I sent an email newsletter out last week to my lovely readers.

If you get my eletter you might have seen it.

…But you probably didn’t.

It got such a LOW open rate that barely any of my readers looked at it at all.

You see if you’ve got a large email list, whenever you send out an email to your subscriber list, you’ll get a report with all the data.

How many received it… how many opened it… how many clicked on the link.

So I could see – clear as day – that my email last week totally bombed.

I’m guessing my readers either didn’t like the look of the subject matter, or it somehow didn’t stand out from other emails in their inbox…

And the big reason for that…?

It was the subject line.

The subject line is that little bit of text that everyone sees in their inbox.

It’s what will make someone click to read it…

Or think, “Nah, not for me today”.

Well, last week my email fell into the latter category.

And I’m guessing it was because I messed up the subject line.

I think it’s because I got lazy and tried to be ‘clever’.

My subject line was “what’s your type?” but in retrospect, it makes me sound like a sleazy dating site – even though it was actually a very useful piece of training on how to pick your course type!

Such a shame!

But everyone makes mistakes, even people like me who have been using email as a publishing tool for decades.

And I believe you can learn an important lesson from my mistake.

Because when you start to build up your email subscriber base for your course, you’ll need to write good subject lines that get your emails opened.

So let me give you some of my secrets (that work when I do follow them ;-)) …

How to Get Your Emails Read

The most read column in your email inbox is the ‘sender’.

That’s because we all prioritise opening emails from friends, family and those people we really want to hear from.

So it’s likely that your first email list will be full of people who are keen to read your messages – after all, they have signed up because they want to learn something from you that will improve their lives in some way.

But despite this, getting your subject line right is still important…

Because your subscriber will have a lot of emails to read, and often they’ll be busy, distracted and pushed for time.

This is why you need your email to be a priority.

Your subject line is the primary way to attract your reader’s attention and convince them that your message is worth reading straight away.

Here are four factors that can make for a good subject line:

· It’s specific: it has numbers, figures and names. Instead of ‘How to Save Time’ it might be ‘7 Ways to Cut Your Prep Time in Half’ or ‘The 75 Second Amazon Cheat’.

· Unique: say something that will surprise them, something original. Announce some news. Put some personality into it. “Why my wife hates this idea” or “Why you’re eating breakfast at the wrong time”.

· Intriguing: go for a mysterious angle that makes opening the email irresistible. Instead of ‘The latest news” say “This latest BBC revelation is truly shocking”. Or ask a question like, “Are you making this mistake with your subject lines?”

· Useful: sometimes you just want to make the benefits clear, so instead of “Ideas for a safe summer”, try “Discover the pizza topping that beats sunburn” or “This one weird trick prevents sunburn on kids.”

To give you some inspiration, here are some winning subject lines that you can use as templates.

Just adapt them to whatever topic you are covering in that email (Top Tip: these can also work as headlines on your social media post – the aim is the same – to get your content read!)…

38 subject line ideas

• An idiot-proof way to make a website in 30 minutes
• What never to eat on an aeroplane
• An urgent warning about this dodgy operator
• Wow, stunning new FX results revealed
• The interview answer employers love to hear
• How to slash your energy bill in half
• Why your email marketing is rubbish
• What the papers won’t tell you about this threat
• Four ways to tell if your colleague is lying
• Why eating this can add 10 years to your life
• Revealed, the most profitable investment of 2023
• Amazing 60-second breathing trick boosts your memory power
• 3 mortgage secrets your bank doesn’t want you to know
• Do you suffer from this frustrating menopause symptom?
• Read this urgently before you sell anything on eBay
• Is this the riskiest side hustle ever?
• Richest woman in Britain reveals her surprising secret
• This 2-minute method could double your sales
• How to eat at Gordon Ramsay’s for less than a tenner
• What this Indian man ate to stay alive for 202 years
• If you’re female and over 40, read this now
• A shocking prediction about Bitcoin
• Do you make this fundamental Amazon mistake?
• This bottle of wine could double your money in 12 months
• How to tell if someone is spying on you online
• Warning, this new phishing trap is so sneaky
• At last, discover the real cause of your hay fever
• This tragic story may sound horribly familiar to you
• Hurry, this money loophole is about to close
• Beware of these 3 bloodsucking tipsters
• Why Jeremy Kyle made me vomit
• 8 magic words that get you a cheaper hotel room
• I’m dying to pass this exciting news on to you
• Where to find cars at half price
• How to reduce wrinkles with a cabbage
• The fatty food that helps you lose weight
• Important announcement about your tax bill
• Urgent, can we talk?

When you first start to create your subject lines, use these swipes to get you going without too much head-scratching.

Then it’s a case of looking at the statistic after each send and seeing what works best for your readers.

But remember – avoid trying to be too clever, like I was last week!

PS:  And just in case you are interested in the free report I sent last week on choosing the right type of course to create – here’s the link to get your own copy (it’s free!)