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Easy Email Tips Pt. 2 - Craft an Intriguing Subject Line · The Daily Writer

• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Smart Business Writing Podcast, the show that helps you share your message, increase your impact, and grow your business through the power of writing.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: This is the second part of a four-part mini-series on easy email tips.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: So if you didn't have a chance to check out part one, I really encourage you to go back and do that.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: But just as a refresher, the main idea here is that email is all about building relationships.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: And because we do email so much in the modern world, it's a really good chance to build those relationships and communicate well to other people through taking very, very small actions.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: That's why I've titled this series Easy Email Tips, because these are literally very easy things that we can do.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: They don't really take any extra time, but they do take a little bit of extra attention on our part as well as intention, that being the intention of building relationships.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: So here's the second tip I want to share, and this is the subject of today's episode.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: Use an intriguing subject line that invites a response.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: How many times have you gotten into your email inbox and you've seen an email that just makes you groan?
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: It's a subject line that doesn't invite excitement or joy.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's a subject line that just makes you go, ugh.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: For example, I work at a college and although I love my school and I love teaching and I love all the people who work there, we do send a lot of email, and oftentimes there are subject lines and emails that aren't particularly exciting, and I've been guilty of sending many of these as well.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: But for example, if someone wants to have a meeting, usually they'll just put meeting in the subject line of the email.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: But that's kind of boring.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't really get you excited about the contents of that email.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Now, on the side, I also do ghostwriting and some other content marketing for clients.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: It would be really easy for me just to write something like book contract in the subject line of an email.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: But again, that's kind of boring and doesn't really get my client probably that excited about looking at the contract and looking at the contents of that email.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: Instead, I want to encourage us to use subject lines that invite a response and they get the reader to take the next step.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: You can almost think of this like a dating process in a very, very microscopic form, of course.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: And again, we never want to say anything inappropriate in emails or communication and all that, and you all get that as well.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: So this analogy only goes so far.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: But you can think of this a little bit like you're trying to woo the person who's reading your email.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: For example, whenever I was dating my wife in college, I wanted to do little things that would help our relationship go to the next level, whether that be going on the next date or going to a nicer restaurant or whatever the case might be.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: You can think of an email subject line kind of in the same way as you want it to be interesting enough and intriguing enough so that it makes the reader want to read the email.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: Oftentimes, whenever we put subject lines in emails, or even whenever we write headlines for blog posts or podcast episodes, even or other kinds of things, we unintentionally repel people by having subject lines or headers that aren't exciting and that invite the reader to just go, oh, I don't really want to read that or listen to that.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: So I want to encourage us here on this episode to craft subject lines for our emails that get the reader to want to look at our email, and hopefully that email will be crafted in such a way as to where they will want to take action on whatever it is that we want them to do in the email.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: Now, back to subject lines.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: Here's two very, very practical, simple approaches to crafting subject lines that will help invite a response from the reader.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, talk about the benefit to the reader.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: Ultimately, everybody wants to know what's in it for me.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, I've heard it said that everybody is tuned in to the radio station W I I F M, which of course stands for what's in it for me.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: And that is so true.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: Here's one way that we can put this into practice in terms of email subject lines.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: For example, whenever I want to invite somebody to be a guest on this podcast, I don't use an email subject line like podcast interview.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: Instead, I may say something like, I'd love to feature you on the Smart Business Writing Podcast and use that as a subject line.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: So for you, figure out what the benefit is for your reader and try to craft a subject line that frames the email in a way that's going to benefit them.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, frame your subject line as a question.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: So number one, talk about the benefit to the reader.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: And number two, frame your subject line as a question.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: Instead of using the subject line meeting, for example, say something like, can you meet at 4 p.m.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: today?
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: Or instead of saying book contract in the subject line, say something like, Can you take a look at the attached contract?
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: And the reason that questions work so well is because a question naturally prompts the reader or the listener to take action.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: Whenever somebody asks us a question, our automatic human nature is to want to answer that question or to respond to it in some way.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: So again, just reviewing these.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, talk about the benefit to the reader, and number two, frame your subject line as a question.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: Now I know all of this probably sounds kind of trivial.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we're just talking about email subject lines, but it's really not trivial.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: I kind of geek out over copywriting and the psychological principles behind it.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: So I'd recommend that you start studying copywriting, persuasion, and related topics because those bleed over into things like emails and the way that we communicate and the way that we talk to people.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: And by the way, just a little side note here, a great podcast for copywriting is the Mike Kim Show.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I'd also recommend the podcast, The Ray Edwards Show.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: Those guys are actually friends, and they're both really, really awesome guys.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: And their shows are all about business and branding and a lot of copywriting stuff on there as well, so make sure and check those out.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: In addition, a couple of great books on copywriting are The Copywriters Handbook by Robert Bly, that's B-L-Y.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: It's a book from the 80s, but the principles in the book are, you know, the vast majority of the book is still very applicable today because copywriting and persuasion principles really don't change.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: The medium changes, you know, they didn't have social media back in the 80s, but the principles are still exactly the same as they have been for many, many decades.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: And also the book called Copywriting Secrets by Jim Edwards.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_00: Both of those are really great books.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, I know we all get in a hurry with email.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: None of us probably, you know, wakes up in the morning going, I can't wait to get into my email inbox.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_00: But especially when you're sending an important email, take a couple of extra seconds to either ask a question in the subject line or talk about the benefit to the reader.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: You'll be really surprised how these principles spill over into all kinds of other persuasive writing, including social media, text messages, even writing books and other kinds of things as well.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: Well, hey, that's what I've got for today.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: You can shoot me a message on Twitter at Kent Sanders, or also find me on Facebook at Kent Sanders, or you can, of course, shoot me an email at Kent at KentSanders.net.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: And by the way, you can find lots more resources for writers and creatives at KentSanders.net.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for listening.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: I really appreciate your time.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_00: And until next time, remember that your writing has the power to change people's lives.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: I'll see you in the next episode.