In the SaaS world, your job is to keep your audience engaged. The best way to do that is through email marketing, which is one of the most effective strategies for driving conversions and retaining customers.
But you can’t do that if your emails don’t get opened. That’s why it’s so important to have powerful subject lines that make your audience want to click.
In this post, we’ll cover 12 ideas for powerful subject lines in SaaS, and we’ll share tips for how to write them.
1. The “You” Subject Line
Using the word “you” in a subject line is another way to make your email feel personalized, and it’s an easy one to implement.
The “you” subject line is short and sweet, and it’s a great way to draw attention to the main benefit or value of your email.
In the example above, the subject line “You’re missing out” is a great way to entice leads to open the email and learn more about what they might be missing.
2. The “Announcement” Subject Line
If your brand has a new feature or product, you need to tell your audience about it. This is where the “announcement” subject line comes in.
This subject line tells your audience that you have something new and exciting to share with them. It’s short and to the point, which is perfect for getting your audience’s attention in their crowded inboxes.
3. The “Social Proof” Subject Line
If you’ve got a strong testimonial, a great review, or a powerful case study, a subject line is a great place to show it off.
Social proof is one of the most persuasive forms of marketing, and it can be incredibly effective in your email subject lines. Testimonials and reviews are great for any type of email, but they’re especially powerful in your promotional and sales emails.
In the example above, you can see how we used a testimonial in the subject line to promote our latest webinar. We also included the name of the customer who gave the testimonial to add a personal touch and increase credibility.Building and sharing authentic brand stories, supported by thoughtful link building strategies, can further boost visibility and trust, ensuring your SaaS content reaches a wider, genuinely engaged audience.
4. The “Scarcity” Subject Line
Scarcity subject lines are designed to make the reader feel like they’ll miss out on something good if they don’t open your email.
You can create a sense of urgency by offering a limited-time discount, promoting a webinar with a cap on attendees, or even just by writing a subject line that implies the reader is about to miss out on something big.
Just be sure you’re not using this tactic too often, or your readers might start to feel like you’re being disingenuous with your urgency.
5. The “How-To” Subject Line
The “How-To” subject line is a great way to tell your audience that they’re about to learn something new.
It also creates a sense of urgency. If your audience thinks they’re missing out on something valuable, they’re more likely to open your email.
This type of subject line is perfect for educational content, like blog posts or webinars.
6. The “Question” Subject Line
Questions are a great way to pique curiosity and get your recipients to open your email. You can ask a question that seems to be relevant to the recipient’s situation or a question that you know they have.
You can also use questions to lead into a piece of content you want to share. For example, “Are you tired of spending hours on your email marketing?”
This question leads into an email about a new automation tool that’s great for email marketers.
7. The “Curiosity Gap” Subject Line
The Curiosity Gap is an old-school copywriting trick that has been used in headlines for decades. The idea is to create a sense of curiosity in the reader so they feel compelled to click and find out what’s on the other side.
When you use the Curiosity Gap in a subject line, you’re doing the same thing. You’re giving the reader just enough information to pique their interest, but not so much that they feel like they don’t need to open the email.
Here’s an example from the team at Litmus. They used the Curiosity Gap to create a sense of mystery around their subject line, which makes you want to click to find out what the email is about.
In this case, the email was about a new feature release.
8. The “Personal Connection” Subject Line
The personal connection subject line is all about making the recipient feel special. It shows that you’ve done your research and that you understand what they’re going through.
The personal connection subject line is a great way to build rapport with a prospect and to open the door to a more meaningful conversation.
In the example above, you can see how the sales rep has taken the time to find out a little bit about the recipient. They’ve included their name and a common interest, which shows that they’re willing to go the extra mile.
9. The “Problem-Solving” Subject Line
It’s no secret that people love to read about how they can solve their problems. So, why not use this to your advantage in your email marketing campaigns?
A problem-solving subject line is one that addresses a pain point your target audience is experiencing, and then offers a solution. This can be a great way to pique your audience’s interest and get them to open your email.
For example, if you sell a project management tool, you could use a subject line like “Struggling to keep your projects on track?” to address the problem of project management and offer a solution with your tool.
10. The “Urgency” Subject Line
Urgency is one of the most powerful psychological triggers you can use in your subject lines.
If your email is promoting a limited-time offer or sale, be sure to make that clear in your subject line. You can also use words like “last chance” or “ending soon” to create a sense of urgency.
11. The “Benefit” Subject Line
The “Benefit” subject line is similar to the “Curiosity” subject line, but it’s a bit more direct. This subject line is designed to grab the reader’s attention by quickly stating the benefit they’ll receive by opening the email.
This is a great way to pique curiosity and get people to open your emails, but it’s important to make sure that the benefit you mention is something that your ideal customer actually wants.
12. The “Reactivation” Subject Line
If you’re seeing low engagement with your emails, it’s easy to get discouraged. But instead of giving up, try sending a reactivation email to your list.
In a reactivation email, you can use a subject line that calls out the fact that you haven’t heard from the recipient in a while. This can help to create a sense of urgency and get them to open the email.
For example, you could use a subject line like “We miss you! 😢” to let the recipient know that you’ve noticed they haven’t been engaging with your emails.
You can then follow up with a special offer or incentive to get them to re-engage with your brand. This can be a great way to win back lost customers and increase your email engagement. Referral programs can also re-engage inactive customers by rewarding them for sharing your product with others. With ReferralCandy, you can automate referral rewards and pair them with personalized reactivation emails to reignite user interest.
If you’re using Wix for your SaaS or eCommerce business, check out the best Wix referral apps to easily set up and automate your own referral campaigns
Conclusion
If you’re sending out a survey, you want to make sure customers actually open it. A good subject line can help. Your subject line should be clear, concise, and indicate to the recipient why they should complete the survey.