Hey Reader,

Ok, here’s the truth about subject lines.

Marketers love to act as if subject lines are the holy grail of open and click-through rates.

And yes… they matter.

But no one wants to tell you this part:

Most people are savvy email users now. We can smell subject line BS from a mile away.

Just think about the last 10 emails you actually opened. I’m willing to bet at least a few of them were because:

• You knew the person. Family, friend, someone you actually like. “Hi Mom.”
• You follow the person who sent it and couldn’t give a shit what the subject line said because you already like reading their emails. (Basically, why you open mine. Love you more.) :)
• You’ve been waiting for that thing you want to buy to go on sale.
• It has the tracking info for that thang you already bought.
• It’s from a client. Or your boss. Or someone who can make your life mildly inconvenient if you ignore them.
• It’s a notification that you’ve been hacked. Or might have been hacked. Or someone wants you to think you’ve been hacked.

Those are the emails most people open.

Not because the subject line was so irresistible that they had no choice.

But because of who it’s from and what they expect to get when they open it.

And this, my friend, is exactly why building like, know, and trust with your list matters so much.

Because we’re all getting hundreds — and in some cases thousands — of emails a day. We’ve seen every angle, every formula, every “you won’t believe what happened next” trick in the book.

So when we open our inbox, we’re not sitting there like eager little woodland creatures waiting to be seduced by a subject line.

We’re scanning.👀

Looking for the stuff we actually care about.

The people we know.
The brands we trust.
The sale we’ve been stalking.
The receipt.
The tracking number.
The “oh shit, I should probably open this” email.

Unless you’re bored and have absolutely nothing to do, in which case… get a life.

Sorry. Was that harsh?

I knew I shouldn’t have had that 13th cup of coffee.🙈

Personally, I’m almost numb to subject lines at this point.

They could write, “You’ve won a million dollars,” and I’d be like, “Sure, Jan.”

Delete.

And let’s be honest… how many times have you opened an email only to delete it two seconds later?

That’s because getting the open is only half the job.

Plenty of copywriters still lean on “proven” formulas like:

• The Secret of…
• Little Known Ways to…
• Get Rid of {insert problem}
• Would you like to lose 15 pounds in 30 seconds?

Gag me with a ginsu.🔪

Do they really think we’re that dumb?

That, my dear, is clickbait.

And clickbait is not the move.

Now, if you still have a compelling need to get better at subject lines — and I get it, because of course you do — stop trying to sound like a late-night infomercial and start thinking of your subject line as a chance to sound like a human.

A creative one.

Imagine a busy coffee bar owner with 500 unread emails in her inbox. She’s flying down the list and every subject line is the same tired bowl of beige oatmeal.

“Quick question”
“Inquiry”
“Business opportunity”
“Following up”

Blah. Blah. Beige. Delete.

Even if she doesn’t delete your email, she’s probably not opening it anytime soon. Maybe in ten weeks, when she’s trapped somewhere without Wi-Fi and starts rage-cleaning her inbox.

So instead of this:

Inquiry
Business Opportunity

Try something a little more human, modern, and fun:

• A brew-lovin’ illustrator, at your service
• Here to help take down Starbucks, one cup at a time
• Obsessed with your new cold brew

There are a gazillion articles and YouTube videos on how to write the “best” subject lines, and by all means, go down that rabbit hole if it lights you up.

But the real goal?🥅

Write emails that are good.
Valuable.
Relevant.
Interesting enough that your audience actually looks forward to opening them.

That’s the job.

Because you can have the best subject line this side of Why, Arizona, but if the email itself sucks, people won’t keep opening it, and they sure as hell won’t click your link.

​And the click?​

That’s where the magic is.🪄

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Did you click????

Got ya.

XOXOXO,

P.S. Your subject line can seduce the open, but your email better have a personality once the clothes come off.