A years ago, I found this great book named "Copywriting Secrets" by Jim Edwards.

I devoured it, staying up late until my eyes burned.

The book taught me that as a copywriter*, you must write persuasively and arouse your reader’s interests to generate conversions and sales.

*A copywriter is a professional who specializes in persuasive writing; the goal of their writing is to get people to take action.

From commercials on TV, to advertisements on YouTube, and around the internet I started seeing copywriting everywhere!

In copywriting, you learn how to write a great hook to catch your reader’s attention.

With your newsletter, subject lines and preview texts get your reader's attention and motivate them to open emails.

Fail to master this skill and your newsletter won't get read.

But if you master this skill, your subscribers will eagerly open your emails.

So, let’s discuss how to write compelling subject lines and preview texts.

Compelling subject lines stop readers mid-scroll.

Bad subject lines are boring, too long, or don't stand out in your reader's inbox.

Finding the sweet spot for length can vary, but aim for 30-50 characters (4-7 words).

Consider what your audience cares about and their deepest desires to write effective subject lines.

Preview text adds a hint of what's in store like a cliffhanger.

Some readers might only see a sentence or two depending on what platform they use to check email.

To be safe, keep it short: aim for under 90 characters.

Here are four easy ways to create compelling subject lines and preview texts:

Think like your reader and put yourself in their shoes.

If they perceive your newsletter as being valuable and relevant to them, they will likely open your email.

Styles that Work: Make your subject lines pop with…

Personalize the Experience: Use the recipient's name or remind them of past interactions if possible.

People love things that feel custom to them.

Say “No” to Spammy Tactics: Avoid ALL CAPS, too many exclamation marks, or misleading information.

Avoid words like Free, Sale, and Act Now as they can trigger spam filters.

I like to get ideas from fast food advertisements and book subtitles.

I also took a psychology crash course to understand how we think.

Learn from other creators/businesses who use email marketing well.

Create a Swipe File: A swipe file is a collection of tested and proven marketing content, like a treasure chest.

Create a swipe file of the most compelling subject lines you find by using tools like Notion or Google Docs.

Spy on Your Inbox: Look at your inbox for ideas to build your swipe file.

Add the subject lines that stand out and make you curious.

Subscribe and Learn: Join newsletters on your favorite topics. Subscribe to get emails from leaders in your industry; see how they talk to and sell to their audience.

Try different things and see how your audience responds.

Timing: Test sending emails at different times and days, considering the time zones of your audience.

Some platforms like Beehiiv have analytics to show when most of your audience opens emails.

Length: Experiment with varying subject lines and preview text lengths.

Test which length receives better engagement from your audience.

Curiosity: Craft subject lines that evoke curiosity without giving away too much.

Test the effectiveness of curiosity-driven versus more direct messaging.

I usually aim for 40-50 characters, 6 words or less on subject lines.

Sometimes, I tease in my subject lines or tell you exactly what you’ll get if you open.

Omnisend is a free tool to assist you with writing high-performance subject lines.

This tool give you suggestions to improve with real-time feedback.

I use Claude AI and Google Search (looking at blog post titles on the 1st page of results) to get ideas.

Then, I paste my subject line into Omnisend to get a 90 or above score.

Start practicing what we've covered today!

For more useful email marketing tips, stay tuned.

Sincerely,

DJ