Always wanted to write subject lines like Marketing mag? Hubspot has released its new infographic report advising marketers on maximising email engagement with subject lines.

Subject lines – like meta descriptions and social shares – should provide a distilled version of a larger content piece without losing its purpose, says a new report from Hubspot. The report, ‘100 email subject lines we actually clicked’, highlights the most successful categories of subject lines:

FOMO – the fear of missing out

“Thanks to our psychological bent toward loss aversion, people react much more strongly when they feel they’re about to lose something they already have,” reads the report. Introducing an opportunity cost to not opening an email can create a sense of urgency and increase the perceived value of your content.

Examples:

• JustFab: “By Invitation Only: Exclusive Rewards Inside!”
• Uber: “Grab a ride pass before they’re gone”
• Verizon Wireless: “[Name], your home is missing these easy upgrades.”

Be hilarious, it’s easy

Humour and puns can be very effective tools in establishing familiarity with your reader with great engagement potential. However Hubspot warns to know your audience first. Avoid offending or alienating parts of your audience at the risk of unsubscriptions.

Examples:

• Grubhub: “Breaking chews! We found new restaurants near you!”
• Crate and Barrel: “New planters? Oh, kale yeah.”
• Groupon: “Hey… Were You Gonna Delete This?”

Emojis

In one Marketing Land experiment, including an emoji in a social post improved the post’s engagement by 25.4%. An academic study cited by Hubspot found that messages with emojis scored higher on memory than those without.

According to Hubspot, the five emojis most likely to encourage click-through are:

The five emojis most likely to increase engagement are:

Research has been quite clear on correlation to interest for these emojis, however causality remains a mystery, particularly in regards to the baby octopus. Here are examples from brands that used emojis to add some colour to their subject lines.

• ClassPass: “Go from to for just $4”
• Yummly: “ Berry impressive summer recipes”
• BuzzFeed News: “Instagram will let you mute your friends’ baby pics ”

Further Reading:

• Eight awesome metrics that every content marketer should be using »
• Why do B2C marketers get all the fun? Nine top tips for B2B video marketing »

Image credit: Julie Johnson