The only way to achieve this is to write good subject lines. Good subject lines are just like good headlines, they need to grab your readers attention and make them want to know more. The inbox is a highly competitive place, with lots of emails begging for attention. Hopefully you’ll have the edge by being recognised by the “from” field, if the recipient has given you permission to email them.

The Basics:

Here’s a handy check list for writing great headlines from Brian Gardiner of Copyblogger, a recognised authority on writing good copy. Next time you write an email subject line, check on the four U’s and ask if it is:

• Useful: Is the promised message valuable to the reader?
• Ultra-specific: Does the reader know what’s being promised?
• Unique: Is the promised message compelling and remarkable?
• Urgent: Does the reader feel the need to read now?

These four essentials should help to get your email opened.

There are however some more detailed elements to consider with subject lines that don’t necessarily apply to headlines

Who goes there?

Make yourself know, either by using the “From” field in the email to identify yourself, or by keeping a specific phrase in the subject lines of all your emails. This will help people to recognise your emails and not delete them as spam as they skim down their inbox.

Of the four U’s above, useful and specific are perhaps the most important, don’t leave anyone in doubt as to whether they want to read further.

In the age of twitter, we need to quickly learn the skill of getting a message across in a very short space, this also applies to things like Google Adwords. Your subject line needs to convey just how useful the message is and what it’s about in a very compact line of text.

Only make the message urgent when it actually is urgent. You may have an offer that has a deadline or you may be reminding people to book for an event, this  is the time to convey urgency, not under false pretenses.

Don’t write spammy sounding subject lines or the chances are your message will be zapped by an enthusiastic spam filter, most email marketing packages have a spam checking application that will allow you to check before sending. Things to avoid are words like “free” and uppercase subject lines.

With most email marketing packages you’re able to measure open rates and with time you can measure how effective your subject lines are with your particular audience. As you gain trust you may find that the subject line becomes less important, but it’s still good practice to get into the habit of writing something compelling.

You need to demonstrate in your content that you know what your talking about and that you have the ability to solve their problems and meet their needs. You need to build confidence and trust with your audience and show that you’re an authority on the subject.

A good start might be to write a short tutorial about your area of expertise, maybe your a chef and you could write a piece explaining some of the techniques you use in preparing particular dishes. Tricks of the trade and short cuts are always well received and may well solve a problem that your potential customer has been having. If you can produce a video to demonstrate, even better, not only could you use it on your own site, you could allow others to share it or put it on YouTube (but don’t forget to make sure it has a link to your site in there!).

There’ll be some things that you’ll want to keep as trade secrets, but you shouldn’t be afraid to pass on most of what you do. For the chef, just because you tell someone how to prepare a chicken for roasting, doesn’t mean they won’t come and try yours.

Don’t be afraid of including marketing messages in the content that you create, but keep them subtle. No one minds being reminded of how you make a living, but the message should have relevance to the reason for the piece in the first place.

Your content needs to be interesting enough for others to want to share it. That’s how your going to spread your message after all. You need your audience to read it and then re-tweet it, comment on it, blog about it or share it with friends. Seth Godin calls this content “remarkable”.

By creating this type of content you can gradually build an audience of “fans”, who will visit your blog or subscribe to email or follow you on twitter… who knows they may even buy something from you.

Join us for more of these articles over the coming weeks.