In my 9-5 role as a SE (Sales Engineer), I help my AE friends, and one of the ways that I can add value is by helping them with emails, specifically with email subject lines.
Let’s start with WHY:
- According to a study by Convince & Convert, 35% of email recipients open an email based on the subject line alone.
- A report by Litmus states that personalized subject lines can increase opens by 50%.
- Experian’s study reveals that personalized subject lines have a 26% higher unique open rate than non-personalized ones.
- A study by Adestra shows that subject lines with positive emotions (e.g., excitement, curiosity, or urgency) tend to have higher success.
- Research by SuperOffice indicates that subject lines with urgency keywords have a 22% higher open rate.
- Litmus reports that 46% of all email opens occur on mobile devices.
- According to Campaign Monitor, subject lines with 30 characters or fewer have the highest open rates on mobile devices.
Now, you can’t just set it and forget it; you need to monitor your campaigns and use data to adjust. You could even do what the nerds call A/B testing; that’s where you split your list into at least two groups and try a different subject line for each.
When we can make small changes to our email subject line, why not get the AI robots to help us a bit?! This is only one way but I cover more ways to use Chat GPT on my blog.
Key Takeaways
- Killer sales email subject lines are crucial for capturing prospects’ attention and improving open rates, ultimately leading to increased conversions and revenue generation.
- AI prompts can assist in creating compelling subject lines by helping businesses leverage urgency, social proof, personalization, provocative questions, and humor.
- Best practices for writing killer email subject lines include keeping them short and sweet (around 50 characters for desktop and 30 for mobile), using action-oriented words that create a sense of urgency or excitement, and testing and refining messages regularly using A/B testing or customer feedback.
Can we agree that an awesome subject line will lead to more cold email openings?
First the ChatGPT prompts, then some tips!
It all starts with the prompt, and there are actual Prompt Engineers now that help companies get the most out of tools like ChatGPT.
In simple terms, prompts in ChatGPT are like the instructions or questions you give to the AI to get a helpful response. They’re like the starting point of a conversation. You can tell the AI what you want to know or talk about, and it will try its best to give you the information or assistance you’re looking for. It’s like asking a friendly computer for help or advice. The better you explain what you need, the more helpful the AI’s response will be. So, prompts are a way to start a conversation with the AI and get the answers or help you’re seeking.
I like to start with some background first, this helps the system give me better output. If I ask AI to “Give me an email subject line” it spits out something generic. I’m interested in keeping my subject lines relevant and clickable so I want to lay some groundwork first.
I want to tell the AI my target audience. For example, I will input:
Prompt 1
You are an email marketing expert, I am emailing a list of Network Operations Engineers, what email subject lines will get them to open? Provide 5.
This starts to set the stage and to really round out the prompt, I add some more context:
Prompt 2
You are an email marketing expert, I am emailing a list of Network Operations Engineers, what email subject lines will get them to open?
Provide 5. As much as you can, include these benefits: benefit 1, benefit 2, benefit 3"
This gives me a much better set of ideas to us but I can go even further! Let’s say I work for Microsoft, and I am responsible for selling Azure cloud. I can get ChatGPT to help me with those benefits… two-parter 🙂
Prompt 3
List the top 4 features of the Microsoft Azure cloud that are relevant to Network Engineers
Wait for the response and then us this prompt:
You are an email marketing expert, I am emailing a list of Network Operations Engineers, what email subject lines will get them to open? Provide 5. As much as you can, include the benefits above
Now we are getting somewhere!!! To enrich this more we could use ChatGPT as our personal research assistant. I wonder if our benefits truly align with what our prospect cares about – let’s find out with this prompt:
Prompt 4
What are the top concerns of a Network Operations Engineer?
How does Microsoft Azure Cloud address these concerns?
Act as an email marketing expert and give me 5 email subject lines that would interest a Network Operations Engineer, include the benefits above
Now, that you have seen how you can “set the stage” and stack prompts, and are armed with this concept, you could stack the prompts like this:
Prompt 5
Act as an email marketing expert and give me 3 reasons an email subject line is important.
Wait for that response, we want the AI to have this in it’s “memory” for the upcoming questions.
What are the top concerns of a Network Operations Engineer?
Wait for that response.
How does Microsoft Azure Cloud address these concerns?
Wait for that response.
Craft me 5 email subject ideas for each of the following that fit the above advice: leverage urgency, social proof, personalization, provocative questions, humor
Wait for that response.
BOOM! NOW WE ARE TALKING!
I know that took a little bit to work through but by learning how to set the stage and stack the prompts, you are able to craft a much more tailored response for your needs.
Now it’s up to you to use and get creative, and map this to your company, industry, and prospect.
How could you make the prompts above fit you? How would you enrich them?
Best Practices for email subject lines
Leveraging Social Proof
Leveraging social proof in your sales email subject lines is a highly effective strategy to gain the trust of potential customers and increase opens. Social proof showcases the positive experiences and opinions of others, making prospects more inclined to engage with your product or service.
For example, you could use a subject line like “10,000+ Satisfied Customers Can’t Be Wrong! Discover What They Love About Us.” This approach demonstrates that many people have found value in what you offer and piques curiosity by inviting recipients to learn more about their experiences.
EXAMPLE SUBJECT LINES FROM AI PROMPTING:
- Join Thousands of Satisfied Customers – Here’s Why
- See What Others Are Saying About Our Product/Service
- Real Success Stories: How Our Solution Transformed Businesses
- Discover Why Our Customers Love Us – Check the Reviews
- Exclusive Insights from Industry Experts and Influencers
- You’re in Good Company – Our Clientele Includes Top Brands
- Find out Why Our Community is Raving About This
Personalization
Personalization is a powerful technique when crafting killer sales email subject lines. By including the recipient’s Name or other personalized details, you can immediately grab their attention and make them feel valued.
AI offers several prompt ideas for personalizing email subject lines, such as using the recipient’s recent purchase history or behavior on your website.
Another way to personalize your subject line is by referencing shared interests or commonalities between you and the recipient. For instance, if you notice that they follow a particular sports team or share similar professional backgrounds, incorporating that into your subject line could help establish a connection.
EXAMPLE SUBJECT LINES FROM AI PROMPTING:
- [Name], We Have a Special Offer Just for You!
- Exclusive Deal Inside for Our Valued Customers
- Your [Product/Service] Journey Starts Here, [Name]
- [Name], Check Out Your Personalized Recommendations
- You’re Invited, [Name]: Join Us for a VIP Event
- [Name], Don’t Miss This Tailored Solution for Your Needs
- Happy Birthday, [Name]! Celebrate with a Surprise Gift
Asking Provocative Questions
One way to create an attention-grabbing sales email subject line is by asking provocative questions. These questions challenge the prospect’s assumptions, pique their curiosity and make them want to learn more.
Examples of provocative questions you can use in your email subject lines include “Are You Making This Rookie Mistake?” or “Is Your Business Prepared for this Upcoming Trend?”.
Provocative questions like these encourage prospects to open your email to find out what mistake they may be making or which trend they need to keep an eye on.
Asking a powerful question makes it easy for the prospect to relate and respond, leading them further down the sales funnel.
EXAMPLE SUBJECT LINES FROM AI PROMPTING:
- Is Your Business Prepared for the Future? Find Out Now.
- Are You Making These Common Mistakes? Let’s Fix Them.
- Ready to Skyrocket Your Sales? Here’s the Secret.
- Can You Resist This Irresistible Offer? We Doubt It.
- Want to Discover the Key to Success? Unveil the Answer.
- Curious to Know How Our Solution Outperforms the Rest?
- Are You Ready to Unlock Your Full Potential? Let’s Begin.
Incorporating humor – my favorite
Using humor is an effective way to make your email stand out and grab your prospect’s attention. AI prompts can help you develop witty subject lines to make your email more memorable.
For example, if you’re selling a product that helps people save time, you could use a prompt like “If only there were more hours in the day. Oh wait, our product just saved you some! 😂” Humor allows prospects to connect with you. It shows them they are dealing with someone who doesn’t take themselves too seriously.
EXAMPLE SUBJECT LINES FROM AI PROMPTING:
- Don’t Be a Muggle! Unleash Your Marketing Magic with Us.
- Knock, Knock! We’ve Got Hilarious Deals Waiting for You.
- Stop, Drop, and LOL: Our Funny Surprise Inside.
- Need a Laugh Break? Check Out These Funny Cat GIFs.
- Get Ready to ROFL: Our Witty Jokes of the Day.
- Warning: Side Effects of Reading This Email May Include Laughter.
- The Funniest Thing You’ll Read Today – Guaranteed!
Best Practices For Writing Killer Sales Email Subject Lines
Keep It Short And Sweet
When it comes to crafting killer sales email subject lines, keeping them short and sweet is crucial. With attention spans dwindling, you have only a few seconds to capture your prospect’s interest before they hit the delete button.
To achieve this, aim for 50 characters or less in your subject line – an ideal length proven repeatedly to be effective. Using action-oriented words like “exclusive,” “limited time offer,” “discounts,” and more can help convey urgency while still being concise.
In addition to writing shorter subjects, using personalization can also improve click-through rates by up to 29%. By addressing prospects by Name or referencing their job title or company in the subject line, you’re showing that you’ve done your research and are speaking directly to them – which is much more likely to get their attention than a generic opening statement.
Use Action-oriented Words
Another practical tip for crafting killer sales email subject lines is to use action-oriented words. Action-oriented words are powerful and persuasive, appealing to the reader’s desire for action and movement.
For example, an e-commerce business selling clothing could use a subject line like “Last chance! Don’t miss out on our end-of-season sale!” The phrase ‘last chance’ creates a sense of urgency, while ‘don’t miss out’ triggers FOMO (fear of missing out).
You can increase click-through rates and conversions by using AI prompts that incorporate these types of actionable phrases into your email subject lines.
Test And Refine
Testing and refining your sales email subject lines over time is essential. This means continually reviewing how well they perform and adjusting them as necessary.
One way to test subject lines is by using A/B testing. This involves sending two versions of an email with different subject lines to a small sample group of subscribers.
You can determine which version performed better based on their open rates, click-through rates, and overall engagement levels.
Another helpful tactic is leveraging customer feedback. Please pay attention to the responses you receive from customers regarding your email campaigns, including their reactions to your subject line strategies.
Segment Your Audience
To make sure your sales email subject lines are as effective as possible, it’s essential to segment your audience. This means organizing the recipients of your emails into groups based on shared characteristics such as behavior, demographics, or interests.
By doing this, you can tailor your subject line to each group and improve the chances of getting a response.
Segmenting your audience also helps avoid sending irrelevant messages to people who aren’t interested in them. Not only does this save time and resources for both you and the recipient, but it also improves their overall experience with your brand.
According to recent studies by HubSpot, segmented email campaigns have an open rate that is approximately 14% higher than non-segmented ones.
FAQ
Conclusion
Crafting killer sales email subject lines can be a challenging task, but with ChatGPT prompt ideas, it doesn’t have to be. This article provided five effective prompts for creating attention-grabbing email subject lines that boost your sales and improve your marketing campaigns.
Personalized and creative prompts must be emphasized in today’s highly competitive market. Implement these ChatGPT prompt ideas and best practices for writing sales emails to generate replies and drive conversions.
With AI-powered tools like ChatGPT, you can scale up your email marketing efforts and get ahead of the competition.