Your email subject line can make or break the success of your email campaign. So, when it comes to crafting the best email subject lines for sales, it’s imperative that you take the time to get it right.
What makes a good email subject line for sales?
When sitting down to work on your subject lines for sales emails, you want to make sure you’re taking the time to make them the most effective you possibly can. To do this, you want to consider each of these subject line best practices:
- Know your audience
- Test your subject lines before sending them
- Avoid using all caps—in fact, ditch title case altogether
- Keep it short, sweet, and to the point
- Personalization can help you stick out in a crowded inbox
- Emojis are your friends when they’re used correctly, so don’t be afraid to incorporate them
- Generate excitement and/or a sense of urgency to get readers to act now
12 email subject line examples for those in sales
The good news is that there’s no perfect email subject line for sales. That said, your creative team can let their creative juices flow and, as long as they test well with your subscribers, send them off to your readers.
If you’re finding yourself with a bit of writer’s block, don’t worry. We’ve compiled a list of 12 email subject line examples that’d be perfect for a sales email. Remember, these are just templates, so feel free to use and edit them to fit your brand’s needs and voice.
1. Have you tried {product/service/brand/location}?
A great place to start with an email subject line for a sales message is to ask your readers if they’ve tried anything from your brand in the past. The idea is to get your readers thinking, and, once they’re intrigued, they’ll click through to your message to see what your aim is.
Subject Line: Have You Tried Scanning Wines Yet?
Source: Really Good Emails
2. A {benefit} for {reader}
As an email marketer, you know just how valuable an incentive can be to get a subscriber not only to open the email, but to click through to your website. Some of the best email subject lines for sales include an incentive, and there’s no easier formula than the benefit for the reader.
Incentives can come in any number of forms, including:
- Special gift
- Downloadable content
- A percentage off their purchase and more
Subject Line: 15% off – Just for you.
Source: Really Good Emails
3. #Tips/tricks/ideas for {common pain point}
Consumers want more informational content and less promotional content, so what’s a sales email to do? You can easily turn a sales email into an informational one by providing industry tips and tricks to your readers.
Does that mean you can’t include a plug to subscribers to purchase something? Of course not! Just don’t allow it to be the primary focus of your message. For example, Eventbrite is using the following email to help their current clients remain active members of the community by not only encouraging them to create an event, but giving them tips on how to get started.
Subject Line: 3 Tips For Organizing Events on Eventbrite
Source: Really Good Emails
4. How much do you know about {topic/brand/product/service}? 🤔
Again, a sales email doesn’t have to focus on selling a product. This email from mattress brand Casper does a great job of intriguing the reader into opening the message and teases all sorts of information that’s good to know—especially if you’re struggling with sleep. Once subscribers are on the Casper website, they may be intrigued to check out the products that the brand has to offer to address the pain points covered in their informational content.
Subject Line: How much do you know about sleep?
Source: Really Good Emails
5. <Name>, we just added {product/service/tip} that you might enjoy
There’s no better way to catch your reader’s attention than by personalizing content to their specific needs. In fact, we found that personalized email subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened by subscribers. In this message from Netflix, they not only address the subscriber directly, but they show suggestions that are based on the reader’s recent viewing history.
Subject Line: Smiles Davis, we just added a TV show you might like
Source: Really Good Emails
6. ⏰ Don’t wait: Get {deal} off your {product/service/order}
In sales, time is money, so why not use your subject line for sales email to create a sense of urgency for your readers? Combine urgency with a good offer and you’re sure to see your engagement rates start to climb.
This example by Freshly works on several different levels. They creatively use an emoji to grab the reader’s attention, and the use of the clock instantly alerts the reader to the fact that this email is time sensitive. From there, the email subject line not only gives the reader an incentive to act now, but tells them that the sale’s only good for the pre-black Friday timeframe.
Subject Line: 🕰️ You Can’t Wait: Get $60 Off Our Pre-Black Friday Sale
Source: Really Good Emails
7. <Name>’s year in review
A year in review may not seem like a good sales tactic at first; however, when done right, they can encourage your clients to remain active with your brand. These years in review show your clients that you’re paying attention to their activities and encourage them to remain engaged with a brand that cares about them and their activities.
Subject Line: Check out your 2017 Year in Review with PlayStation
Source: Really Good Emails
8. <Name>, Welcome to {brand}
Your first impression with a new subscriber can make or break your relationship. When someone signs up for your email list, they expect to hear from you in some way. That’s why a good welcome email is absolutely crucial to include in your email marketing strategy. You want your new subscribers to know that you’re excited for them to join you, tell them a little more about your brand, and maybe even throw in an extra incentive to encourage them to click through to your website.
Subject Line: Smiles Davis, Welcome to Filmsupply!
Source: Really Good Emails
9. The newest {product/service} is here 🎉
When it comes to sales, you never want to sound gimmicky. However, excited and gimmicky are two very different things. Some of the best subject lines for sales emails are those that generate a sense of excitement amongst readers. Whether it’s some exciting industry news, a brand-new product or service that you’re offering, or a big upcoming sale, share the excitement with your readers. Adding in some festive emojis can help generate some “good vibes” as well, so don’t be afraid to incorporate some.
Subject Line: 🌱 YOUR MINI MONSTERA IS HERE 🌱
Source: Really Good Emails
10. We want to hear from you❗
Your subscribers want to know that you care about them and their opinions. Therefore, including customer feedback email in your strategy is an absolute must. The average response rate of an email survey falls around 24%, making it a valuable piece of content worth including in your arsenal. Approaching your customers for feedback shows that you care about them and their needs, so don’t be afraid to include a feedback email subject line in your sales email collection.
Subject Line: We want to hear from you! ✈️
Source: Really Good Emails
11. Introducing {product/brand/service}
New products are exciting! Share the excitement with your followers by keeping things simple with your sales email subject line. Your consumers will be intrigued by the idea of you introducing something new and will be inclined to open your message and see what all the hype’s about.
Subject Line: Introducing Our Newest Juice: Blue Lemonade
Source: Really Good Emails
12. {Competitor/brand/product} alternatives you’ll love
A little healthy competition can go a long way in promoting your product. However, you never want to play dirty. When it comes to “alternative” product informational emails, you want to keep things classy and professional. Talk about your process or product and how it differs from similar products on the market. Again, the idea’s to be informative, not salesy with these emails, so make it about weighing the pros and the cons instead of bashing other brands for what they lack.
Subject Line: 46/ A Dropbox alternative and a gravestone for your desk
Source: Really Good Emails
Wrap up
When crafting your subject lines for sales emails, you have a little more wiggle room than you would other types of messages. However, that doesn’t mean you should throw caution to the wind. Make sure you keep these email subject line best practices in mind:
- Know who your audience is
- Test each subject line before sending
- Avoid using all caps and title case altogether
- Keep it short, sweet, and to the point
- Personalization matters
- Emojis are your friends
- Get readers to act by generating excitement and/or a sense of urgency
Want to become a master email subject line writer? Check out our guide to becoming an email subject line superhero!