Learn the 45 words & phrases you should avoid in Email Subject Lines
With any online survey email invitation, survey researchers face a number of challenges. It is especially challenging to send a survey to participants who have never heard of your company or are unaware of what you are trying to achieve from your survey research. Challenges include deliverability, open rates, and conversion rates (the successful completion of your survey). Because of these challenges, it is an essential step in the survey research process to carefully plan an email invitation subject line that passes through spam filters, seizes participants’ attention and persuades them to open the questionnaire, and submit completed responses.
The best email subject lines are short, descriptive, and provide survey participants with a solid reason to open your email invitation. Unfortunately, all too often, the subject line is not well planned. Spam filters may block you (even if you email to an opt-in list) simply based upon words or phrases used in your subject line. Here are the words/phrases that will likely get your email invitation blocked:
| Act now! | All natural | As seen on | Attention |
| Bad credit | Bargain | Best price | Billion |
| Certified | Dear friend | Decision | Discount |
| Double your income | Eliminate debt | Extra income | Fast cash |
| Fees | Financial freedom | FREE | Guarantee |
| Hot | Increase | Join millions | Lose weight |
| Lowest price | Make money fast | Marketing | Million dollars |
| Money | Money making | No medical exams | No purchase necessary |
| Online pharmacy | Opportunity | Partners | Performance |
| Rates | Satisfaction guaranteed | Search engine listings | Selling |
| Success | Trial | Visit our website | 100% free* |
In addition, avoid formatting blunders, such as all capital letters (e.g . OPEN), letters with spaces between them (e.g. O P E N), and excessive punctuation (e.g., O.P.E.N). The symbols that will likely get your email blocked are: !!!, $$$, and 100% (e.g. 100% free*).
Source: Act-On Software, eBook: 12 Tips for Amazingly Effective Email Subject Lines.
