Top ten email subject lines for 2012

Yes, everyone’s busy with the holidays – Santa is knocking, right? And it isn’t even December, yet.
However, you as an email marketing veteran have already thought out, planned and executed all your holiday campaigns way back in July, when the temps were high and the barbecues were hot all the time. This means you will have time in December to think of your 2012 email marketing plan: we only have just over a year left, right?
Without furter ado, here’s my top ten email subject lines for 2012. To be taken with a grain of salt, of course: but based on experience, trends and gut feeling. Oh and spam filters, of course. Got to love those spam filters…
10. We’re sorry about our mistake: let us make it up to you.
9. We have news, you want small talk for the watercooler
8. Summer Sale – Two for one on everything over $50.
7. 10,000 people can’t be wrong: our service rocks your socks off!
8. Our new website is live! Give your opinion and get cool stuff
6. Only a few left: order now before you miss out!
5. Webinar event reminder – Register now
4. We know where you live, therefor free shipping on everything!
3. Palm trees, white beaches and waving crabs: book a trip to Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Islands
2. We’ll let you in on this secret, this time
And the number one subject line for 2012:
1. Win an iPad 3, 100% guaranteed for free!
 
Now some of these might seem odd, but many of them play on the human pysche a lot. Scarcity (6), urgency (5) and apology (10) are well known ways to play a person’s emotions. There might be some creepiness in 4, but then again, why not put it to good use and add a little humor? 7 is about peer pressure: your most fave variant of that one would be ‘all your friends already use it, why are you still in the dark?’. 2 is about secrecy, 8 about ‘can’t miss’ options. 3 plays with people’s wants: everyone wants to get out of the daily grind and relax, right?
I chose the number one subject line because it will win even though it’s not the most creative one – simply because like with the 1 and 2, everyone will want one. If it won’t cost you anything, why not open the email? At worst you could win an iPad 3, right? If anyone uses number one in 2012, let me know how it has performed 🙂
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humor, spam filters, subject lines