Here are two truths about email subject lines for sales campaigns. First, they’re vitally important if you hope to stand out in busy inboxes.
Second, they’re extremely tricky to write. Not only do you need to have a big impact in just a few words, you have to be cautious of running afoul of high-tech spam filters that’ll stop your send cold.
No need to stress, though. We’ve created a huge guide of email subject lines designed to soar through spam filters and collect clicks like crazy. We’ve got options and examples for every industry, type of campaign, and theme you’re going for.
Contents
- Tips to write unskippable email subject lines for sales
- Email subject lines for sales by theme
- Email subject lines for sales to cover every touchpoint
- Email subject lines for sales for local businesses
Tips to write unskippable email subject lines for sales
Your customers may get dozens of promotional emails every day. The best email subject lines seemingly jump off the screen in those crowded inboxes and instantly entice people to see what’s inside.
Use these tips to create those unskippable email subject lines to get clicks and boost revenue:
- Deliver one clear message: The subject line should accurately reflect the entire email, without bait-and-switch tactics.
- Keep it short and simple: A good subject line is around 30 characters long and can be understood almost instantly.
- Be obvious: Tell your email recipient exactly what to do (review us, download this, register here).
- Avoid suspicious-looking subject lines: All caps and words like “GUARANTEED” will turn people away.
- Avoid SPAM filter triggers: Using those suspicious words, clickbaity tactics, and obvious trickery will relegate your emails to spam purgatory and possibly damage your sender reputation.
- Quantify value: Email subject lines containing numbers have a higher click-through rate than those without.
- Personalize your emails: You have a better chance of someone opening your email marketing if they see their name in the subject line.
Email subject lines for sales by theme
In general, promotional copywriting can focus on many different themes, from creating a sense of urgency to building off a holiday. The same holds true for subject lines.
Here we have a collection of examples and ideas to leverage several important themes.
Create a sense of urgency
Limited-time offers are a great way to inspire immediate action (and purchases!). Here are some examples of the best email subject lines for sales that manage to capture attention, offer an incentive, and create urgency:
- Counting down the hours ⏱️… 50% off won’t last ⏰
- Set your alarm for our sales event!
- Don’t sleep 💤 on these deals!
- Because We Love You – Flash Sale Today!
- Just two more days for 20% off!
Build loyalty
Keep your friends close and your loyal customers closer. Run email campaigns for your truest of blue brand fans to generate sales or increase referrals to new customers. Here are some examples of friends and family email subject lines for sales:
- Friends & Family Week: 25% off all services
- Insiders Only 🤝 Savings Event! (Get your code inside)
- A sneak peek at our sale for your eyes only
- Loyalty Members: 40% off today!
- Sssshhh…this sale is only for members
Celebrate a holiday
The holidays and other events are great for email marketing. Here are some subject lines for holiday marketing emails or event-themed sales:
- #NationalDrinkWineDay – 15% Off Your Favorites🍷!
- Cyber Monday Madness — Everything on Sale!
- Wear green 🍀 to get 25% off for St. Patrick’s Day! (More March email subject lines here!)
- 7 Spa Treatments 💆 to Put You on the “Nice List”
- Free Gift! Happy Valentine’s Day, Sweetheart!
👀 Looking for subject lines for all the holidays? We’ve got you covered! Download our guide >> Email Subject Lines for Every Month of the Year
Offer a freebie
Who doesn’t love getting a little something “on the house.” Whether it’s free shipping for a gift-with-purchase, here are a fistful of subject lines to get more sales from freebies:
- Free gift 🎁 to the first 100 visitors
- Share the love – refer someone and get the next service FREE!
- You deserve a treat — free service at signup
- Join the club and get free gifts!
- Your free product is here!
Leverage seasonal promotions
The changing seasons is the perfect excuse for a good flash sale. Here are some weather-related sales subject lines to get you started:
- Snow Day ☃️ SALE!
- Our summer sales event is heating up
- Fall in love with these savings
- You’ll fall for these BOGO deals!
- Savings too cool 😎 to miss for back to school
Use personalization
We already mentioned the bennies of personalizing your email subject lines for sales (or really any campaign). Here are a few ideas on how to do it:
- Hey, Sam! Thanks for being our friend 🫂. Here’s 20% off
- It’s your birthday, Sam! Here’s your gift
- An extra 10% off for Sam’s loyalty!
- So you love the beach🏖️? Here’s 10% off booking!
- 10 visits in three months!? We love seeing you so here’s 10% off
Add some intrigue
Like a cliffhanger before the commercial break, give your subscribers a little hint at what happens if they open your email. Here are a few ways to add suspense to your email subject lines for sales:
- What if savings just fell from the sky?
- How much CAN you save?
- 5%, 10%, 15% off…you decide!
- Oops, we goofed 😬…but here’s your discount anyway
- This sale wasn’t supposed to start until tomorrow
Layer in social proof
People trust other people more than businesses. Add a little not-so-humble bragging about your most contented customers and watch those open rates soar! These ideas will prime your creative pump:
- Save like 564 of your neighbors – get 15% off
- 15 years of service, one great deal
- See why everyone is talking about this sale
- 500 5 ⭐ reviews means savings for you
- Find out why 367 people like you used our $10 off coupon
Be funny
Make them laugh and they’ll open your emails for comic relief. Comedy isn’t always easy, so here are several formats you can edit for your own funny email subject lines for sales:
- It’s opposite day, so this email doesn’t contain up to 25% off
- You’re one click away from a deal some have called “not bad”
- Here’s 20% because you still read emails
- Sliding this deal into your inbox
- Go ahead and collect your savings; no one’s looking.
Try some catchy email subject lines
It’s right there in the name; catchy sales email subject lines catch people’s attention. Not sure what we mean? Here are some examples:
- Extra, Extra! Save all about it!
- Breaking News 📰! $25 off Today Only!
- These discounts may cause excessive smiles
- Come for the savings, stay for…more savings?
- We don’t know who needs to hear this 📣, but there’s a 25% off sale today
Appeal to people’s frugality
Try some simple, straightforward subject lines for sales that tap directly into people’s love of bargain hunting. Bonus, these are easy to write so a great choice when creativity is low. These examples will get you started:
- Buy the bundle, save more bread 🍞!
- Get more, spend less with this $25 coupon
- You didn’t win the lottery, but you can save big 💵
- Why wait? Call us today and save 20%
- Buy new gear in this economy? Why not when it’s $25 off
🛑 Get the guide >> Small Business Emails Made Easy: Templates, Tips & Subject Lines
Apply retartgeting
Sometimes people review a service page or place something in their cart but don’t complete the transaction. To win them over, write an email subject line for your sales or promotions that offers something extra if they take that last step. Here are a few retargeting sales email subject line examples:
- We see you peeking 🕵️, buy today and get an additional 10% off
- Like what you saw? Make it yours today and save!
- Would free shipping help you decide?
- Here’s a discount for what you left in your cart
- Still searching 🔍? Call us today and get $50 off
Stay in touch
If a previously active customer hasn’t stopped in for a while, re-engage them with a little extra savings. This is especially useful if a product or service they loved in the past is back on offer. These examples are ready to re-engage:
- It’s time for your tune-up, get $10 off service!
- Your next service 🔧 is on us!
- Did you forget to schedule service? Here are $25 reasons to remember
- Let’s catch up over a hot cup ☕ of savings
- We miss you! Use this coupon for an exclusive discount
Email subject lines for sales to cover every touchpoint
There are many reasons to send an email to your customers and subscribers. From a first introduction to event reminders, these email subject ideas cover them all.
Subject lines for invitation emails
Everyone likes to be invited to events, but the best way to get a good response is by sending an email with an inviting subject line. For invitation emails, especially, make sure your subject lines catch the attention of your readers so they open the email.
These sample subject lines are a great starting off point to fill up your next professional event or party:
- Free Workshop: Intro to Salesforce
- You’re Invited to Startup Success Breakfast
- Wednesday: Yappy Hour 6 p.m. at the Bark Park
- Don’t Miss Out…Football Tailgate Party
- Free for lunch Thursday? Join our Lunch and Learn!
- Get on the Road to Code: Free Class this Thursday
Thank you email subject lines
Showing gratitude is powerful in business. Here are some ways to say thank you in email subject lines to let customers and business connections know how grateful you are for their support. Adjust these examples to fit your business:
- Thank you for your review!
- Thanks for attending Night at the Zoo
- We appreciate your support!
- Special thanks from our CEO
- Jodi, thank you for your donation!
- Great to see you yesterday!
- Thanks for coming out! (Plus photos from the event)
- Thanks! (Special treat inside ?)
Event reminder email subject lines
If you’re hosting an event, it’s essential to send reminder emails to invitees and registrants. Reminder emails serve to nudge people who haven’t responded to your invite and remind attendees of the upcoming event. These email subject lines should be catchy and inspire action without being overbearing.
Here are some gentle yet effective reminder email subject lines for your upcoming shindigs:
- Reminder: Mingle for a Mission
- Workshop Reminder: How to Build a Resume
- Don’t Forget to Use Your Coupon
- Your Gift Card is Expiring!
- Event Tomorrow | Register today!
- Can’t Wait for Tomorrow! (Have You Registered?)
Customer appreciation subject lines
Customers are the lifeblood of a business, and many small businesses have customer loyalty programs in place to show appreciation. Whether you have a loyalty program or just want to send a special thanks to your loyal customers, here are some subject lines to send from your business to show your customer appreciation:
- VIP Edition: September Deals (up to 50% off!)
- Special Invite for Loyal Customers
- Customer Appreciation Sale – $15 off anything!
- Introducing our Loyalty Rewards Program
- Exclusive Event to Show our Appreciation
- Celebrating: YOU! Come in Today for Exclusive Deals
Example subject lines to ask for reviews
Asking for reviews is not everyone’s favorite thing to do, but reviews are essential for your business’s reputation and SEO. While it’s okay to solicit feedback from customers, it’s not kosher to offer monetary incentives for reviews. Make sure that when you ask for reviews, you do so from a feedback perspective and not in exchange for money or even discounts.
Here are some subject lines to help get those 5-star reviews:
- Satisfied with Smile Dental? Review us on Yelp!
- How was your service at ZenSpa?
- Thanks for visiting! Here’s a link to submit your review
- Please share your experience with us
- Let’s be friends — Like and Review us on Facebook!
- How did we do? Help us help you.
Email subject lines for sales for local businesses
Looking for email subject lines for your industry’s sales and promotions? We’ve got you covered!
Fitness
Offering low rates or introductory discounts on memberships and services can get you increased foot traffic as part of your fitness marketing strategy. Try these subject lines to help:
- 14 Days of Yoga 🧘 for $14
- 2 weeks unlimited classes for $50
- Our 5-Year Anniversary 🥳—$5 off every November class
- $0 Enrollment Fee–Membership Sale
- First Cycling Class is FREE!
Healthcare
Whether you want to incentivize your patients to come in for their checkups, let patients know about any special promotions you’re running, or get new patients through the door, use these email subject lines for healthcare businesses:
- Grand Opening Sale: 25% off for new patients
- Share the love ❤️. Get 50% off when you refer someone this month!
- Here’s a reason to smile: FREE teeth whitening
- BOGO teeth whitening 😁 treatments this month!
- We love that skin glow! 40% off any service…details inside
Professional services
For finance, insurance, and real estate businesses, your marketing plans may include free consultations, no up-front fees, or discounted add-on policies to incentivize an up-sell. Try using promotional email subject lines like these:
- We’ll do your taxes for $50
- Tax season is here! Let us help
- Get out of debt! FREE credit counseling session
- Wave Goodbye 👋 to your PMI
- Free Service Upgrade — get more for less!
Travel and entertainment
Want to thank your previous customers for using you in the past? Or encourage them to make another purchase? Try these travel sales email subject lines:
- Give us a review and get 30% off your next booking!
- Pre-Summer Sale on 4th of July travel 🧳
- Tell us more & get $50 off your next trip
- We miss you! Get 25% off your next booking with us
- Make memories (with a discount!)–30% off your next trip
Retail
Discounts and deals are the backbones of retail marketing. Here are some retail sales email subject lines to consider sending:
- 11 Great Deals 💰 for the Next 2 Days
- Find your fit at 50% off
- Today’s fashion at last week’s prices (hey, it’s inflation)
- The best brands without breaking the bank 🏦
- Take 10% off your first order
Education
Timing is everything in educational marketing. These email subject lines for educational sales can catch students and parents just when they’re thinking about next semester:
- Back-to-school 🎒 savings on all tutoring services
- Feel like a genius after saving $150 on exam prep courses
- Time to level up? Big savings on certification courses happening now
- 5 big discounts for adult learners 🎓 you won’t want to miss
- Give us a try for FREE (no catch!)
Home services
We couldn’t leave out our friends in the home services industry! Use these email subject line ideas to rake in new customers and get in front of existing ones:
- You’ve got no chill! Thanks to 10% off heating duct services
- Don’t let a leaky faucet 🚰 drain your bank account, get 15% off your next plumbing service
- Book now, save later: 25% off summer services!
- Spring cleaning 🧹 never looked so good — open for a special coupon
- Plumbing problem? Let us fix it — deal inside!
Get started with the best email subject lines for sales and promotions
These examples should give you an idea of the types of email subject lines that can work for your business. Like anything in marketing, keep track of the success of your email marketing or newsletters that you send out to see what customers and prospects are opening and responding to.
Get more subject line resources here:
- Email Subject Lines for Every Month of the Year (+Tips & Examples!)
- Small Business Emails Made Easy: Free Templates, Subject Line Ideas, & Tips
- 50+ Best Holiday Email Subject Lines to Try This Season
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