You can write a killer email with the best pitch in the world, but if you don't catch the interest of your reader then your pitch will be dead before they ever get a chance to read it. The first step to creating a good email is to write a good subject line.

Here are 5 steps to writing a great subject line for your email:

  1. **Write your main points first. **The amount of space you have to write in your subject line may be limited to 10 words of text. You need to make sure that you get your message across right off the bat. You may be able to get in a few other points as well, but you need to prioritize your message. Remember, it takes a smart man to write a long message and a genius to write a short one.

  2. Appeal to your target buyers. Some people feel that if only a few people are opening their emails, then they have failed with their message. Try to focus on getting your emails opened by the people who are actually going to buy your products or services. If you expect 10% of the people who you email to buy from you and that 10% opens your email, then you are off to a brilliant start. Don't worry about the guys who weren't planning on buying from you in the first place.

  3. Set a deadline. If your readers feel they have to respond quickly, they may read and are much more likely to act on your message.

  4. Watch the spam filters! Spam filters can be great for keeping out real spam, but they can also be the most annoying things in the world when you are trying to send a message. Even very innocent messages get triggered as spam a lot of the time. Check lists of spam words to see what words are likely to get flagged. Also, be careful with your punctuation. Spam filters can be really picky, but you have to appeal to them before a human reader.

  5. Test what works and what doesn't. Any marketing campaign is trial and error. Test different subject lines and monitor the results.

Writing a great email subject line is the key to getting your message across. If your subject line isn't written right, then your message will never get read. Take the time to tailor your pitch and make sure you call your reader to action the moment your message goes into their inbox.