Subject Lines That Get Opened

Your subject line has one job: get the email opened. Not sell the course. Not explain the content. Not sound clever. Get. The. Open.

Because if they don’t open, nothing else matters. The best email ever written generates zero sales if nobody reads it.

What Works

Specific numbers.

• “The 3 emails that generated $47,000”
• “I sent 1 email and 23 people bought”
• “7 tools I use to build courses in half the time”

Specificity signals that the email contains concrete, useful information — not vague inspiration.

Curiosity with a payoff.

• “The mistake I see in 90% of course sales pages”
• “Why your pricing is probably wrong (and a fix)”
• “I almost deleted this email”

Curiosity works when the reader believes the payoff is worth it. “You won’t believe what happened” is curiosity without a payoff — it feels like clickbait. “The pricing mistake that cost me $12,000” is curiosity with a specific payoff.

Personalization.

• “[First name], I made this for you”
• “Quick question about your course”
• “Can I be honest with you?”

Using someone’s name or writing like you’re talking to one person (because you are) creates an immediate sense of “this is for me.”

Short and direct.

• “Your course outline”
• “This changed everything”
• “Don’t launch yet”

5-7 words is the sweet spot. Short subject lines are fully visible on mobile, where 50%+ of emails are read.

The “Re:” prefix.

• “Re: your course launch”
• “Re: the pricing question”

This works because it looks like a reply to an existing conversation. Use it sparingly — if every email says “Re:” it loses its effect. Best for follow-ups in a launch sequence.

What Kills Open Rates

ALL CAPS. “THIS WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE” looks like spam because it is spam. Use normal capitalization.

Excessive punctuation. “Don’t miss this!!!” One exclamation point maximum. Zero is better.

Vague teasing. “You’ll never guess what happened” — yes they will, because every marketer uses this line. Skip the theater and tell them what’s inside.

The word “newsletter.” Nobody gets excited about a newsletter. “This week’s newsletter” gets ignored. “The one thing I wish I knew before launching my course” gets opened.

Misleading subject lines. Don’t write “Re: your payment” when you’re selling a course. You might get the open, but you’ll lose the trust. Short-term tactic, long-term damage.

The Preview Text Matters Too

Most email clients show the first 40-90 characters of the email body next to the subject line. This “preview text” is your second chance to convince them to open.

Bad preview text: “Having trouble viewing this email? Click here to view in browser.” Good preview text: “Most course creators make this mistake in week one…”

Write your preview text intentionally. In most email tools, you can set it separately from the body.

A Simple Testing Method

Not sure which subject line works? Try both.

Send subject line A to half your list and subject line B to the other half. Wait 24 hours. See which one got more opens. Use the winner for your next email.

This is called A/B testing, and it’s how you learn what your specific audience responds to. Over time, you’ll develop intuition about what works — but testing removes the guesswork.

The 80/20 of Subject Lines

If you remember nothing else from this lesson:

1. Be specific — “3 tips” beats “some tips”
2. Be short — 5-7 words is enough
3. Promise value — tell them what they’ll get, not just that you sent something

The best subject line is the one your specific audience opens. Test, learn, repeat.