There are people with much more expertise in the area of emails and their power to move people to action than I have. But what I do bring to the table is my 40 years of experience as a ministry leader. Like any email creator, I want my communication to be read and acted upon. So do you!

Right out of the gate, let’s talk about the most important aspect of “getting someone to read your email.” That aspect is the subject line, which introduces “what’s on the inside.” I introduce this topic by referring to what it takes to be a good communicator. Those smarter than me will tell you that if you don’t grab your audience’s attention within the first few seconds, you’ll be hard-pressed to maintain their attention later. The beginning is always the key to engagement. So, effective pastors and other communicators spend time crafting their introductions. It often involves laying out the game plan of the message in the first few minutes. But it always involves an engaging illustration or “hook” that intrigues the listener and makes them want to listen further. If this is true with verbal communication, it is even more critical with electronic communication. You don’t have minutes to grab their attention; you only have seconds. Therein lies the power and importance of the subject line.

The subject line of the email needs to be both clear and concise. That’s what professionals will tell you. But from my perspective, it also needs to be interesting. It should stir curiosity and raise a question that the reader needs to have answered. Here are my “non-negotiables” when it comes to subject lines:

#1 Be specific to the email content. Whatever you’re communicating, give the reader a little bit of what’s on the inside.
#2 Keep it short with a maximum of 6–8 words. Don’t capitalize them either. A capitalized subject line has a tendency to trigger spam detection.
#3 Personalize when possible. If they see your name or organization, they will have more confidence that it’s okay to open it.
#4 Use action verbs within the subject line. There are books and articles written specifically to list action verbs alphabetically. You can browse the list and often find “just the right word” to use.
#5 Consider adding a question that forces a person to open the email for the answer.
#6 Always consider the audience you are appealing to. Young people require different slang, and older people also have their own slang. You get the idea.