101 Best Email Subject Lines of 2016

In 2016, DigitalMarketer sent 107,442,263 emails…

…emails centered around promotions, blog posts, charity, and certifications. And we learned a thing or two about what works in the process.

It’s safe to say for us, 2016 was “the year of the content mail.” DigitalMarketer has become much less reliant on promotional emails as our primary means to engage customers (we still run promotions, but they aren’t as essential for driving traffic).

Instead, we have begun to focus more on email as a content distribution platform, to help us segment and excite customers about our products.

What can you take away from that lesson?

Make sure you’re incorporating the value-first strategy into your email calendar, and not prioritizing promotions too highly over content. If your customers aren’t getting value, they aren’t opening your emails (and you’re missing tons of sales and relationship-building opportunities).

We went data digging and found our best 101 subject lines for you to swipe or use as inspiration. And as a bonus — we’ve also rounded up five FREE tools you can find online to help you make the most of your email marketing.

This is our fourth annual Best Email Subject Line Roundup, but there are 303 more subject lines for you to swipe here:

Before we dive into our 101 winners, let’s look at what common elements you might find in a subject line. There were eight different components we found again and again in our top performing email subject lines:

1 – Self-Interest

These are your bread and butter subject lines – you should be using them most frequently.

They are usually direct and speak to a specific benefit your audience will gain by opening the email. Self-interest subject lines also help pre-qualify openers by giving them a clue about your email’s body content.

2 – Curiosity

If self-interest subject lines work because they communicate a direct benefit of opening the email, curiosity-based ones succeed for the exact opposite reason. These pique the interest of subscribers without giving away too much information, leading to higher opens. Be careful though, because curiosity-based subject lines can get old fast and are the most likely to miss their mark.

3 – Offer

Do you like free stuff? Do you like to buy things?

So does your email list. When you are giving something away or selling something your subscribers would be interested in, directly stating that in your subject line is a great way to convince them to open the email and learn more.

4 – Urgency/Scarcity

This is the most powerful type of subject line you have at your disposal. Subject lines that communicate urgency and scarcity tell readers they must act now. Too many of these can lead to list exhaustion so use sparingly and, of course, only when there is truly a deadline, limited quantity or limited availability.

5 – Humanity

Don’t forget to remind your list about the person or people behind your products. Sometimes you need to thank your subscribers, tell them a story about yourself, or make a human appeal for their attention.

6 – News

Keeping your audience informed about new developments in your field builds authority and keeps your open rates high. These subject lines often work well when combined with a curiosity element.

7 – Social Proof

A fundamental characteristic of humans is that we look to the behavior of others when making decisions. You can leverage this in your email subject lines by mentioning individual’s success stories, familiar names, or highlighting how many people are already using a product or service.

8 – Story

Telling a story, or at least teasing the beginning of one, in your subject line is a unique way to highlight a benefit and get the open rate you’re looking for.

Ready for the subject lines? As is our tradition, we’ll start with our top 10 best…

How “Ryan Deiss” became “DigitalMarketer”

Content: Blog Post
Open Rate: 14.61%
Analysis: This subject line appeals to people’s human nature. It promises a compelling narrative, DigitalMarketer’s origin story, and reminds readers that a person started this company, emphasizing a human connection.

Don’t buy this from Amazon!

Content: Invisible Selling Machine
Open Rate: 14.64%
Analysis: This is an old standby, and has worked time and time again. It’s a perfect example of what successful curiosity-based subject should do – generate an emotional reaction without giving away the email’s purpose.

[DOWNLOAD] 15-Point Landing Page Audit

Content: Blog Post
Open Rate: 14.97%
Analysis: This kind of subject line (and email) is the very definition of value-first content. A free download that is intended to give audiences the opportunity to self-identify as interested in this topic.

I called. You didn’t answer.

Content: Blog Post
Open Rate: 15.05%
Analysis: Just reading this subject line makes me feel a little guilty! While it doesn’t take something away, it creates a sense of urgency similar to an expiring offer. And of course, using “I” in a subject line is a great way to humanize email copy.

[DECLASSIFIED] DM’s 2016 Planning Meeting

Content: Blog Post
Open Rate: 15.44%
Analysis: What’s your reaction when someone let’s you in on a secret? For most people, it’s to lean in a bit and give them your ear. This subject line takes a traditional (but great) blog post and gives it a bit of mystique.

Announcing: The 7th Annual Black Friday Bootcamp

Content: Black Friday Bootcamp
Open Rate: 15.71%
Analysis: This subject line needs no frills and no complex hooks; it relies on people’s familiarity with our annual Black Friday Bootcamp workshop. When leveraging the familiar, a direct, clear offer works wonders.

13 billion emails analyzed [Infographic]

Content: Blog Post
Open Rate: 15.79%
Analysis: This subject line uses a classic technique, featuring an odd number that stands out to readers in an inbox. And highlighting the content type, an infographic, assures readers that this massive amount of information will be easily digestible.

Steal these email templates…

Content: The Machine
Open Rate: 16.16%
Analysis: Making a direct offer, “download this,” “grab this,” is a strong hook for any email. And this subject line does a great job of amplifying what’s already working with more surprising language.

5-Point Paid Ad Audit

Content: Blog Post
Open Rate: 16.25%
Analysis: This is a great subject line to appeal to intermediate and advanced marketers, which comprises most of DigitalMarketer’s list. It’s a direct offer, and one that speaks to people who are knee-deep, and trying to make the most of their efforts.

Your new favorite marketing tool…

Content: Blog Post
Open Rate: 16.57%
Analysis: This subject line touches on a broad interest for the audience, marketing tools, and promises positive change. Finding new software or strategies means faster, better processes, which marketers are always looking for.

Those may be the cream of the crop, but with nearly 108 million emails out the door, we saw a few other good ones, too. Here are the next 90 subject lines that had the highest open rates and a breakdown of the elements that compose them:

Facebook’s New Pixel: What You Need to Know – News | Self-Interest
G + L + F = 2X Your Sales – Curiosity | Self-Interest
I’m in this new book… – Humanity | Curiosity
Google Compliant Landing Page Checklist [Download] – Offer
28 ways to increase organic social traffic – Self-Interest
Yep, that just happened… – Curiosity
BRAND-NEW certification released today… – Curiosity
These 6 skills will pay the bills… – Self-Interest | Curiosity
[BLOG] How an unknown podcaster generated 100,525 organic downloads in 80 days – Story | Self-Interest
Did you get your book yet? – Curiosity
She sold 122 subscriptions for $97 each. Here’s how… – Story | Self-Interest
New for 2017: 2 ways to master marketing… – Self-Interest | Curiosity
15 killer content marketing tools – Offer | Self-Interest
[Download] Customer Avatar Worksheet – Offer
10-week live training and certification – Offer
What do Google, YouTube, Amazon and Pinterest have in common? – Curiosity
All Execution Plans 75% off! – Offer | Self-Interest
Is “ISBO” the future of search marketing? – Curiosity
Ultimate Guide to Facebook Video Ads [2nd Edition] – Self-Interest
Facebook Ad Targeting (The Complete Guide, 2nd Edition) – Self-Interest
ANNOUNCING Recommended Agendas and “learning tracks” – News
The Complete Guide to Google Tag Manager [Part 2] – Self-Interest
Better than T&C? – Curiosity
Become a Certified Digital Marketing Professional – Self-Interest
Your Content Campaign Planner (Google doc) – Offer
Ryan Deiss #TCS2016 Keynote: What you need to know – News | Self-Interest
Happy Birthday to… …DigitalMarketer! – Humanity | Story
How to generate FREE, organic traffic! – Self-Interest | Curiosity
⏰ Are you In or Out? – Urgency/Scarcity | Curiosity
Great News — new T&C tickets released! – Self-Interest
Bad news…closing down – Urgency/Scarcity | Curiosity
[DOWNLOAD] 8-Point Lead Magnet Success Checklist – Offer
Why “Yes” Kills and “No” Can Make You Rich [part 3 of 3] – Story | Curiosity
⚡️ [FLASH SALE] Our Facebook ad plan (and best templates)… – Offer | Self-Interest
Huge Announcement: Brand new event… – News | Curiosity
3 proven Facebook campaigns to run today… – Self-Interest | Offer
T&C 2016 in Tahiti? – Curiosity
[RANT] Why I HATE Business Cards! – Story | Humanity
Lethal Combo: AdWords Remarketing + Google Analytics – Self-Interest
Reach your audience… without their contact information. – Curiosity | Self-Interest
Open up for our best content – Self-Interest | Curiosity
Secret FB campaign gets 23,247 leads in 30 days… – Self-Interest
Case Study: 7-figure eCommerce Funnel – Social Proof
49 Split Tests that (Almost) Always Win – Self-Interest
Our Paid Traffic Playlist – Curiosity | Offer
Meet me in San Diego? – Curiosity | Self-Interest
[Flash Sale] A 7-Step ”Paint By Numbers” Process for FB Campaigns – Offer
Forget GroupOn — this stuff works! [Case Study] – Curiosity
Swipe our eCommerce Email Marketing Roadmap – Offer
[Case Study] $25,865/mo in recurring revenue – Social Proof | Story
Are you a victim of manipulated data? – Curiosity | Self-Interest
The power of empty pockets – Story | Curiosity
New business model — this is the future of business… – Self-Interest | Curiosity
[Last Call] For the Ultimate Email Marketing Game-Plan (PDF) – Urgency/Scarcity | Offer
[Save $500] Become a Search Marketing Specialist – Self-Interest
Watch T&C in your underwear… – Curiosity
✈ Meet me in Orlando – Self-Interest | Curiosity
⚡️ [FLASH SALE] My 6-Step Market Research Plan (and workbook) – Offer | Self-Interest
[DOWNLOAD] 10-Point Blog Post Audit – Offer
Finally, track social media ROI – Self-Interest
Community Manager vs. Social Media Manager: Which is right for you? – Self-Interest
[SWIPE] This email got 6X open rate… – Offer | Curiosity
Stand out in your customer’s inbox – Self-Interest
Pokemon GO: 3 Marketing Mistakes, Millions of Users Lost! – News | Curiosity
[Free Gift] Our Facebook ad targeting checklist… – Offer
3 wicked AdWords tactics to increase your ROI – Self-Interest
This is what’s truly essential… [part 2 of 3] – Curiosity | Story
$4 Million in Ad Spend (Here’s what works) – Self-Interest
Measure ROI by traffic source – Self-Interest
📢 HUGE Announcement (another big change at DM) – News
Marketing Showdown: Hillary Clinton vs Bernie Sanders – News | Curiosity
[Case Study] Local Facebook Advertising – Self-Interest
Does anyone even WANT what you’re selling? – Curiosity | Self-Interest
[Last Chance] 75 percent off all our Execution Plans ends TOMORROW! – Urgency/Scarcity
Turn your assistant into a marketing rockstar – Self-Interest | Curiosity
The Ad Grid: 20X your success rate – Self-Interest
Aducational Video + Remarketing – Curiosity
Lowest price on T&C – Self-Interest
ANNOUNCING: Marketing Mastery Class – News
There is still time… – Urgency/Scarcity | Curiosity
T&C hotel almost SOLD OUT! – Urgency/Scarcity
A tested and proven framework… – Self-Interest | Curiosity
✔ [Checklist] Your Split Testing Guide – Offer
[TODAY] Our Facebook ad targeting plan (3 pm Eastern) – Urgency/Scarcity | Offer
CLOSING down soon! (Don’t get locked out) – Urgency/Scarcity | Curiosity
Why I (kinda) HATE surveys… – Humanity
$7 today, $47 tomorrow – Self-Interest | Urgency/Scarcity
How an electronic retailer surged their revenue by 60% – Story | Self-Interest
New DigitalMarketer event for Bloggers! – News
[ICYMI] Everything you need to know about Facebook’s new pixel – Self-Interest | News

5 Free Tools You Can Use to Amplify Your Email Marketing

Now that you’ve got some subject lines to get you started, I want to hand you just a few more free resources going into the next year that you can use to improve email open rates, clickthrough rates, and even deliverability rates.

1. A/B Significance Tester

Split testing is one of the best ways to figure out not just what works in email marketing, but what works for your audience. You could read a dozen articles on email tips and tricks but at the end of the day, what you need to know is what the subscribers who have opted in for your materials are interested in.

Unfortunately, when dealing with split testing large audiences, it’s sometimes hard to get a sense of what actually worked. That’s why it’s so important to see if your results are statistically significant – basically, how likely is it that if you ran the test again, you’d get the same results.

I’ve used this free resource from Kissmetrics for more than two years because it’s simple, free, and easy to use to get a read of whether or not your split test results matter.

2. Bulletproof Email Buttons

Responsive buttons are a great way to make the CTAs in your email copy stand out.

In fact, in last year’s subject line roundup, I talked about how DigitalMarketer saw some amazing results from buttons in emails – a 38% higher earning per click for emails with buttons.

But if you aren’t a coder, you’ll need some other resource to help simplify creating these – otherwise, you run the risk of screwing up your email templates or breaking your links.

Luckily, Campaign Monitor has an awesome free solution for creating buttons of all shapes, sizes, and colors. With this tool, creating a button is easy and doesn’t require any special knowledge of CSS or HTML.

A pro tip for slightly more advanced users: you can easily increase the font size as well by changing the value for “font-size” from 13 pixels to whatever your heart (or email template) desires.

3. GifRocket

This one’s for Mac users only, but boy is it a doozy. If you’ve ever seen an email with a “video” in it, most likely it was actually an email leveraging gifs. Gifs are graphics that store and show a series of images, creating an experience similar to a short video.

For most people, making gifs requires finding a graphic artist or hiring out the task on Fiverr or TaskRabbit, a slow and often painful process.

But with GifRocket, anyone with a Mac and a video can create their very own gifs. Here’s an example (which took under two minutes to film and gif-ify):

JohnKarateKick

Combining this software with your smartphone camera can create some magical moments, no technical skill required. All you need is a dash of imagination!

4. Headline Analyzer

If you just can’t quite decide if a subject line you wrote is good enough, maybe you need to test it out “in the lab.”

CoSchedule created a free tool that helps you evaluate the efficacy of your headlines. All you need to do is post your headline in their analyzer and they will give you a score for how well you did, and how likely the headline is to get your audience clicking.

The program identifies what kinds of words are used and how effective they are at evoking an emotional response, or how eye-catching and “powerful” they are.

Feel free to take their advice with a grain of salt – I tend to find them overly critical of short subject lines which have been shown to work well. But it’s a great resource if you’re looking for a second opinion.

5. Sender Score

This one’s a bit technical but is a must-use resource for anyone wanting to make the most of their email marketing.

Do you feel like your emails don’t make it to the inbox as often as they should?

The IP you use to send emails may have a bad reputation, literally.

With Sender Score, you can see the sender reputation that your emails have, and figure out what mailbox providers like Google think of your mails. This free tool from ReturnPath is a great way to keep an eye on the more technical elements of your email marketing. After all, with

After all, with poor delivery, even the best subject line isn’t going to get many opens. So go sign up for a free account and remember to keep an eye on your score.

Don’t stop there!

Read on to Learn DigitalMarketer’s 101 Best Email Subject Lines of 2015 (…and our 3 best email split tests!)

First, here are our ten best emails subject lines of 2015…

10. Seriously, get this book.

Content: The Choose Yourself Guide to Wealth (James Altucher’s book)
Open Rate: 16.91%
Analysis: This subject line is pretty direct – seriously means no fooling around. But the blind reference to an as-yet unidentified book demands the recipient take a look inside and see if it’s a good fit for their library shelf.

9. I’m pulling the plug…

Content: Blog Post
Open: 17.13%
Analysis: This subject line uses negative language to great effect. What does “pulling the plug” mean for DigitalMarketer subscribers? Is this bad news (or as it turned out, great news)? Only by clicking through can you find out.

8. 7 split testing mistakes

Content: Blog Post
Open: 17.34%
Analysis: Do you like making mistakes? Neither do we (though it happens). So when someone promises to show you pitfalls to avoid before it’s too late, no one wants to miss the opportunity to do so.

7. How HostGator does retargeting

Content: Blog Post
Open: 17.40%
Analysis: This subject is simple and to the point, with a clear value proposition (learn how to leverage their retargeting strategy). The social proof of leveraging a well-known brand helps validate the information contained within the email.

6. TRAFFIC (on a “shoestring” budget)

Content: Blog Post
Open: 17.79%
Analysis: All caps can be pretty polarizing – no one likes to be yelled at digitally. But when you pick a word business owners love, the results are more positive. And offering a cost-friendly solution to a problem never hurts.

5. 11 sneaky email tricks

Content: Blog Post
Open: 17.83%
Analysis: This subject line uses a number that stands out (11) and a compelling adjective (sneaky) to hook the audience. And everyone loves simple to implement strategies, as implied by words like “trick,” “hack,” or “shortcut.”

4. Facebook Ads (Your first 3 steps)

Content: Perpetual Traffic Episode
Open: 17.87%
Analysis: If you’ve wanted to try something new, like Facebook ads, one of the biggest barriers to entry is not knowing where to start. This subject is clear, direct, and helps people who aren’t sure if they’ll be able to use the information.

3. The YouTube Gold Mine

Content: Blog Post
Open: 17.90%
Analysis: Have you ever discovered a gold mine? Probably not, but it sure would be nice to do so. This subject line combines a high-value proposition with intriguing but vague details. Open up!

2. Thank You!

Content: $1 Trial Offer
Open: 17.99%
Analysis: This is a subject line that works so well we sneak it into our mails every year and it never fails to disappoint. People love recognition, and acknowledgment of what they’ve done (if you swipe just one subject line, make it this one).

1. 23 bizarre products selling online

Content: Blog Post
Open: 18.71%
Analysis: This was one of our experiments for 2015, seeing how some lighter, less actionable content would fare, and the fact that subject line took our top slot shows that this strategy works. This subject promises a fun twist on studying just how crazy ecommerce can be. And lists with odd numbers always catch the eye.

Those may be the cream of the crop, but with 134 million emails out the door, we saw a few other good ones, too. Here are the next 90 subject lines that had the highest open rates and a breakdown of the elements that compose them:

Think like a Facebook ad pro… – Self-Interest | Curiosity
29 Landing Page Reviews (Plus…) – Self-Interest | Curiosity
Get your Facebook advertising plan – Offer
How to Build an Unstoppable Business (2nd Edition) – Story
The 3-step Content Marketing plan – Self-Interest
[SWIPE] 10 Best Customer Survey Questions – Offer
This is embarrassing but… – Curiosity
Facebook Ad Case Study [listen to Part 3] – Self-Interest
… this failed miserably – Humanity | Curiosity
How to get paid [Literally] – Self-Interest
Still doing it the old way? – Curiosity
Sales ⬆︎, Refunds ⬇︎, Retention ⬆︎ – Self-Interest | Curiosity
How Emily Faith got 76,974 YouTube views in 10 days… – Story
Facebook Video Ads | The Ultimate Guide – Offer | Self-Interest
Avoiding the “Facebook ban hammer” – News | Curiosity
How to sell tickets to live events – Self-Interest
Don’t buy this from Amazon! – Curiosity
Finally! Facebook releases… – Curiosity | News
Split Test This, Not That – Self-Interest
My Gift to you… – Curiosity | Offer
New tool changes webinars forever… – News
The PERFECT traffic platform? – Curiosity | Self-Interest
I’m closing it down! – Urgency/Scarcity
Join me in congratulating… – Story | Curiosity
Inverted Web Analytics? – Curiosity
The ideal length of everything online – Curiosity
The PERFECT Facebook Ad – Self-Interest | Curiosity
BIG news from YouTube – News | Curiosity
This critique gets uncomfortable at times – Curiosity
[Leads] Scaling from 50 to 5,000+ – Self-Interest
Rice, gasoline and website traffic? – Curiosity
The AdWords Remarketing “Easy Button” – Self-Interest | Curiosity
Private Invite – Self-Interest | Curiosity
Big Celebrity Announcement – News
[SWIPE] Our best email copy – Offer
Answers to the Facebook Pixel Madness – Self-Interest
2 killer blog post templates – Offer | Curiosity
WANTED: Professional Content Marketers – Curiosity
Read this before clicking “Send” – Self-Interest
Can’t Buy FB Traffic? – Curiosity
This has nothing to do with marketing… – Curiosity
Meet me at ICON (and save $300)… – Offer
[TEMPLATE] Cold email anyone and get a response – Offer
[Podcast] Frank Kern on Paid Traffic – Story
Traffic for the eCommerce biz – Self-Interest
“I just want the recordings…” – Curiosity
Twitter Traffic (In an hour a day) – Self-Interest
Paid traffic not converting? Download this… – Offer
MAJOR announcement! (big changes at DM) – News | Curiosity
Become a “Customer Acquisition Specialist” – Self-Interest
3 proven FB campaigns to run today… – Offer
2 BRAND-NEW certifications launched today – News | Curiosity
Start with this funnel – Self-Interest
I was wrong… – Humanity
Use THIS to become an Authority (in ANY market)… – Self-Interest | Offer
$100 or $100.00? (It makes a difference) – Curiosity
Blog posts that sell (A complete guide) – Offer
I LOVE this little tool! – Curiosity
T&C 2016 closing soon? – Urgency/Scarcity
Limited-time open enrollment… – Curiosity
①⓪① ways to boost email open rates – Self-Interest
New DigitalMarketer Training Center – News | Curiosity
Conversion vs. Content – Curiosity
21 landing page mistakes – Self-Interest | Curiosity
Facebook’s New Lead Ads (What you need to know) – News | Self-Interest
Copy and paste these 72 headlines [Last Chance] – Offer
How to hire a content marketer – Self-Interest
Get your first 1,000 blog subscribers – Self-Interest
Stop writing NEW blog posts. Here’s why… – Curiosity
[TEST RESULTS] 2,689 leads from “On Site Retargeting” – Self-Interest | Curiosity
A visit to Facebook (Here’s what we learned) – Story | Curiosity
My 2016 business plan… – Offer | Curiosity
5,219% ROI from new traffic source – Self-Interest | Curiosity
The Remarketing Grid – Curiosity
[Case Study] Numbers don’t lie – Story | Curiosity
Score your landing page – Self-Interest
Create the perfect marketing calendar – Offer
Reach 6,372,857 people with zero ad spend – Self-Interest | Curiosity
A 15.2% lift (but we were shocked) – Curiosity
My favorite automation tools – Self-Interest
A very direct (and some might even say, “RUDE”) email – Curiosity
[CASE STUDY] AZ shoe store 20X’d sales by sending what? – Story | Social Proof
Download This Social Media Swipe File (PDF) – Offer
Turn ice cold prospects into buyers – Self-Interest | Curiosity
My favorite business model – Curiosity
The Ultimate Course on Paid Traffic – Self-Interest | Offer
My new book! (and a big mistake) – Story | Humanity
Double sales (Get the formula) – Self-Interest
Dirt cheap Facebook leads – Self-Interest
⬆︎ Social media traffic (Your 6-step plan) – Self-Interest

Now it’s your turn — Post in DM Engage or tweet us with #101!

(NOTE: Want a plan for truly effortless automated email marketing? Check out DigitalMarketer’s Email Marketing Mastery — on sale for 90% off! Generate at least 200% more sales and conversions from the list you already have… even if it’s tiny! Learn more now and take advantage of this sale!)

Should you test that?

Now that you have our best subject lines of the year, you should be ready to up your own game and start sending some emails.

We’re going to give you just a little bit more information to help you get an extra bump…Here are our three top performing email split tests of 2015.

1. Highlighting a Pain in the Subject Line

Open rate can lie about performance.

That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t look at the metric because you definitely should. It’s one of your top four email metrics to watch, along with click through rate, unsubscribe rate, and earnings per click (EPC).

But here’s a great split test that shows why you can judge a campaign by a single metric.

We ran this subject line split test in March of this year. These were the two subject lines.

101-best-subject-line-2015-3

The “Little _______ = big sales [QUIZ]” beat out the other one, but the results weren’t significant. So at first glance, the test was a wash. However, on closer examination, the subject line “This is why your prospects aren’t buying” actually had more clicks.

A LOT more.

We saw a statistically significant lift of 18% in click-throughs for the second subject line. The reason? The other headline pre-qualified openers by highlighting a pain they were feeling in their business.

That’s one of the risks with curiosity headlines – they drive more opens but people don’t know what they are getting into when they open. So for more complex or expensive offers, direct and pain-based subject lines can produce better results. Don’t overdo it on the doom and gloom though; a little bit of negativity goes a long way and too much can turn subscribers off your emails.

2. Use CSS Buttons in your email

Setting yourself up for mobile wins has never been more important, as more and more people are using their mobile devices to read email, browse the web and make purchases.

Because of this trend, we decided to experiment with CSS buttons during our Black Friday promotion. We tested emails using buttons for the CTA against emails using just text hyperlinks, which had been our standard practice.

Here’s a glance at what each one looked like:

101-best-subject-line-2015-2

101-best-subject-line-2015-1

We figured the button would win, but we had no idea how incredible the results would be. The email with buttons had a 22% higher click through rate, no small feat and definitely a sign that this test was a winner.

But that’s not the mind-blowing part of the results.

We also compared the performance and found that the earnings per click, the amount of money we made for every person who clicked through the email, was 38% higher for the email with CSS buttons.

3. Use Unicode Symbols to Highlight Emails

We’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again — using Unicode symbols in your subject line is a great way to generate a bump in opens.

These symbols are the little pictures that show up in your inbox, including ☼, ★, ☂, and ①. Since Unicode symbols are coded in computer systems like alphabet characters and numbers, they can be displayed on multiple browsers and devices.

Across all kinds of topics and subject lines, we’ve found that Unicode symbols produce a consistent 8% bump in email opens. So these can be a great way to squeeze everything you can out of a big promotion or help push visitors to a particularly strong blog post.

101-best-subject-line-2015-4

You can grab a swipe file of some of the best Unicode symbols here.

Don’t stop there!

Check Out Our 101 Best Email Subject Lines of 2014 (…and our 10 worst!)

We start with our top ten email subject lines for 2014…

10. [WEEKEND ONLY] Get this NOW before it’s gone…

Product: AuthorityROI
Product Type: Course/Information Product
Open Rate: 9.49%
Analysis: This is a great example of a flash sale subject line. It combines the urgency of limited availability with an element of mystery. Keep in mind that these work best in very small doses.

9. The Facebook Slap is coming…

Product: Twitter Ads EP
Product Type: Execution Plan
Open Rate: 9.51%
Analysis: Personally, just rereading this subject line has me digging through my email archives. It combines the curiosity and news elements, and speaks to a penalty the entire digital marketing industry will want to avoid.

8. Steal these email templates…

Product: Email Templates
Product Type: The Machine
Open Rate: 9.53%
Analysis: This one is simple and direct, and makes a clear offer. The phrase “templates” works particularly well with Digital Marketer’s email list.

7. Your 7-figure plan goes bye-bye at midnight…

Product: AuthorityROI
Product Type: Course/Information Product
Open Rate: 9.64%
Analysis: Are you willing to wave goodbye to 7 figures? Most people aren’t – this is another great example of curiosity and urgency working in tandem to raise that open rate!

6. Is this the hottest career in marketing?

Product: eCommerce EP
Product Type: Execution Plan
Open Rate: 9.77%
Analysis: This one is all about curiosity. Using questions in your subject line is a great way to open a loop that your audience will want to close by checking out the email’s contents.

5. A Native Ad in 60 Minutes or Less

Product: Blog Post
Product Type: Lead Magnet
Open Rate: 9.78%
Analysis: Quantifying how long it will take a subscriber to realize some benefit in the subject line is great – it feels manageable and promises results, making even inactive members of your list curious. This offer feels bite-sized and achievable.

4. 212 blog post ideas

Product: Blog Post
Product Type: Lead Magnet
Open Rate: 9.94%
Analysis: Another great offer example – it communicates the email’s value in just four words.

3. Check out my new “man cave” [PICS]

Product: eCommerce EP
Product Type: Execution Plan
Open Rate: 10.24%
Analysis: This is a fun blend of curiosity and humanity – it directly addresses some value Ryan got, a sweet new “man cave,” in the subject. Not only does this spark interest, but it reminds readers about the human connection that brought them to DM in the first place.

2. [URGENT] You’ve got ONE DAY to watch this…

Product: AuthorityROI
Product Type: Course/Information Product
Open Rate: 10.79%
Analysis: Once again, curiosity and urgency team up to create a compelling subject line. If you are careful about using these sparingly, you’ll find that they just work.

1. How (and why) to calculate Average Customer Value

Product: Blog
Product Type: Blog Post
Open Rate: 10.91%
Analysis: Our number one email subject line, this blends all of the good stuff. It gives you a metric that can improve you business, inspires curiosity about why this number matters, and offers to help you figure out how to calculate it.

Here are the next 90 emails with the highest engagement and what elements they used:

[FINAL CHANCE] 7-figure blueprint gone tonight… – Curiosity | Urgency
How to write a promotional email – Self-Interest
Steal our best subject lines – Offer | Self-Interest
Weird traffic test… – Curiosity
How to craft a guarantee that sells – Self-Interest | Story
[SECOND CHANCE] This weekend only… – Curiosity | Urgency
The Machine is coming… – Curiosity
It’s landing page magic… – Curiosity | Self-Interest
[NEW POST] How To Build an Email Marketing Machine – Self-Interest | Story
THIS disappears at midnight! – Curiosity | Urgency
A simple sales copy formula – Self-Interest
Gold In Your Mailbox – Curiosity
[RESULTS] My Facebook Case Study – Curiosity | Story
This is working on Facebook right now – Self-Interest | Story
Two Words: Cheap Traffic! – Curiosity | Self-Interest
[FLASH SALE] 51% off sale ends tonight… – Curiosity | Urgency
I made you a video… – Curiosity
How to write bullets that sell… – Self-Interest
Facebook is cracking down… HARD! – Curiosity | News
Thank You! – Humanity
[Case Study] Copy & paste this $10 million business… – Curiosity | Self-Interest
Swipe my Email Game-Plan (PDF) – Offer | Self-Interest
[FREE PDF] Ultimate Email Marketing Game-Plan – Offer | Self-Interest
The 10-Minute Bloggers Editorial Plan – Self-Interest
What are you doing this weekend? – Curiosity
212 Blog Post Ideas (PDF) – Offer | Self-Interest
Is email marketing dead? – Curiosity
C’mon – everybody’s waiting for you… – Curiosity | Urgency
I LOVE this amazing little tool! – Curiosity | Self-Interest
3-Part Followup Series [Download] – Curiosity | Offer
A quick YouTube hack – Self-Interest
Find writers for your blog – Self-Interest
Facebook Ad Targeting Options [A Complete Guide] – Offer | Self-Interest
[NEW FORMULA] Cheap, Targeted Facebook Traffic – Self-Interest
4 emails with stellar click-through rates – Curiosity | Self-Interest
Step up your video marketing game – Self-Interest
Want to look at our email stats? – Curiosity | Self-Interest
Native Ad Hacks? – Curiosity
198% ROI on Twitter Ads – Self-Interest | Story
[URGENT] About today’s traffic training… – Urgency
Do NOT sell on Amazon without this $10 tool… – Curiosity | Self-Interest
How to Stop Ho-Hum Marketing – Curiosity
Would You Do THIS For Money? – Curiosity
2 huge mobile marketing opportunities – Self-Interest | Curiosity
Twitter is the new… Facebook?! – Curiosity | News
[PART 2] See how I got $0.10 email optins… – Self-Interest | Story
My business model… on a napkin? – Curiosity | Story
We beat up this landing page – Curiosity
[Gone Sunday] Your traffic training replay is available.. – Urgency
Don’t make these 7 AdWords mistakes – Self-Interest | Curiosity
My Gift to you…– Offer | Curiosity
Zero to 30K Page Views in 11 Weeks… – Story | Self-Interest
This sucks, you lose… – Curiosity
Should you follow your passion? – Curiosity | Story
Low Conversion Rate? Fix These 6 Elements. – Self-Interest | Story
Are you missing one of these FIVE steps? – Curiosity
Copy and paste these 72 headlines [Last Chance] – Offer | Self-Interest
How to craft a winning 3-part followup series – Self-Interest
32 split testing ideas – Self-Interest
Less _______ = More Sales [SURVEY] – Curiosity
[Template] Create engaging Facebook images – Offer | Self-Interest
No blog comments? – Curiosity
Download this Social Media Swipe File (PDF) – Offer | Self-Interest
Presenting: “Funnel 2.0” – Curiosity
321% higher conversions using THIS… – Curiosity | Story
This guy makes 6 figures per month? – Social Proof | Curiosity
Amazon app cherry-picks hottest products for you… – Self-Interest | Curiosity
Unlimited penny traffic… – Curiosity | Self-Interest
My Twitter Ads Cheat Sheet – Self-Interest
Still haven’t launched your funnel? – Curiosity
Our top Facebook ad campaigns – Curiosity
“Borrow” all my checklists… – Offer | Curiosity
SEO is dying (a slow and painful death)… – News | Curiosity
☠This is rated aaarrrgh! (details inside) – Curiosity
Does your marketing smell funny? – Curiosity
Do you HATE money? – Curiosity
(time sensitive) Last night’s Funnel training… – Urgency
[Case Study] $188,674 from a dead list – Social Proof | Self-Interest
[ONLY $7] My “cheap traffic” plan – Self-Interest
Get More Email Newsletter Clicks – Self-Interest
Reduce shopping cart abandonment – Self-Interest
Create opt-in pages that convert like crazy – Self-Interest
My Facebook retargeting plan – Self-Interest
This gets my highest recommendation – Curiosity
Better than Facebook? – Curiosity
28,507 leads in 45 days – Self-Interest | Social Proof
A slick mobile lead gen funnel – Self-Interest
The Machine is LIVE… here’s your link – Curiosity
Pounce on these shifts in digital marketing – Curiosity | Self-Interest
Uncomplicate your analytics – Self-Interest
I do THIS for traffic… – Curiosity

But don’t do this…

We’re also sharing our top 10 worst emails of 2014 and picking them apart to find why exactly they didn’t work.

Our Top 10 Worst Emails

For these, we looked at emails with the highest unsubscribe to open ratio. Not only did these miss the mark, they drove our audience away! We’re going to work backward, starting with the 10th most unpopular email.

10. [85% Discount GONE] Blog launch “checklist on steroids” price increasing…

Promotion: Blog Launch EP
Promotion Type: Execution Plan
Unsubscribes / Opens: 1.78%
Analysis: This subject line is trying to do too much at once. The framing of the price increase is presented as both a disappearing discount and a price increase. While these mean the same thing, it can be a little confusing and makes the subject line too long. Sticking with short, sweet, and clear is best.

9. Last chance to be a whale…

Promotion: The Whale Method
Promotion Type: Course/Information Product
Unsubscribes / Opens: 1.90%
Analysis: This curiosity subject line is cute, but it’s a little too cute. We’ve found that trying to be too clever or funny with subject lines often hurts an email’s performance. This varies by industry, but for educational authorities, it tends to hurt performance.

8. 321% higher conversions using THIS…

Promotion: Video Sales Letter Formula
Promotion Type: Course/Information Product
Unsubscribes / Opens: 1.93%
Analysis: This subject line isn’t terrible – it combines curiosity with self-interest and makes an exciting promise. So I looked at the body as well. A key issue was that the body was even more blind than the subject line – the promise got lost in the open.

7. uh oh

Promotion: Napkin Project
Promotion Type: Course/Information Product
Unsubscribes / Opens: 2.01%
Analysis: This is a great example of a curiosity subject line that completely misses the mark. It’s too vague and sets a negative tone. Be very careful when using curiosity subject lines, especially when you don’t mix them with other elements.

6. 3-Part Followup Series [Download]

Promotion: Native Ads Academy
Promotion Type: Course/Information Product
Unsubscribes / Opens: 2.09%
Analysis: One of the big issues with this email was that it didn’t explain exactly what kind of follow-up series was being offered. By not giving the audience enough information, those who opened it and weren’t interested in an email follow-up series were turned off.

5. Free traffic SUCKS!

Promotion: Whale Method
Promotion Type: Course/Information Product
Unsubscribes / Opens: 2.21%
Analysis: This subject line strikes a negative tone right off the bat. While that can be very effective way to get opens, it also sets audience members up to feel frustrated. When you go negative, it’s important to really focus on putting a positive spin in the email body.

4. 43% discount GONE at midnight…

Promotion: Video Sales Letter Formula
Promotion Type: Course/Information Product
Unsubscribes / Opens: 2.46%
Analysis: This subject line isn’t particularly bad on its own – it combines curiosity and urgency, which is often very effective. However, the subject line is nearly identical to the one sent the day before. Using the same elements in a subject line two days in a row can make your emails seem stale and leave your audience bored. And bored audiences become unengaged very quickly.

3. This sucks, you lose…

Promotion: Whale Method
Promotion Type: Course/Information Product
Unsubscribes / Opens: 2.67%
Analysis: Another example of a negative curiosity-based subject line. It has a similar issue to the other one – it didn’t spin the tone of the communication enough and left readers with a bad taste in their mouth, leading to a high unsubscribe rate.

2. [GONE TONIGHT] Native Ads training OVER at MIDNIGHT

Promotion: Native Ads Academy
Promotion Type: Course/Information Product
Unsubscribes / Opens: 2.94%
Analysis: This subject line is a little too urgent – overdoing capitalization in the subject line can feel like shouting. And no one wants their email inbox to yell at them. Capitalization is a great way to draw attention but works best in small doses.

1. C’mon – everybody’s waiting for you…

Promotion: Native Ads Academy
Promotion Type: Course/Information
Unsubscribes / Opens: 3.05%
Analysis: This email actually had one of our top 100 email subject lines, but it’s a great example of the double-edged sword of curiosity hooks. The email went to audience members not already planning to attend a webinar. This subject line puts some pressure on the reader which, for those clearly not interested in the webinar, is an, unfortunately, effective way to drive them off your email list.

RELATED: Generate more sales by sending fewer emails with our Ultimate Email Marketing Gameplan.