Every email is now a pitch for attention. Research from Carnegie Mellon shows the most opened subject lines fall into two categories: utility (clearly relevant to work) or curiosity (creates uncertainty). Barack Obama's 2012 campaign email with the subject "hey" had the highest open rate.
The elevator pitch? That's a little 20th century. Today, if we want to spread our ideas, sell our cause, or improve the world, we need some new ways to pitch. Let's face it, every email is a pitch. It's a plea for attention and an invitation to engage. So, what makes an effective email subject line? Scholars at Carnegie Mellon University have the answer. They've discovered that the subject lines of emails we're most likely to open fall into 2 categories: utility or curiosity. Utility. These subject lines indicate that the email is directly relevant to someone's work. 3 answers to your question about new photocopiers. Travel instructions for Tuesday. Curiosity. The second variety creates uncertainty, piques people's interest, makes them curious about what's inside. An example: in 2012, President Barack Obama's reelection campaign sent out millions of emails. Which one got opened the most? The one where the sender was Barack Obama and the subject line was simply, hey. Whoa, I'm curious. Gotta open that one. So when you send an email, appeal to utility or to curiosity, but don't get caught in the murky middle. That's where email subject lines Go to die.
