Some of The Best Email Subject Lines Use Humor
Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2025 9:56 am
This is one of those tips everyone talks about but very few people can actually master.
We all have different senses of humor.
Jokes don't always carry too well in emails - they can be misunderstood or just fall flat.
You need to be careful.
"If you get this right you can form a deeper connnection with your subscribers and even get people forwarding your email around to others."
I know one marketer who used to put out a weekly email which had offers and a bunch of jokes in it.
It was always his most responsive email of the week.
This is where you need to be cautious.
Like many of these tactics - the idea is to mix and uae number data match and use them sparingly.
Here's some examples of subject lines I've used to raise a laugh AND raise revenue (each one linked to an offer of course which got sales);
SUBJECT: Knock, knock
NOTES:
Inside I spoke about how opportunity was knocking and if they didn't answer by seizing this offer they would miss out.
SUBJECT: How many internet marketers does it take to change a lightbulb?
NOTES:
Inside I said I didnt know the answer but you could be sure they would make an Ebook about it and sell it.
I then linked through to an offer which taught them how to create their own digital products.
Another way to get attention and stand out in the inbox is to...
Be Controversial (in Short Doses!)
Sending Controversial EmailsThis one is not for the weak-hearted...
It also does not suit every type of business.
But if you are running a business where you can position yourself as the spokesperson and people are getting to know you then it can work really well.
Many businesses are scared of offending anyone so they fall into the trap of just being "beige";
Safe for everyone but exciting to nobody.
The real trick to succeeding with email is to polarize - turn half the people off and half the people on.
Think about it;
Would you rather have 1000 people on your email list who think you are "meh" or 500 people who think you are AMAZING and pay attention to your every word?
This is what being controversial can do.
The trick is not to over-do it - don't push the line too far and don't use it too often.
You also need to make sure you can justify what you are saying and address the controversy as soon as possible when people start reading the email.
As my good friend and fellow email marketing expert Ben Settle says;
We all have different senses of humor.
Jokes don't always carry too well in emails - they can be misunderstood or just fall flat.
You need to be careful.
"If you get this right you can form a deeper connnection with your subscribers and even get people forwarding your email around to others."
I know one marketer who used to put out a weekly email which had offers and a bunch of jokes in it.
It was always his most responsive email of the week.
This is where you need to be cautious.
Like many of these tactics - the idea is to mix and uae number data match and use them sparingly.
Here's some examples of subject lines I've used to raise a laugh AND raise revenue (each one linked to an offer of course which got sales);
SUBJECT: Knock, knock
NOTES:
Inside I spoke about how opportunity was knocking and if they didn't answer by seizing this offer they would miss out.
SUBJECT: How many internet marketers does it take to change a lightbulb?
NOTES:
Inside I said I didnt know the answer but you could be sure they would make an Ebook about it and sell it.
I then linked through to an offer which taught them how to create their own digital products.
Another way to get attention and stand out in the inbox is to...
Be Controversial (in Short Doses!)
Sending Controversial EmailsThis one is not for the weak-hearted...
It also does not suit every type of business.
But if you are running a business where you can position yourself as the spokesperson and people are getting to know you then it can work really well.
Many businesses are scared of offending anyone so they fall into the trap of just being "beige";
Safe for everyone but exciting to nobody.
The real trick to succeeding with email is to polarize - turn half the people off and half the people on.
Think about it;
Would you rather have 1000 people on your email list who think you are "meh" or 500 people who think you are AMAZING and pay attention to your every word?
This is what being controversial can do.
The trick is not to over-do it - don't push the line too far and don't use it too often.
You also need to make sure you can justify what you are saying and address the controversy as soon as possible when people start reading the email.
As my good friend and fellow email marketing expert Ben Settle says;