It’s the background noise you hear all day long: those little pings from your computer, phone, and tablet telling you that email after email is hitting your inbox. In fact, approximately 281 billion emails were sent each day worldwide in 2018, according to Statista. No, they weren’t all sent to you, but some days it probably felt that way.

While email marketing can be a highly effective way to connect with both prospects and residents to move them along the renter's journey, it’s critical that these messages are written to make it through the clutter. Well-crafted subject lines are the entry point to strong reader engagement. They represent a marketer's best chance to stand out in a very crowded field - they’re the first thing the prospect sees and the only way you have to convince them to move forward and open your message (if you can get past spam filters, of course).

Nine Tips for Writing Effective Subject Lines

Before you go any further, understand this: a subject line’s deceptively short length could take as much time to create as the email and landing page content combined. You have limited space and time in which to capture someone’s attention, so every character counts.

To make things go more smoothly, follow these nine tips to help you write subject lines that will encourage readers to open your email and engage with your call to action.

Keep them short. There's no doubt about it: fitting something compelling and interesting in a brief subject line can be a real challenge. Precise recommendations for subject-line length vary, but all sources agree that they must be kept short. For example, a Marketo study found that subject lines totaling seven words produce the highest click-through rates. Meanwhile, Hubspot says to aim for fewer than 50 characters.

Make sure to front-load the subject line with the most valuable information so that if it does get cut off - mobile devices may chop your subject line at a paltry 36 characters - what shows of your message is still enough to be clear.

Make sure they're connected to the body. A subject line has to reflect the content of the email. If a subject refers to or promises something that is not in the body of the message, readers will lose interest or, worse, get frustrated and discard the email completely. If they feel you’ve broken their trust, they may never engage with you again.

For example, when writing an email designed to follow up with the segment of prospects who toured a community one to two weeks ago, make sure the subject line reminds them of the community’s features or highlights a premier floor plan. The body of the email should continue that story by promoting exactly those things. Keep it simple and straightforward.

Write them last. To make sure the subject line is connected with the entire message, write the body of the email first, the subject line last. Then step back and look at the subject line and body copy together - do they make sense as part of a larger story? If not, start over. And as noted above, be prepared for the drafting of the subject line to take a while. Producing something short yet punchy can take more time than you might think.

Ask open-ended questions. Avoid subject lines that are yes or no questions. They end the conversation in just a word, and it’s likely your message will be discarded because the recipient has nothing else to gain.  Open-ended questions can dig into pain points, get them to second-guess the status quo, and incentivize open and click-through rates.

For example, when sending an email designed to re-engage the segment of prospects that toured 10 to 12 months ago but did not lease, don’t ask “Are you happy where you’re living?” That’s a dead end. Instead, ask “What’s missing from your current home?” Then use the body of the email to promote your community’s key differentiators, such as location or a stand-out amenity.

Be cognizant of spam. It would be a real shame to work long and hard on a message, only to have it end up in someone's spam folder. Fortunately, marketers can access a variety of tools and solutions that will help determine the likelihood of their messages landing in the abyss. While there are no guarantees, you should work to avoid certain phrases, terms, and techniques that are likely to trigger a filter.

Make use of A/B testing. Don't rely on intuition when trying to finalize your subject lines. A/B testing is a great way to determine which subject line is likely to result in the highest open rate. Many marketing automation tools provide this functionality - essentially, all you have to do is write two (or more) subject lines and let your software do the rest.

Consider the frequency of emails sent. Marketers have to be mindful of email fatigue balanced with the overall goals of their campaigns. A campaign that has to be run within a tight timeframe might require a fairly high number of emails in a short time period, while a longer nurture campaign may be complete after only a few messages. The more emails you send in a campaign, the more you need to vary your subject lines so your recipients don’t get overwhelmed or ignore what they perceive as the same message hitting their inbox over and over.

Avoid misspellings and improper grammar. It’s hard to overstate how much mistakes can damage your message. Your subject line should present you as professional, polished, and precise, so proofread, proofread, and proofread again before hitting send. (But don’t be too tentative about trying a technique like alliteration. Wordplay works!)

Consult the authorities. There is a wide range of good insight and advice on all matters pertaining to subject lines available online - and it’s constantly being updated. Marketo, MailChimp, and HubSpot are excellent resources, as is this tool that can help determine the emotional value of a subject line.

Above all, be sure you have realistic expectations about the impact of marketing emails. There’s no magic subject line that will guarantee user interaction. In fact, in this industry, open rates (which are influenced by your subject line) of 18 to 20 percent are considered quite good, as are click-through rates (which depend on your email content) of just 4 to 5 percent.

Subject lines will only succeed if you adhere to best practices and stay abreast of industry standards. Be prepared to constantly review, update, and tweak your messaging as you develop your email campaigns. With time and practice, you’ll be on your way to getting your message in front of the prospects who are destined to become your new residents.