100+ Words to Avoid in Email Subject Lines

NPRC sends out upwards of 30,000 or more emails each week. Most of our emails are designed to promote industry studies, research surveys and general articles about the printing, mailing and sign industries. We learned early on that half the battle in getting folks to open and read our emails is based upon the “subject lines” we create and use. In fact, we often spend more time writing and re-writing a subject line than we will spend on the body of the email.

If you achieve open rates of 15% or more you are doing quite well. Pat yourself on the back! If you’re not getting open rates that high, then you might consider avoiding using one or more of the following words or phrases since they are likely to trigger spam filters at your recipient’s end and place your email in a spam or trash folder rather than in your customer’s “in-box.”

We know it’s hard sometimes, especially when you are emotionally close to the subject at hand, to avoid some of these words. Nonetheless, you need to avoid many of the words below if you want to boost readership. Sometimes it seems like every catchy word or phrase you want to use appears in the “no-no” list below, but don’t give up. On the other, try to think out of the box!

Other email subject-line tips offered by the experts… Avoid exclamation marks, using all caps, subject lines longer than 5-6 words. Be careful with attempts at humor, they can definitely backfire. We messed up big-time one time many years ago with a promo for our printing firm. The subject line? “A special offer for Doctors & Dentists.”

Did you catch the mistake? Dentists are of course doctors, and half the dentists that opened the email were offended to one degree or another by unintentional slight in our subject line!

Common email spam words and phrases to avoid