6 Tools to Create the Perfect School Subject Line
First impressions matter, and this is especially true in today’s digital age. Therefore, when you craft an email, it only makes sense that the subject line has got to be flawless.
So what does a good subject line look like? Simply put, an effective subject line should feel personal, get straight to the point, and create a sense of urgency. Like any other marketing tool, subject lines have an important role to play—to convince K-12 educators that your message, and the product or service it represents, is worth their time.
Thankfully, you don’t need to be a copywriting guru to create strong subject lines. There are many powerful, affordable, and simple-to-use resources that can do the heavy lifting for you.
These six web-based tools will help you make small improvements to your subject lines so that you can achieve massive email marketing results:
1. Subject Line Generator.
I love this tool! It’s free and works really well generating great subject lines, or it at least gives you some ideas with the word combinations to help you go into different directions. By entering your main keyword it generates over 700 titles/subject lines which you can use later to either copy or modify them.
2. Subject Line.
Often listed as the No. 1 free subject line checker on the web, SubjectLine gives your subject lines a rating between zero and 100 based on marketing best practices. The tool has been used to test over six million subject lines, and is definitely a must-have resource for marketers looking to boost their engagement.
3. Send Check It.
Send Check It is a free-to-use subject line checker that allows you to compare your subject line to more than 100,000 others sent by marketers just like you. Simply type your subject line into the text field and get an instant assessment of how effective it will be based on elements like scannability, reading level, length, and sentiment. The tool will also alert you to whether your subject line seems like spam so that you can avoid having your emails sent instantly to your database’s junk list.
4. PutsMail.
The quality of your subject line is determined by more than just the words it contains—the way it looks in your readers’ inbox also matters. PutsMail is a simple HTML-based tool that lets users send test emails before launching the final version to real readers. In addition to checking for certain errors, like excessive length, PutsMail will also alert you to any errors in your code. You’ll definitely want this resource in your email marketing arsenal.
5. TestSubject.
Many of the people on your subscriber base will first see your email on their phone or another mobile device. Therefore, it’s essential that every subject line you write is optimized for viewing on all devices—desktop, mobile, or otherwise. TestSubject allows you to do just that by generating test previews of how your subject lines will appear on iPhones, Androids, and other mobile devices. Don’t let a simple formatting faux pas sink your chances of reaching your readers.
6. Subject Line Gold by Touchstone.
Though only free for a trial period, Subject Line Gold is one of the most effective subject line tools available today. The cost of the service is absolutely a worthwhile investment for anyone serious about writing subject lines that truly shine. With their Essential Package, users can conduct A/B tests using a virtual recreation of their database to assess open, click, and delivery rates. This tool has been meticulously designed to promote higher engagement and to help you expand your subscriber base.
The prospect of crafting powerful subject lines may seem daunting even now, but don’t worry—the more time you spend sharpening your subject line skills, the easier it will become to create content that brings real results. And with these tools at your disposal, it should take no time at all for you to become an expert yourself.
The bottom line is this: Email campaigns have a greater conversion rate than both search and social inbound marketing channels according to a recent study by Forrester Research. And subject lines, though only a small component of your complete message, are the most important part of your entire email. They can make or break your engagement with readers.
You’ve got what it takes to write subject lines that work, and it’s time to prove it to your subscriber base. Of course, you’ll need to keep track of your results to see how your new-and-improved subject lines are performing, so don’t forget to track the data from your education email campaigns. Doing so will help you tune in to what your audience likes, wants, and needs.
Once your K-12 subscriber base realizes the value your messages provide, they’ll be much more likely to engage with them—regardless of the topic. After all, in the world of email marketing, subject lines make a world of difference.
