The Art of the Click: Email Marketing That Actually Gets Opened

Cup O Content
Jul 4
2 min read

At Cup O Content, we believe every email should earn its keep. It should have a purpose, a personality, and above all—a subject line that actually gets someone to click. Otherwise, what’s the point?

Unfortunately, too many businesses treat email subject lines like afterthoughts. They get rushed, overlooked, or written in a way that sets off digital alarm bells. You may think you’re being clever, but to your reader, your subject line might scream: “Warning: Spam ahead!”

Let’s break down why your emails might be getting ignored—or worse, deleted—and what you can do to fix it.

Your Subject Line Is Trying Too Hard

You’ve seen them:

“You won’t believe what happened…”

“OPEN THIS NOW!”

“👀 Exclusive secrets inside…”

These kinds of subject lines used to work when inboxes weren’t flooded. But today, readers are savvier. They’ve been burned by clickbait. They know that “secrets” usually lead to thinly veiled sales pitches. So instead of being intrigued, they back away—fast.

Instead of trying to outsmart your reader, aim to serve them. Your subject line should make a promise that the email keeps. Clear always beats clever.

You're Not Writing for Real Humans

Robots love keyword stuffing. Humans don’t. If your subject line reads like it was generated by an over-caffeinated SEO bot, your audience will scroll right past it. Worse, they might even unsubscribe.

Write like a person. Better yet, write like a person your reader knows and likes. Consider the tone you’d use in a text message to a colleague or a Slack message to a client. That’s often a great place to start.

You’re Not Thinking About What’s In It for Them

“We’ve added new features!”“Exciting updates from our team!”“Quarterly newsletter inside!”

Yawn. Most readers don’t care about what you’re excited about unless you show them why it matters to them. Try flipping the perspective.

Instead of:

“New Service Offering: Strategic Social Media Audits”

Try:

“Is Your Social Media Strategy Stuck? Let’s Fix That.”

See the difference? One’s about you. The other’s about your reader.

Subject Line Fixes That Work

So how do you write subject lines that earn the click? Here are three quick tips we use at Cup O Content:

Lead with value: Tell readers what they’ll get from opening. Be specific and useful.
Keep it short: Aim for under 50 characters. Mobile readers will thank you.
Test and tweak: What works for one list might flop for another. Use A/B testing to learn what your audience responds to.

At the end of the day, a subject line is a headline. It’s the tiny billboard for your message. Make it count. Because no matter how gorgeous your email design is, if no one opens it—it may as well not exist.

Need help crafting emails people actually want to open? Then click here. (See what we did