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Grow Your Audience Through Effective Survey Email Subject Lines
Tips and Best Practices to Make Your Survey Email Stand Out
Tyler Mason
March 20th, 2024
Table of Contents
Understanding Survey Email Subject Lines
Imagine a day in the life of your ideal reader.
Let’s say it’s Tuesday afternoon. If I’m your reader, I’ve probably:
Walked my dog
Exercised
Updated my tasks for the day
Responded to a few emails
Conducted research for a new client
What do you think happens when I get an email that looks like this?
Please fill out this 5 minute survey
Unless this email is coming from someone I know personally, it’s getting archived. I have plenty of ways I’d rather spend 5 minutes.
What is a good subject for a survey? How do you introduce a survey in an email? Are subject lines that important?
This post is your one-stop-shop for writing survey email subject lines that your readers will be happy to open.
But before we jump into specific examples— is crafting a catchy subject line even worth the effort?
How Subject Lines Contribute to Campaign Success
According to a report from GetResponse, the average open rate for emails across all industries in 2023 was 26.80%.
During 2023 at beehiiv, newsletter creators saw an average open rate of 38.69%.
Now, open rates aren’t as concrete as they once were – particularly with mobile devices skewing the stats. Think about that though. A 26.80% open rate means roughly one of every four emails gets opened.
Which one of these would you open?
Take this 10-minute survey
I wAnT yOuR oPiNiOn!
10x your money in the next 30 days
Hey [name], can you do us a quick favor?
A study at SuperOffice found that 45% of subscribers said they read emails based on the sender, and 33% of them open an email based on the subject line. For newsletter creators looking to build their audience, that 33% is a lot of potential growth that could otherwise be left on the table.
It makes sense that good subject lines are among the most effective ways to boost email open rates. After all, a subject line is often the first thing your readers see when they check their inbox.
How Subject Lines Boost Click-Through Rates
Where the average open rate for industry-wide emails in 2023 was 26.80%, the average click-through rate was 1.89%. Now, click-through rates aren’t the end-all-be-all for newsletter creators. Yet that stat becomes much more important when you link to an external survey.
Effective subject lines do a few things that encourage readers to click a link:
They remind your audience that you value them personally
They ensure readers get benefits from clicking
They encourage readers to engage with your content
Why Trust Me? I’m an email nerd. I spend the better part of most days researching best practices in email marketing. When I’m not reading, I’m writing and testing the methods I talk about.
Best Practices for Creating Survey Email Subject Lines
We all know the feeling of staring at our computer screens blankly, racking our brains, and trying to come up with an effective subject line.
To save yourself time and energy, always follow these four best practices:
Keep your subject line concise
Be as personal as possible
Focus on what your reader gets by filling out the survey
Make sure your subject line flows nicely into the email body
Keep It Concise
Based on stats we’ve gathered at beehiiv, email subject lines with 0-20 characters have the highest open rate. This rate decreases as the character count goes up. Email subject lines with 81-100 characters almost have an 8% less open rate than those with 1-40.
Does that mean your survey email subject line shouldn’t be longer than a few words? Not necessarily. This is where knowing your audience comes into play.
Here are a couple of concise email subject lines that stood out in my inbox:
We’re taking requests…
Can you do us a favor?
That first one was an immediate click for me. I knew the company and I assumed they were looking for feedback. The way they brought it up just sounded fun.
“Can you do us a favor?” is nice as well. People feel good when they get to help someone out, and loyal readers are often happy to share their opinions. Just make sure this request comes across as genuine.
Make It Personal
A personal touch in your email subject line is a great way to remind readers that you appreciate having them as part of your audience. That’s especially true when asking readers to do you a favor like taking a survey.
There’s a right and wrong way to include personalization. This email used my name twice, but wasn’t something I wanted to read:
Subject line: Possible Options for Tyler
Hi Tyler,
I hope this email finds you well.
Instead, if your newsletter platform allows you to personalize an email, try something like:
Hey [Name], can you do us a favor?
[Name], how are we doing?
Help us, [Name]. You’re our only hope.
Using a reader’s name isn’t the only way to make your emails personal, either. In fact, including details from a previous interaction with your reader may even be more effective.
You’ve seen e-commerce companies do it. I received this email from Amazon last week:
Dear Customer,
Recently you used the ‘Contact the manufacturer’ resolution to obtain support on your purchased products. To help us serve you better, please take a few minutes to share your feedback on the support experience.
Overall, did the manufacturer help solve your product issue?
In a newsletter, use this opportunity to include what you know about your readers:
[Name] – you asked, we listened
This one’s on you, [Name]
Did somebody say [Topic your readers chose]?
Readers want to know their loyalty is appreciated. Survey emails are the perfect way to reward them.
Focus on Benefits
Benefits > Features
In the B2C world, talking about benefits is huge.
Walmart - Save Money. Live Better.
Geico - 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance
Readers love to give feedback, but they’ll rarely do it unless asked. Including a benefit in your subject line gives your audience a reason to take your survey before the others in their inbox. Here are a few survey email subject lines that focus on the benefits I’d get by taking action:
Take our quick survey for $5 AND the chance to win $200!
Share your feedback for a chance to win a $100 gift card!
Give us your opinion & earn a chance to win a $200 gift card!
Again, knowing your audience is important here. Consider offering readers a piece of exclusive content for their participation or allow them to have a direct impact on future emails they receive.
Lead Into the Survey Title
Subject line: Free cookies!
Just kidding. Can you do us a favor and fill out this survey?
While an email like that might work for some audiences, it’s often more effective to use a subject line that flows nicely into the email body. Nobody likes being tricked, and baiting a reader with an attractive subject line only to take it away probably won’t result in the responses you’d like.
Here’s a good example from American Express:
Subject line: Two Questions About Your Amex Merchant Relationship
Sharing your experience helps us understand your current and future needs, and how to best address them.
As a merchant accepting American Express for payment, please let us know how we’re doing. We invite you to respond by September 27.
To begin the two-question survey, please select your response below.
I knew exactly what I was getting into when I clicked that email, and Amex didn’t throw anything extra at me.
Here’s another one of my favorites, from Really Good Emails:
Subject line: Can you do us a favor?
Every year, RGE puts together a little survey for all emailers to take to get a sense of what the eff is going on in the industry. And guess what? It’s back, baby!
Bottom line: In general, create a subject line that flows seamlessly into the email body. Readers who open it will be more likely to participate in a survey if they know what they’re getting into.
Catchy, personal subject lines are great – but they aren’t effective if they get buried in a stack of other emails. The best survey requests are sent at the right time, too.
Send It at the Right Time
The Radicati Group expects that 361.6 billion emails will be sent in 2024. That’s a more than 100 billion (or 40%) increase just since 2019.
Why does that matter when it comes to sending a survey request? That same study showed that, on average, people received 121 emails per day. If sent emails are up 40%, that means that in 2023, each person gets roughly 169 emails every single day.
Newsletter creators at beehiiv have seen the best open rates from mid-morning to early afternoon, with 10 a.m. being the highest at 44.52%. Which day of the week you should send a survey email depends more on your regular sending schedule – in 2023, creators on beehiiv saw the highest open rates on Sundays and Mondays.
Sending your survey email at the right time is essential for it not to get buried.
Catchy and Creative Survey Email Subject Lines
You know it’s important to keep your survey subject lines concise, make them personal, and send them at the right time. Here are a few situations where sending a survey can be particularly helpful and some real-world examples.
Gathering Feedback
Asking your audience to tell you how you’re doing can be stressful as a creator. It’s also the best way to improve and adapt to what your readers want to see.
Net Promoter Scores are one of the most effective ways to measure customer loyalty. Sending your audience an NPS survey email can give you insight on how to improve your newsletter. It’s why companies like Apple, Amazon, and Walmart regularly send feedback requests.
Some examples of feedback email subject lines:
[Name], how are we doing?
Would you recommend us to a friend?
Tell us where we stand
Pick a number… any number
Market Research
Knowing your audience helps to all but guarantee they’ll enjoy every newsletter you send. Readers are already invested in your content – so asking what they’d like to see in the future only enhances the experience.
We’re taking requests…
You like what you see?
This or that
Asking your audience for input doesn’t have to be complicated. Matt, from The Soulful Entrepreneur, simply asks his readers a new question each week. Getting to know his audience and their needs through polls is part of the reason why Matt’s newsletter has grown 61% month after month.
Attention-Grabbing
Studies have shown that we only have a few seconds to capture someone’s attention when they see an email. Instead of letting your subject line blend in with a dozen others, test something that hooks your audience from the start:
I messed up
2 Questions for $25
One answer for one month
The best practices we’ve discussed can work great here too. Don’t be afraid to include an incentive or some form of benefit in your subject line.
Adding Humor
Unless your audience wouldn’t appreciate it, there’s no harm in adding a bit of humor to your survey email subject lines. Take one look at newsletters like Smart Nonsense and you’ll see that ultra-professionalism isn’t always worth imitating.
Here are a couple of real subject lines I came across in my inbox:
Just keep dancing like we’re ‘22 (or ‘23)
Oh 💩
Now, you don’t have to go overboard. Stick to your brand and do what you think your audience would enjoy. Maybe send a semi-humorous survey request like:
Do me a favor so I don’t get fired
We’re lost
Tell me how you really feel
Whatever type of subject line you decide to use, surveys and polls are an essential part of boosting your newsletter’s growth. See how easy it is to create an effective survey on beehiiv today!
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