Read Me! Subject Lines: The Key to Getting Your Reader’s Attention

You might be wondering: What’s the big deal with subject lines? 

Well, consider them from your recipient’s point of view. It’s Tuesday morning. Your recipient (let’s call her Sue) was out Monday with a nasty cold, so her messages piled up. Yours is just one of twenty-five that she must scan, prioritize and respond to. If the subject line doesn’t catch Sue’s attention, she’s likely to skip your message or even delete it. Our research shows that a well-crafted subject line is key to getting your message opened and read.

If you want Sue or any other recipient to open your message, follow these guidelines:

1. Make them compelling, specific and descriptive.

Instead of relying on the priority flag or the word “URGENT” to get your readers’ attention, try crafting a specific, descriptive, subject line. Imagine you need immediate feedback on a report you’re writing. You’ve written a message to a co-worker who is working off-site. Look at these two subject lines. Which do you think will get your co-worker’s feedback quickly?

A)    Report, URGENT

B)    Please review the ALTAC report by noon

If I were your co-worker, I’d be more likely to respond to B. It tells me exactly what you need and when you need it.

2. Edit the subject line when the body of the message changes. 

If the text of an e-mail message and its subject line don’t match, then your recipients may not read the message right away (even if it’s important). And, why should they? You haven’t let them know what the message is about.

The information in the message will also be much harder to find later on. Imagine your recipients need to find the time and place of a meeting, but those details are buried in the text of a message they received last week with a subject line that reads: “Funding Proposal.” How will they find the information? When the message and the subject line don’t match, information gets lost.

For more tips on how to use e-mail effectively, read our book, Email: A Write It Well Guide.

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