Copywriting

How to write an email subject line that gets opens (40 examples)

Jean RubensJean RubensUpdated July 202610 min read
Diagram: an inbox where one email subject line stands out and invites the open
Summary

The subject line decides whether your email gets opened or ignored. This article gives the five drivers behind opens, 40 examples grouped by type that you can adapt, and the traps to avoid. It also names an uncomfortable truth: since Apple Mail Privacy Protection, open rate lies. Write for the person, but measure clicks and replies.

Every day, around 376 billion emails move around the world (Radicati, Email Statistics Report 2024-2028). In that flood, one line decides your fate: the subject. It is the bouncer of the inbox.

The good news: writing a strong subject line is not magic. It comes down to a few simple drivers, plenty of examples to reuse, and a bit of method to test. Let's start with what makes people click, then move to the 40 examples.

Key takeaways

  • A subject opens because it is clear, relevant and useful on mobile, where about half of emails are read (Litmus).
  • First-name personalization is not magic: in 2024, non-personalized subjects opened better (41.87% vs 35.78%) (GetResponse).
  • Open rate lies since Apple Mail Privacy Protection inflated the numbers by 18 to 32 points (Validity, 2024).
  • 40 examples ready to adapt, grouped into 8 families, further down.

What makes an email get opened?

Five drivers, in order. About half of emails open on mobile, where the preview often shows only 33 to 50 characters (Litmus). An effective subject is therefore short, clear, and it puts the essential up front. Then come the promise of a benefit, a touch of curiosity, and relevance to the reader.

Relevance beats technique. First-name personalization, long sold as a magic recipe, does not always deliver. In 2024, in GetResponse's large dataset, non-personalized subjects actually opened better than personalized ones, 41.87% vs 35.78% (GetResponse, Email Marketing Benchmarks). Good personalization is contextual: a product viewed, a city, a recent action, not a first name pinned to the front.

Personalization and emoji: the 2024 reality Personalization and emoji: the 2024 reality Non-personalized Personalized Without emoji With emoji 41.87% 35.78% 42.23% 37.5% Open rates (inflated by MPP, but comparable to each other). Source: GetResponse.
On this dataset, the "expected" version did not win. Test it on your own list.

The lesson is not "never personalize" or "ban emojis." It is that ready-made recipes do not replace a test on your audience. The often-cited "+26%" from using a first name traces back to around 2019 (Campaign Monitor and Experian) and is no longer confirmed by recent datasets.

40 email subject lines that get opens, by type

Here are 40 examples grouped into eight families. Adapt them to your brand and offer rather than copying them as-is, because a good subject reflects the real content of the email. A promise you do not keep is paid for in unsubscribes.

Curiosity

  • Nobody told you this about your follow-ups
  • The mistake 1 in 3 emails makes
  • What your competitors are sending this Tuesday
  • We tested it, here is what happened
  • Don't open this before your coffee

Clear benefit

  • Cut your campaign time in half
  • Your next newsletter, ready in 10 minutes
  • Fewer emails, more replies
  • Recover this week's abandoned carts
  • A subject line ready in three seconds

Urgency and scarcity

  • Last day for your 2026 rate
  • 3 seats left
  • Sign-ups close tonight
  • Your discount expires in 24 hours
  • Only 12 left

Contextual personalization

  • Marc, your June report is ready
  • Still thinking about your cart?
  • An idea for your team of five
  • From London, an offer for you
  • Your trial ends Friday

Numbers and lists

  • 7 subject lines tested on 10,000 sends
  • 3 ways to double your replies
  • The 5-point checklist before you send
  • 40 subject lines that get opens
  • 1 setting that changes your clicks

Question

  • Are your emails landing in spam?
  • Who can send to your whole base?
  • Ready for the new season?
  • See you at Thursday's demo?
  • Does your subject pass the mobile test?

Announcement and new

  • New: approval before sending
  • It's live
  • We rebuilt our editor, come in
  • Your dashboard just got a new look
  • Now available in French

Exclusivity and VIP

  • For you, an early look
  • Reserved for our first 100 customers
  • Access we don't open to everyone
  • Between us: what we're building
  • Your personal invitation

What kills your open rates?

First, an illusion. Since iOS 15 in 2021, Apple Mail preloads tracking pixels and fires an open whether or not the person reads. Apple Mail accounts for over half of tracked opens (Litmus), and according to Validity, this inflated open rates by 18 to 32 points versus real engagement (Validity, Case Closed, 2024).

More than half of opens are automatic More than half of opens are automatic Apple Mail · ≈ 60% Others · ≈ 40% Apple preloads pixels and fires an open, read or not. Apple Mail share of tracked opens. Source: Litmus.
When most opens are automatic, the open rate on its own no longer says much.

Next, the classic traps in the subject itself. ALL CAPS, strings of exclamation marks and spammy words hurt deliverability, and so your inbox placement. Gmail and Yahoo require a spam-complaint rate under 0.3%, with a target of 0.1% (Google, Email Sender Guidelines, 2024). A clickbait subject that disappoints drives those complaints up.

Avoid

Over-promising is the subject line's worst enemy. "You won" or "URGENT" open once, then burn trust and sending reputation. The subject must announce what the email actually delivers, or the penalty arrives at the next unsubscribe.

Finally, frequency. Too many emails kills the urge to open the next ones, whatever the subject. We cover that side in "Brevo for teams: why your campaigns spiral out of control".

How do you test and improve your subjects?

By measuring what actually counts. Since the open is blurred by Apple, judge your subjects on clicks and replies, not just on the open rate. A clean A/B test and a few adjustments are enough to improve steadily.

1

Test one element at a time

Compare two subjects on one send, changing only a single variable: length, angle, the presence of a number. Otherwise you will not know what moved the needle.

2

Look at clicks, not just opens

The open rate is inflated by automatic opens. The click and the reply remain reliable signals of real interest.

3

Work the preview, not just the subject

Preheader text extends the subject in the preview. Use it to complete the promise rather than letting it show "View this email in your browser."

4

Proofread before sending to all

A typo or an unfilled variable in the subject costs a lot at scale. A test send, then a proofread, prevents the accident.

That last point matters most in teams, where several people prepare campaigns on one list. Having a send reviewed and approved before it leaves prevents the botched subject that goes out to the whole base.

In practice

The best subject line won't save a send to the wrong list.

Sendgate sits on top of your Brevo or Mailchimp account and adds what teams miss: each person only reaches their own lists, and a manager approves the campaign before it leaves. Your subjects do their job, without the send accident that ruins it all.

Try it free →

Email sending governance · Not affiliated with the brands mentioned

The takeaway

A subject opens because it is short, clear and relevant, with a promise the email keeps. The 40 examples above cover eight proven angles, from curiosity to urgency, to adapt to your brand rather than copy.

Keep one thing in mind: open rate lies since Apple Mail Privacy Protection. Write for the person, test one variable at a time, and judge your subjects on clicks and replies. That is where real interest shows.

Frequently asked questions

What is the right length for an email subject line?
Keep it short. About half of emails open on mobile, where the preview often shows only 33 to 50 characters, against roughly 70 on desktop. Put the most important information first, so it survives truncation on a small screen.
Should you personalize the subject line with a first name?
Not by reflex. In the GetResponse 2024 dataset, non-personalized subject lines opened better than personalized ones (41.87% vs 35.78%). Useful personalization is contextual (a product viewed, a city, a recent action), not a first name pinned to the front.
Do emojis increase the open rate?
The evidence is mixed. In the GetResponse 2024 dataset, subject lines without emoji opened better than those with emoji (42.23% vs 37.5%). Test on your own list rather than following the trend; a poorly chosen emoji can also hurt perception.
Can you still trust the open rate?
Not on its own. Since iOS 15 (2021), Apple Mail preloads pixels and fires automatic opens; it accounts for over half of tracked opens. Validity found this inflated open rates by 18 to 32 points. Track clicks and replies too.

Sources

  1. Radicati Group, Email Statistics Report 2024-2028, retrieved 2026-07-05. radicati.com
  2. Litmus, Email Client Market Share, retrieved 2026-07-05. litmus.com
  3. Validity, Case Closed: The Mystery of Declining Email Open Rates, retrieved 2026-07-05. validity.com
  4. GetResponse, Email Marketing Benchmarks, retrieved 2026-07-05. getresponse.com
  5. Google, Email Sender Guidelines, retrieved 2026-07-05. support.google.com
Jean Rubens

Jean Rubens

Co-founder, Sendgate

Jean is a co-founder of Sendgate. He writes about team email: copywriting, deliverability and sending governance across shared accounts.