Optimal length of email subject line

Earlier today I read this article http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2014/24517/the-most-effective-length-for-email-subject-lines and found that I completely agree with it. I usually try to keep my subject-lines to one sentence that's as simple as possible. A single independent clause usually does the trick.
Of course open-rates vary depending on how well it's written, but this article is actually surprisingly spot-on.

I always stress about the subject-line, do you?

 

Thanks for sharing! I agree. You should always keep the subject line short but at the same time choose something that attracts people to open your message. That's probably what makes it so hard in the first place.

 

With so many spam emails nowadays, having short & concise subject + content might just nail it. Thanks for sharing!

 

http://kb.mailchimp.com/article/best-practices-in-writing-email-subject-lines

I read another article about a study that found subject lines of 50 characters or less got higher open rates but longer than 120 characters got higher click through rates. Can't find that one.

 

The same here.
Of course the email subject is the most important piece of the puzzle, if we speak about opening-rates.
You may be interested to the Matt Bacak WSO's called "Giant Subject Line Swap File" (please Google it, I cannot post URL's).
I found it to be very useful for my email marketing needs.

 

45 Characters is good enough

 

@nicbos Thanks for your recommendation, man! I'll check it out.

 

I agree, but as soon as I see one of those short emails, with special characters or 'please open me' type of messages I know its just a crappy product someone wants to sell me and I delete it without even looking. Who opens those things don't ask me.

If you think about top companies and how they sell, they have messages which resonate with you, remember "Things go better with coke !" for example.

With regard to IM try and offer something in the email title which will immediately bring benefit to them,

'Here's how you can increase your traffic by 250% - guaranteed!'

See what I mean, so you'd open that right ?

 

Haha that is so true. Thanks for sharing!

You delete it because you have been constantly exposed to such crappy emails. It can also apply to the IM niche.

There are so many IM marketers sending bulk emails with titles that you mentioned, and once I receive such emails, I know that someone wants to sell me a product. Same action: I delete it without even looking as well.

I think it's important to make that first impression count so that your subscribers know you're providing value.

 

There are two types of e-mail subject line in my oppinion - the ones which urges the recipient to open the e-mail, and the ones who disgust him even before he opened the actual mail.

I think your subject line must be either short and catchy, or longer and sincere - explaning exactly the things you are i offering, if the person is interested, he would read you e-mail.

About the short or catchy subject, there are two approaches two.

1. I have liked and e-mail subject recetly, becuase it didn't revealed the purpose of the e-mail. It was named "A mail''. Nothing that special about it, but it kinda makes you wonder what is it in the mail.
2. The second one is - if for instance you are doing business to business mails, you should make the e-mail subject related to the recipient day to day work. They are used to open those kind of mails, so why wouldn't they open yours too. I would leave the actual subject line here to your imagination, because if we all start to use the same one, it won't benefit any of us.

Best regards,
James Rigley

 

Those "A Mail" headlines do nothing. If someone isn't willing to put in the time to let me know what I'm about to read, that someone doesn't really WANT me to read it.
I just try to summarise my whole email in what I could easily fit into a tweet, so 140 characters. I usually need less.
I have the advantage of having a personal connection with anyone I'm emailing. The last time I've had to do "cold" emails was YEARS ago, so I guess I'm not an authority when it comes to this topic.

 

My subject is generally 2-5 words. Don't make it too long, just attract the person.