When it comes to email marketing, your subject line is everything. It's like the wrapping on a present. Even subconsciously, the gift in your favourite paper is usually the one you're most excited to open. But with so many emails flooding inboxes each day, how do you make yours stand out and resonate?

Not every email needs to feel personalised, but sale announcements and order updates almost always see higher opens and clicks with a personal detail inside. Small rewrites make a real difference:

Naming the person, or the product, makes customers feel spoken to directly. It shows attention to detail, lifts the perceived quality of your service before it's even begun, and quietly primes them for the next purchase.

The internet attention span isn't what it was. In the age of TikTok, it's only getting shorter, so play into it. Say the same thing in fewer words:

Inboxes are relatively black and white, especially if customers haven't customised theirs. A pop of colour goes a long way. Use emojis relevant to your products as a sneak peek before the email is even opened, and if you always use the same ones, you build recognisable branding:

This one may seem strange, but it's essential for good open rates over time. Sale announcements do get the best opens and clicks. But faking a sale to boost them backfires. It builds distrust, customers grow avoidant, and the quick spike gives way to a steep decline you'll have to rebuild from:

A misleading subject wins today and loses the year. Honesty compounds.

Even when the truth is less exciting than a mega discount, keeping it real shows you're reputable, honest and trustworthy, the three foundations of a loyal, long-term customer base.

A subject line can win the open once by lying, or win it forever by being worth trusting.