The Psychology Behind Subject Lines for TPTers
What makes a subject line worth reading?
What makes you click away after deciding to open an email?
Disappointment.
There’s a lot more to a subject line than just to get readers to open. (That’s covered in my mini course.)
But, what about subject lines that seem to be popular with TPTers? Are they good or bad? Why do you keep seeing them? And why are they good or bad? It comes down to copywriting and psychology.
Let’s start with a subject line that I’ve been sent by at least 34 TPTers.
I’ve got a secret
Spoiler alert: there is no secret.
There never was a secret.
It’s a tactic to get readers to open an email. You’ll see lots of TPTers use variations of this line, and it’ll work the first time. Readers will open it. They get excited. They are about to get a nugget of wisdom from you. Someone they are getting to know and trust.
Then the reader clicks.
And then the reader isdisappointed. The body of the email talks about the TPT sale, or a membership opening, or something else lame that everyone—EVERYONE—already knows.
That subject line gained a few percent in opens. But, it lost the trust of many who opened the email.
The reader had an expectation of bonding with the author over a secret. So now the reader is irritated, and disappointed. They realized the writer just wanted them to click.
This headline dupes readers. As a TPT author, we need to set the example that we deliver, not deceive our customers.
The TPT Sitewide Sale is Today
Why would anyone read the email behind this subject line? The whole email has been summed up into 6 words. So there’s no reason to open that email.
The subject line should intrigue, but not summarize.
That’s a principle you can use for all email subject lines. Our thoughts as we see a subject line like that are something like, “Oh cool, let me jump over to TPT for a few things on my wishlist.” Or, you may also think, “Cooome ON! Does anyone have any creativity for the sale today?!” No? Maybe that last one’s just me.
There’s a fine line between intrigue and confusion. So this does take practice. The best way to test it is to walk away for a few days, and then come back to your headlines.
If you want to intrigue the reader, don’t send the next subject line either.
Are You Doing These Things?
This subject line is too vague.
As a reader, I’m not sure what’s coming next. Are we talking about things I’m doing in the classroom? Or personal care things? Or, things I’m doing to drive the admin up the wall?
Am I showering and eating breakfast? Yes.
Am I sending vague subject lines like these? Hard, no.
This might get someone to open. But the content of the email is not going to match their idea of subject line. Then readers are going to be disappointed. And the writer’s click rates and open rates are going to decrease over time.
Vague isn’t intriguing. That’s a nuanced distinction. It’s hard to recognize at first. But, with practice, you’ll learn the difference.
What’s New in My Store
Helllllllo, vanilla headline.
I have nothing against vanilla. It just needs caramel sauce, peanut butter cups, or strawberries added to it.
And the email content behind this subject line is the same. The subject line is missing all the good stuff.
Vague subject lines lead to vague content. (Are you noticing a trend here?)
Make this headline more specific. What about “5 New Products You Might’ve Missed”? Or, go with something more time sensitive like, “3 New Products that Will Save You 1 Hour”? Or “5 New No Prep Phonics Games.”
Use the subject line to target what teachers want. Do they need to teach a lesson in an hour? Or are they slammed and need a no-prep game? Are they looking for a fun idea?
Think about what your email is going to contain and advertise that with your subject line.
Tag, You're It!
This is cute.
It might work in the right context. But I haven’t seen a TPT seller use it correctly, yet.
This subject line could be used to talk about tagging Facebook group members, standards, or Instagram posts. But, it wouldn’t be the best subject line because it’s vague in that context.
This would work well for an invitation.
Because what happens when someone is tagged? They are invited to go run and tag someone else. So it could work well for sharing an Instagram post or something of that nature.
Subject lines are a big deal. A lot of thought goes into them. They shouldn’t summarize, be vague, misleading, or limited to cutesy wordplay.
When you write your subject line, it is doing so much more than just getting the reader to open.
If that’s something you’d like to learn more about, then grab my minicourse on headlines.
Ever Heard The Purpose of the Subject Line is To Get Opens?
Yes, if you want to limit the subject line to opens, you can.
But it is so much more than that. If the subject line was just supposed to get opens, you could say “$25,000 and an Unlimited Supply of Starbucks Inside” and every TPTer would open.
Right?
So then, the purpose of a subject line isn’t to get opens, right?
There is so much more to a subject line. Including
Knowing what to do before writing a headline to get more email clicks
Being able to write an email subject line that will appeal to everyone on your list
Being able to write an email subject line that will only appeal to a certain portion of your list
If you want to write headlines like that, go check out the 15 minute mini course.
