Canned SPAM Opener

Decorative Wave

My morning routine is simple. I get up, get dressed, brush my teeth, and delete the 350 emails I got over night.

Be honest. When was the last time you opened an email that wasn’t from your bank, boss, or best friend? Whenever a client asks me for help writing an eblast, the first thing I tell them is that they have just two seconds to get a recipient’s attention. That’s it. Two seconds.

Since the only thing anyone can read before opening an email is the subject line and the sender’s identity, a good email needs a catchy title. How do you get your email to stand out in a sea of “HOT Summer Deals” or “Act Now Before It’s Too Late” spam? 

To stand out, your email needs to be two things: Concise and Distinct  

Since most people have the attention span of a goldfish (that’s why TikTok is successful), you should keep your subject line to a maximum of seven words. Any longer and your reader’s eyes will glaze right over.

The same can be said for making your emails distinct. Don’t use the same buzzwords that everyone else uses like “hurry” or “sale” or even “warning.” Instead, consider asking your audience a question or leaving your subject line vague enough to entice people to click. Alternatively, and gaining in popularity, is to literally put your entire message in the subject line so your audience doesn’t need to open the email. “Free wine with entrée at Rossi’s tonight” is a complete thought.

Putting a proverbial opener into a client’s hand is one thing. Getting them to open the lid on what they assume is canned spam is another.

Categories: Content

Alexander Thomas is a graduate student at Cornell University studying Industrial and Labor Relations. He has worked as an Area Manager for Amazon at several US sites and was part of a team which launched a state-of-the-art facility in Iowa during 2024. He enjoys strategic communications and has written for congressional candidates, technology consultants, and compliance and monitoring specialists.