Write It Well

If people only remember one thing from our Effective E-Mail workshop, they usually remember our tips and tools for crafting effective subject lines - that’s how important they are to effectively communicating with e-mail.  There’s a great article on Marketing Profs’ site about subject lines.  I agree with some of the comments that open rates sometimes buck logic.  Here are Write It Well’s guidelines for writing effective subject lines:

1. Make them descriptive - general subject lines like “follow up” or “meeting” won’t get your boss’ attention.
2. Make them specific - again, include the relevant details.  “List of supplies needed for tomorrow” instead of “supplies” will help your reader. 
3. Make them concise and clear - same thing here.  “thx 4 yr help -I missed the bus” is neither concise or clear.
4. Change the subject line with the subject changes.  If the subject changes, summarize the thread and re-name the e-mail. 

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