Please Use the E-mail Subject: Field Properly

How you use the Subject: field can make a world of difference in how your email is perceived and even if it gets opened. Here are some basic no-nos:

• Don’t use the Subject: as a place to ask your question and leave the e-mail blank.
• Don’t use all lower case in the Subject: field.
• Don’t use all caps in the Subject: field.
• Don’t be misleading in the Subject: field.
• Don’t do “spammy things” in the Subject: field

The Subject: is just that–the “subject”–not the content. The Subject: field should be a handful of words, typed properly, that accurately indicate the e-mail’s content–nothing more.

Putting entire e-mails in the Subject: field itself blank smacks of lack of tech savvy.  Not to mention making reading the e-mail more difficult for the recipient as in most programs one has to scroll to be able to read an arm’s length Subject: field before opening it.

Using all lower case gives the impression the Sender may not be credible or even worse; uneducated.  All caps, can look spammy while adding unintended emphasis.  Always type Subject: fields with proper sentence structure and case.

Never be misleading as to the content of your e-mail.  Many folks will rely on your choice of Subject: field content to determine even if they will open your e-mail.  Don’t take that risk.

Same goes for “spammy things” which are criteria spam filters look for to determine the spam score for every e-mail.   E-mail spam scores can determine if an e-mail is bounced or returned or even sent directly to Trash and deleted.  The Subject: field is part of that spam score and if you do things that are typical of the tactics spammers use, your e-mail could be misidentified and blocked.

For more information read my articles: How to Avoid Looking Spammy and the 5 Essentials of Every E-mail.

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