Question:

Did you know that email marketing has an ROI of 4,000%?

Unbelievable, isn’t it?

That jaw-dropping statistic is straight from the Direct Marketing Association, the world’s leading independent organization for data-driven marketers.

According to their research, email marketing delivers a whopping $40 per dollar spent.

But that’s not all…

At $40 per dollar spent email marketing CRUSHED everything else:

• Mobile produced $10.51 per dollar spent
• Social media produced $12.71 per dollar spent
• Display produced $19.72 per dollar spent
• And search produced $22.24 per dollar spent

So –

Despite the rumors that “email is dead”, nothing could be further from the truth.

In reality…

Email Marketing Is The ULTIMATE Online Sales Tool

But it’s not as simple as that.

Have you ever stared at your screen – waiting for ideas to “pop” into your head on what to write about – but coming up with nothing?

Even worse is actually writing the email and sending it out, then discovering that you didn’t make one sale.

But before we get into the 10 “Fill In The Blank” Email Subject Lines that work best…

Here is some cool stuff I’ve done recently (in case you wanted to know who the heck I was before I give you email marketing advice):

• I’ve interviewed over 100 of the world’s top online marketers on email marketing (189,828 podcast downloads and counting)
• I’ve helped several people generate 6-figure pay-days with my email strategies
• I’ve trained 387 copywriters with my coaching products

In other words… I’m an email marketing expert and I’m here to help.

Now, about these templates –

I’ll start with the original subject line, explain why it worked, then turn it into a “fill in the blank” format for you to copy and paste directly into your emails.

Also, keep in mind that some of these emails made me money immediately while some of them built the foundation for more long term sales.

1. Boom shaka laka taka tooka boo

Why It Worked

When it comes to email marketing, weirdness works wonders.

Think about it.

Most people get the same boring emails from everyone in the industry, so when an email arrives that has gibberish in the subject line, they snap to attention.

What The Email Said

This email explained why the subject line doesn’t matter as much as people think it does.

If you were selling jewellery products (or anything else, for that matter), tell them that you did it to get their attention, because you believe your product is so great that you have an ethical duty to get it into the hands of as many people as possible… and THAT’S why you used a weird subject line to get their attention.

The “Fill In The Blanks” Version

Boom shaka laka taka tooka boo

But be sure to answer someone’s question of “what the heck this is” as soon as they open it.

Misleading people just to get an open never works well in the long run.

2. Abraham Lincoln’s guide to email marketing

Why It Worked

3 reasons:

#1 – Everyone knows who Abraham Lincoln is

#2 – My audience is interested in email marketing

#3 – The combination of “Abraham Lincoln” and “email marketing” creates a TON of curiosity.

What The Email Said

There’s a famous story about Abraham Lincoln that recounts how he faced failure after failure, but was elected president in 1860.

The lesson?

If you want success, you have to be prepared to fail.

And if you want to shorten your learning curve…

…buy my product.

The “Fill In The Blanks” Version

Abraham Lincoln’s guide to INSERT_YOUR_NICHE

Examples:

Abraham Lincoln’s guide to gardening

Abraham Lincoln’s guide to becoming a rockstar

Abraham Lincoln’s guide to SEO

3. This is a promo email

Why It Worked

Most people try and hide the fact that they’re selling, so when someone admits it upfront, people are intrigued.

They read my sales email with expecting and hoping to be sold to.

This makes them more likely to purchase.

What The Email Said

It was a straight pitch for one of my products.

The “Fill In The Blanks” Version

This is a promo email

Be sure to promote your product in the email.

4. Quick question

Why It Worked

It is REALLY hard for someone to ignore a subject like this.

It’s the sort of thing you’d say to a friend at work or on Facebook.

What The Email Said

The email contained a question or a link to a survey.

The question can be as simple as:

“Are you getting value from these emails? Hit REPLY and let me know.”

(By the way, if you want to make more money, survey your list. You’ll get amazing insights on how to connect with them and generate more sales).

The “Fill In The Blanks” Version

Quick question

Perfect for gathering deep audience insights that will form the basis of future promotions.

5. Why email open rates don’t matter

Why It Worked

Everyone thinks email open rates matter, so I’m challenging conventional wisdom here.

That makes it intriguing.

What The Email Said

It explained why I believe open rates don’t matter and what I believe does matter (empathy, understanding your audience, and writing to their needs).

Then it pitched my product on how to do the part that does matter.

The “Fill In The Blanks” Version

Why INSERT_CONVENTIONAL_WISDOM doesn’t matter

Examples:

Why going to the gym doesn’t matter

Why eating healthy doesn’t matter

Why doing what you love doesn’t matter

You can also tweak it. The key is to challenge convention wisdom:

Why lifting weights won’t make you strong

Why working 20 hours a day won’t make you rich

Why you don’t need to be a productivity superstar

6. Thanks for getting in touch

Why It Worked

It’s personal.

I use this email in my consulting business to get people on the phone (because that’s where the big deals happen).

When they visit my “hire me” page, or sign up and click “I’d like to hire someone”, this email is sent to them automatically (with some marketing automation wizardry).

What The Email Said

It thanks them for getting in touch, then asks them to book in a time for a quick chat about their business.

The “Fill In The Blanks” Version

Thanks for getting in touch

The context is important:

Set this email to automatically go out to anyone who visits your “hire me” or “contact us” page (it’s simple with software like Drip, ActiveCampaign or AWeber).

7. The 7 letter secret to email marketing

Why It Worked

Everyone likes simple secrets that solve their target problem (in my case, email marketing).

What The Email Said

The email explained that the secret to email marketing is empathy (a 7 letter word).

Instead of subject lines, headlines, bullets, and being persuasive, I told people they needed to focus on understanding their prospects first and foremost.

If they wanted to learn how to do that, they should buy my product.

The “Fill In The Blanks” Version

The 7 letter secret to INSERT_NICHE

Examples:

The 7 letter secret to SEO

The 7 letter secret to making money online

The 7 letter secret to gardening

Choose a word that you can use for this email, and change “7 letter” to however many letters it contains.

If I was doing gardening, I might say “The 4 letter secret to successful gardening” and explain that soil (not plants) was the key to having a gorgeous garden.

8. Did you get my email?

Why It Worked

Like some of the other emails on the list, it comes across as very personal.

What The Email Said

It said that I’d sent them an email a few hours ago, that I hadn’t heard from them, and that I was worried that they hadn’t received it.

So if they had 2 seconds, could they please hit reply and let me know if they’d received it.

Works like a charm (and the replies help you to stay out of the Spam filter and the Gmail promotions tab).

The “Fill In The Blanks” Version

Did you get my email?

9. One more thing

Why It Worked

Short and sweet (and very personal).

How could you NOT open an email like that?

What The Email Said

This email was VERY short:

If you want to hire someone to write your emails, click here.

I use it to segment out the potential consulting clients in my database and customize my emails to them.

This is good for giving them information that they might not know… such as an expiring offer, another product you haven’t told them about, or the fact that you can work with them 1 on 1.

The “Fill In The Blanks” Version

One more thing

10. Welcome to the family (please read)

Why It Worked

This is the first email in my email sequence.

“Welcome to the family” makes it personal.

And “(please read)” adds pressure and urgency.

I think it was Clay Collins who came up with this subject line.

What The Email Said

This email is one of the most important emails in my sequence, as it sets the stage for everything to come.

It welcomes them into my community, explains what to expect, tells them that I’m not a library of free information and that I’ll be selling them stuff over the coming days and weeks.

The “Fill In The Blanks” Version

Welcome to the family (please read)

Now It’s Time To Write Your Emails

You’ve now got 10 killer “fill in the blank” subject lines for your email campaigns.

Plus, you also understand how powerful email marketing can be (remember, the DMA reported a 4,100% return-on-investment with email marketing), and this will motivate you to take action and execute.

So –

Now it’s time to get busy writing emails because that’s where the magic happens.

Want To Master Email Copywriting?

Want to write emails that get a response?

Want to really connect with your subscriber?

Want to make more money, either as an email copywriter or promoting your own products?

Then you need this…

4-Week Email Copywriting Masterclass

John McIntyre will show you in 4 Weeks, How To Create A Brutally Effective Email Autoresponder Sequence That You Can Sell To Clients For $200 to $1,000 (Or Hey, Use It To Grow Your Own Business)

Check Out the John McIntyre Masterclass today!