44 Subject Lines That Get Emails Opened

I learned everything I know about the art of creating good email subject lines from Mike Tyson and David Ogilvy.

The two men may not seem to have much in common, but each dominated his industry by understanding and perfecting the actions that matter. 

Mike Tyson — AKA "The Baddest Man on the Planet" — won his first 19 professional fights by knockout, 12 of them in the first round. At just 20 years of age, he became the youngest boxer ever to win a heavyweight title, starting a long career of smacking heads and shattering records.

On the other hand, David Ogilvy is a marketing legend, the brains behind effective and memorable campaigns. Ogilvy didn't focus on attracting new prospects. The success of his agency rose out of the exceptional results his ad campaigns delivered for current clients.

Tyson's job was to knock people out. Instead of overthinking it, he focused on delivering the perfect punch, disrupting his opponent's strategy:

"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." (Mike Tyson)

Ogilvy's job was to produce effective ads for his clients. Instead of bogging down in infinite creative possibilities, he focused on delivering the perfect pitch, commanding his audience's interest:

"If it doesn't sell, it isn't creative." (David Ogilvy)

Newsletter creators need to learn the art of composing good email subject lines for introduction and inspiration. It's the basic action that attracts new readers and increases email open rates. It's the key to dominating your industry.

So let's work on intriguing your readers. Whether you need good email subject lines for business introductions or exciting headlines for your latest issue, the perfect phrase is part punch and part pitch. 

Grab their attention and pull them in.

Why You Should Master the Art of Crafting Subject Lines

The attention economy is fiercely competitive. 333 billion emails are sent each day, making it increasingly difficult to capture people's attention. How will you convert people into customers if you can't get them to even open your emails?  

Stand out in your audience's inbox with an engaging subject line, the element that determines whether almost half of readers decide to open up and read.

The ideal subject line is:

• Short

• Interesting

• Informative

• Relevant

• Timely

Urgency and personalization also help. 

Urgency encourages the recipient to click on the email immediately, and you can include names, locations, or other relevant details to build trust. Give the impression that each message was written specifically for each reader. 

Best Email Subject Lines and Why They Work

However, the most important thing — the key to punch-pitch success — is to touch on at least one of the core human drives.

In Driven: How Human Nature Shapes Our Choices, Paul Lawrence and Nitin Nohria identified four core human drives:

• The Drive to Acquire

• The Drive to Bond

• The Drive to Learn

• The Drive to Defend

These are the fundamental drives underpinning the best email subject line strategies.

More recently, marketers have identified a fifth core human drive, which we’ll share at the end of the article. Don't miss it!

How To Use the Drive To Acquire in Your Subject Lines

The drive to acquire is the desire for material possessions or experiences. Evolution embedded this drive in human nature. We continually look for ways of increasing our comfort, security, or status.

How will your content, service, or product improve someone's well-being or standing? Does your subject line communicate that benefit effectively?

Think about the intangible, implicit offers most likely to appeal to your audience. For example, you might tap into their desire for social elevation by highlighting exclusivity, novelty, or personal benefits.

Email subject line examples:

• Get Your Hands on the Ultimate Productivity Tool!

• Claim Your Spot at This Year's Most Exclusive Event

• Get Red-Carpet Ready — Transform Your Body with Celebrity Fitness Hacks

• VIP Offer: Early Access to Our Biggest Sale of the Year

• Want More for Less? Save with Our New Product Bundles.

The B-Side: "October freebies you NEED to know"

The B-Side is a beehiiv publication that delivers all the hottest tips and stories for Bostonians. A recent issue announced, "October freebies you NEED to know."

It's effective both because of the clear value proposition — ways to get free stuff — and the evocation of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). You don't just want these offers. You need them. Otherwise, everyone else will have the advantage.

How To Use the Drive To Bond in Your Subject Lines

People who need people are...pretty common, actually.

The drive to bond refers to humans' need for connection and relationships with other people. These bonds are essential to emotional well-being.

The drive to bond is a fundamental human need and can be a powerful motivator in marketing. Just ask Bryan Wish from Arcbound. His newsletter focuses on helping creators grow their communities as well as their brands.

How can your products or services bring people closer together? Maybe you offer video conferencing software that can help bridge the physical distance between friends and families.

The drive to bond also makes for really good email subject lines for introductions. When reaching out to new connections, appeal to common ground and other factors that will inspire your addressee to connect.

Email subject line examples:

• Join Our Community and Enjoy Exclusive Benefits

• Welcome to the Family: Connect With the Greater [Brand] Community

• Stay Connected: Here's What You Missed Last Week"

• What's Happening in Our Community: Monthly Roundup

• Neighborhood Potluck: Sharing Food, Sharing Stories

• Let's Work Together for a Better World: Join Our Fundraising Event

• [name], I Was Thinking of You When I Found This

Remember that beehiiv's segmentation feature allows you to send more targeted content. You can also use automation to personalize your emails. When you call someone by their name, they feel seen.

Here are a few more examples of good email subject lines for introduction emails:

• Let's connect: You're invited to a networking event

• New collaboration opportunity: Let's work together on…

• I found you through [referral name/contact in common] 

You can also invite people to share in your journey. A popular beehiiv article has the simple title: "The beehiiv Story: Chapter 1."

Shared experience is one of the easiest ways to bond with others. 

The Daily Bite, "Can AI Find You A Girlfriend?"

My favorite recent connection-driven subject line comes from an unlikely source — a beehiiv newsletter in the AI niche.

Can AI Find You A Girlfriend? doubly succeeds. The subject line is intriguing enough to inspire the merely curious to dig into the article, and its promise of using AI to help you optimize your dating profile appeals to those looking for a date.

How To Use the Drive To Learn in Your Subject Lines

Knowledge is power. 

The more we know, the better equipped we are to make informed decisions. 

New skills and education bring new confidence as well as new opportunities.

The drive to learn is the desire for knowledge, experience, and new skills. 

What can you teach your audience in your email, or how can your product or service help readers gain insight and develop their expertise?

You might also promote other educational experiences. Modern learning takes many forms—from courses to events to educational content in any medium.

Newsletters are the best way to keep updated in today's fast-moving world. That's why Matt Navarra created Geekout, one of the most-read newsletters in the marketing industry. He helps professionals start their week with each Monday morning installment. 

Email subject line examples:

• Stay Ahead of the Curve With the Latest Marketing Trends

• Your Weekly Digest: What's New in Tech?

• Enhance Your Skills: Join Our Professional Development Webinar

• Unleash Your Creativity: Learn Graphic Design With Us

• Discover the Joy of Learning: Try Our Language Courses

• Product Update: Announcing a New Feature To Improve Your Newsletter

• What's the Best Time To Send Your Newsletter?

• What I Learned After Reading 100 Books on Marketing

Andy's Newsletter, "The Cold Email Paradox: Why Billion-Dollar Companies Are Missing the Mark"

This newsletter on business operations and strategy offers to help you improve your cold emails. All of the issues of Andy's Newsletter provide information and tips regarding go-to-market (GTM) strategy.

What makes "The Cold Email Paradox: Why Billion-Dollar Companies Are Missing the Mark" particularly effective?

The subject line promises privileged insight into the operations of mega-corporations. Education is attractive. Exclusive education is almost irresistible.

How To Use the Drive To Protect in Your Subject Lines

Finally, the drive to defend refers to the need humans feel when presented with external threats. This drive is connected to our instinctual need for safety and security and our desire to protect the people we care about.

Related subject lines often provide guidance, solutions, or peace of mind. 

Email subject line examples:

• Recession Is Coming. Here Is How To Prepare for It.

• How To Avoid Debt in Your 20s

• Secure Your Future: Explore Our Retirement Plans

• Safeguard Your Health: Check Out Our Wellness Programs

• Safety First: What Toys Could Harm Your Child?

• Protect Your Business From Cyber Threats

• Eco-Friendly Tips To Help Save Our Planet

Be relevant and offer your readers a way to win. The key is to inspire action, not just fear.

The Mobile Rundown, "Kid Safety + Kid Rock"

There are few topics better calculated to stir anyone's desire to protect than the welfare of children. This local newsletter on the Mobile scene promises to address the topic in a recent issue.

"Kid Safety + Kid Rock" works well because the pairing is unexpected. It adds the element of surprise to the drive to protect.

Bonus: How To Use the Drive To Feel in Your Subject Lines

The drive to feel is an essential part of what makes us human. We want to experience more, indulge more, and enjoy more.

Understanding the human need for sensory stimulation can help you tease fulfilling experiences, instilling anticipation or helping readers to enjoy the moment.

Email subject line examples:

• 5 Places I Want To Visit This Winter

• What I Learned After a Five-Minute Ice Bath

• Experience the Future at Our Biggest Launch Yet

• Reserve Your Table at Our Award-Winning Restaurant

• Exotic Travel Packages That Let You Escape Ordinary Life

• Dive Into the Soundscape: Your Monthly Music Digest

• The Latest Wellness Trends for Better Self-Care

• Taste the Difference: Sample Our Gourmet Range

• The Worst Experience of My Life

Remember that pain is part of the journey. Sharing terrible experiences or mistakes is an excellent way to make people feel.

You can also invoke the drive to bond when you open up about your dreams or defeats. Your audience will welcome the opportunity to connect with you, human-to-human.

Thrive 25, "Magic Mushrooms, Anyone?"

Thrive 25 investigates health and longevity from a variety of perspectives. The newsletter mines the latest science to help its readers feel better and live longer.

One hot topic in the news has been the therapeutic use of psychedelics. Thrive 25 explores the possibility in "Magic Mushrooms, Anyone?" The subject line taps into current curiosity about a new/old type of experience.

Drive Email Success With Better Subject Lines

As stated at the beginning, the perfect email subject line is part punch and part pitch. It needs to grab the reader's attention, pique their curiosity, and entice them to open the email.

Understanding your audience's core drives and aligning your subject lines to these motivations can immensely improve your open rates. Craft your subject lines to tap into our deepest psychological needs.

Don't rush the process. For your next email, come up with at least two or three different subject lines that use one of the strategies above. Then you can run A/B tests on your subject lines to determine which will get the most opens and clicks.

Not sure how to run A/B tests on beehiiv? Check out this video tutorial.

Knock out your readers with amazing subject lines and content. It's the Tyson-Ogilvy way.