known<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), appeal to their sense of vanity (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">unbeaten, brassy, awe-inspiring)<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or even evoke fear of losing something important (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mistake, risky, warning<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, you&#8217;ll never know if your audience perceives the power words in the context you offer until you A\/B test your subject lines. You might crack the code to the perfect subject line with a power word or without any.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">7. Punctuation\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When it comes to punctuation, it&#8217;s best to experiment with the full stop, question mark, or no punctuation at all.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A simple CRM system your business needs is here.<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A simple CRM system for your business needs? It&#8217;s here<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A simple CRM system your business needs is here<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Some studies show that subject lines phrased as questions perform better than similar subject lines created as statements. However, it all depends on the audience. If your audience is sales and marketing people, they might have noticed that subject lines with a question mark are more commonly marketing emails and won&#8217;t bother to open them.<br \/>\n<i><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As for the exclamation marks (especially using too many of them!!!!), it&#8217;s recommended to avoid them because this type of punctuation might make your email appear spammy. It&#8217;s a clear trigger for spam filters, so chances are that your email won&#8217;t even make it to your recipients&#8217; inboxes, which can negatively affect your open rates.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recent research revealed that the open rate for average email subject lines was <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">51.9%<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but for ones with an exclamation point, it was only <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">45.5%<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">8. CTA<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you include a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/glossary\/call-to-action\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">call to action (CTA)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in your email subject line, you&#8217;re providing your recipients with clear and concise instructions on what they should do to learn more about your product or service.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why not test different CTA variations to see which results in more email opens? For example, you can check which of the CTAs below performs best for your audience and then tell us in the comments to this article.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Click here to start your free trial of [Product\/Service]<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Start your free trial of [Product\/Service] today<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">9. Case\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another testing criterion you can experiment with is capitalization styles: Sentence vs. Title vs. lower vs. UPPER cases. Today, marketers don\u2019t have a clear answer to which one works better in subject lines. Different campaigns give different results.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sentence case:<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Automate your email marketing in 2 min<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Title case: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Automate Your Email Marketing In 2 Min<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lower case: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">automate your email marketing in 2 min<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Upper case: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AUTOMATE YOUR EMAIL MARKETING IN 2 MIN<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There\u2019s a widespread opinion among sales and marketing specialists that you shouldn\u2019t overuse the all-caps. Firstly, by doing this, you create the impression you&#8217;re shouting at your addressee. Secondly, like the exclamation mark, the upper case triggers spam filters, so your email might not reach the recipient.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nowadays, lowercase is gaining popularity. Have you tried writing subject lines in small letters yet? It might be worth a try if your email targets a younger audience. This will allow you to achieve the \u201cpattern interrupt\u201d effect for grabbing attention.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">10. Word order\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Did you know that you can improve your open rates depending on where you put the most important words?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But what&#8217;s the best word order in a subject line? Should you put essential words at the beginning or the end?<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use this discount code to get 20% off your next buy<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Get 20% off your next buy using this discount code<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It&#8217;s believed that humans are hardwired to pay attention to the beginning of a sentence. Our brains are so good at scanning for information that we can determine an important word in a sentence in just 200 milliseconds. When you put this word at the beginning of your email subject line, your reader will know immediately what the email is about and whether they want to open it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But there\u2019s another opinion that suggests that since people scan emails quickly, they&#8217;re more likely to see the crucial information if it&#8217;s placed at the end. You just need to experiment until you find the perfect approach for your subscribers.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">11. Stats and numbers\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using numbers in the email subject line adds credibility to your message. So why not include a statistic from a survey, the discount percentage figure, or a time-saving figure? It might also be a good idea to include the number of steps in your guide or a final countdown of days or hours left for your sale.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From 0 to 500 000 Subscribers On Your YouTube\u00a0Channel<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your YouTube\u00a0Channel Being Horribly Underutilized<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">12. Emojis<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What about adding emojis to your email subject lines? It&#8217;s both trendy and useful.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Companies using emojis have seen a <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">56%<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">increase in their open rates, and these stats speak a million words. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If not used heavily, emojis add a bit of flare to the inbox.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_17789\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17789\" style=\"width: 850px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-17789\" src=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/image1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"850\" height=\"390\" srcset=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/image1.png 1500w, https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/image1-300x138.png 300w, https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/image1-1024x470.png 1024w, https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/image1-768x352.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-17789\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Source: Phrasee<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, it&#8217;s highly advisable to use emojis with caution, one at a time, to supplement rather than replace words. This will help ensure that your core message is conveyed correctly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It&#8217;s also worth mentioning that emojis may appear differently on different operating systems, conveying the wrong message, or they may not show up at all. You can find the list of resources that will help you make sure your emojis are rendered the way you need them to in our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/emoji-for-emails\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Guide to Emoji for Emails<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">13. Positive vs. negative\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There&#8217;s been a long-standing debate on whether email subject lines should be written in a positive or negative manner.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Update Your Email Marketing For More Opens<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your Email Marketing Sucks: Learn How To Win Opens<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And there&#8217;s still no one-size-fits-all answer to this question.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A positive subject line seems relevant if you want to create a positive outlook and encourage recipients to some action. However, a negative subject line might be more effective if you want to emphasize the negative consequences of not taking action.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While writing positive subject lines may seem like a great way to grab attention and increase open rates, there are a few cons to consider before you hit send. For example, you may come across as being too pushy or sales-y. And if your email content doesn&#8217;t live up to the high expectations set by your subject line, you risk alienating readers and damaging your brand&#8217;s reputation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So before you go all in on positive email subject lines, ensure that your content is on point and that you&#8217;re not overpromising and underdelivering.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>PRO Tip:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Don\u2019t limit yourself, do things others aren&#8217;t doing, and A\/B test your creative subject lines, being mindful of your reader&#8217;s preferences.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"how\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How to set up an A\/B test<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before you kick off your email subject line testing campaign, the tips below might come in handy:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Always test variants of the same email subject line to determine which subject line produces the highest results.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ensure your variants are different enough to produce statistically significant results. If your variants are too similar, you won&#8217;t be able to determine which one performed better.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To make your experiment clean, concentrate on split tests using a cold email drip campaign. This will help you accurately measure the performance of your subject lines without being swayed by other factors, such as contact engagement.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 1. Get the logistics right<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first step in setting up an A\/B test is deciding on the sample size and how you&#8217;ll segment your subscriber base.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 50\/50 split is the most widely used A\/B testing type. Version A is sent to 50% of your subscribers, and Version B to the remaining 50%.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As an alternative, you can send version A to 20% of your subscribers, version B to another 20%, and the winning version (depending on the number of email opens) to the rest of your customer base.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-17814\" src=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/1665627848.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"746\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/1665627848.png 1000w, https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/1665627848-300x105.png 300w, https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/1665627848-768x270.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 746px) 100vw, 746px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Additionally, consider the sample size you&#8217;ll use for your experiment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In general, even with modest subscriber bases, you can perform successful A\/B tests. For instance, according to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mailchimp.com\/resources\/how-long-to-run-an-ab-test\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MailChimp<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, you should be fine if you have 5,000 subscribers to test each of your versions (10,000 subscribers for versions A and B, in total).<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 2a. Let the drip campaign software do its magic<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For performing A\/B tests, you can use the tools your outreach or marketing platform offers. You can choose among the leaders in email marketing services for A\/B testing: Snov.io, Milkshake, ConstantContact, and more. Automated cold outreach tools will help you measure your campaigns&#8217; performance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We just want to be practical and show step-by-step how the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/knowledgebase\/how-to-send-a-b-testing-campaigns\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A\/B testing feature<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> works here at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Snov.io<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (available on the M plan). This email automation solution will relieve you from tedious and repetitive work by almost completely automating the entire testing process.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To get started with email subject line testing using Snov.io, create a new email drip campaign.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17794 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/1665594793.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"403\" height=\"750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/1665594793.png 403w, https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/1665594793-161x300.png 161w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 403px) 100vw, 403px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then choose an Email element in the Campaign creation window. After you&#8217;ve created the first version of your email, click <\/span><b>Add variant<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-17795\" src=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/1665594846.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"746\" height=\"273\" srcset=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/1665594846.png 906w, https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/1665594846-300x110.png 300w, https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/1665594846-768x281.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 746px) 100vw, 746px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An additional email variant will appear. Here you can paste your other subject line variation and simply track the open rate for each variant to see which one performs best.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can then repeat this process for any other variable you want to test, such as the email&#8217;s design, call to action, or body copy. A pleasant bonus is that you can actually test a subject line plus one variant of your email body copy simultaneously in one test session, as they target different metrics!<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"content-banner default\">\n<p class=\"content-banner__title\">Cold email campaigns<\/p>\n<p class=\"content-banner__description\">Craft emails that bring you the most conversions and revenue with Snov.io&#8217;s cold email tool<\/p>\n<div class=\"content-banner__link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/app.snov.io\/register?lang=en&amp;signup_source=blog&amp;signup_page=snov.io%2Fblog%2Femail-subject-line-testing&amp;cta_type=banner\">Start using for free<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"content-banner__img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/\u0440\u043e\u0437\u0441\u0438\u043b\u043a\u0430-\u0456\u043c\u0435\u0439\u043b\u0456\u0432.png\" alt=\"Email Drip Campaigns\" width=\"224\" height=\"224\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Step 2b. Send your A\/B test email manually<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you don&#8217;t have access to an A\/B testing tool, you can create two separate campaigns in your email marketing software and send them to different segments of your list. For example, you could send the first campaign to people who have opened or clicked on your emails in the past while sending the second campaign to people who have never interacted with you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your goal is to find out which variation results in more opens that result in more clicks and, ultimately \u2014 conversions.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wrapping up<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Testing your email subject lines is a great way to boost open rates and engagement. By split-testing different variations of your subject line, you can determine which version works best for your audience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don&#8217;t hesitate to split-test your subject lines \u2014 it could make a big difference in your email marketing performance! Continue experimenting and trying different techniques to see what works best for your contacts. And most importantly, always measure the results so you can track your progress and improve over time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>And if you want to enhance your prospecting, make sure to use Snov.io&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/email-finder\">email search<\/a> tool and clean your contact list with <a href=\"https:\/\/snov.io\/email-verifier\">email verifier<\/a>. With its help, you can collect high-quality email contacts on any website!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A\/B testing email subject lines is an unrivaled way to boost open rates and engagement and ultimately bring more traffic and revenue. Get some tips on how to do it correctly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":17782,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[468],"tags":[21,44,95],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17781"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/63"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17781"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17781\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37453,"href":"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17781\/revisions\/37453"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/snov.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}