Email Subject Line Ideas to Boost Your Open Rates for Ecommerce Brands

If you’ve ever stared at the subject line box for far too long with a cup of stone cold tea next to you, this blog is for you...

Email is still one of the most powerful tools you have as a product based business. You are not at the mercy of algorithms, you are landing directly in someone’s inbox. But that also means you are fighting for attention to get your email opened.

Your subject line is the tiny teaser that decides whether your lovely email gets opened or ignored.

So let’s make it work harder.

I'm going to take you through 11 subject line strategies you can start using straight away, even if you feel like you never have any ideas for them.

1. Start with who you’re talking to, not what you’re saying

Before you even write a word, think: “Who is this email for, and what do they care about today?”

You will write a very different subject line for:

• A VIP who buys from you every month

• A brand new subscriber who has never ordered

• A lapsed customer who hasn’t opened an email in 6 months

Even if your segments are super simple for now, try to at least separate:

1. Engaged (people opening / clicking recently)

2. Unengaged (people who haven’t opened in a while)

3. Customers vs non-customers

Then adapt your subject line to match.

Examples:

• For recent buyers: “Your favourite print, styled 3 new ways”

• For non-customers: “Still thinking about us? Here’s a little nudge…”

Personalisation starts with the audience, not with “Hi {{ first_name }}”.

2. Use personalisation that actually feels personal

Yes, adding someone’s first name can give a teeny bump in open rate. But the real magic is in using what you know about them.

Think about:

• What they have browsed

• What they have bought

• How long they have been on your list

• How often they tend to order

You can turn this into simple subject lines like:

• “Your favourite necklace is back in stock”

• “Ready for a top-up of your favourite hand cream?”

• “You joined us 30 days ago – ready for something special?”

If you do use their name, keep it natural. Less:

• “Katie, OPEN THIS NOW”

More:

• “Katie, a little Friday treat for you”

Personalisation should feel like recognition, not like shouting.

3. Keep it short and punchy

Most people are reading emails on their phone. Long subject lines get cut off and lose their impact.

As a rough guide:

• Aim for 5–7 words

• Or around 35–45 characters

You do not need to cram the entire story into the subject line. Its only job is to get the click.

Stronger subject lines:

• “New mugs just landed”

• “Last 24 hours of our sale”

• “Cosy jumpers. Zero itch.”

VS:

• “We are excited to tell you about our new collection of mugs that has just arrived”

If it sounds like a sentence from a corporate memo, it is probably too long.

4. Use urgency gently, not aggressively

Urgency works. People are more likely to act if they know:

• A discount is ending

• Stock is low

• A cut-off date is looming (payday, last delivery date, Christmas post…)

The key is to use it like seasoning, not like a megaphone.

Nice, gentle urgency:

• “Last day for guaranteed Christmas delivery 🎁”

• “Sale ends tonight (and it’s a good one)”

• “Final few in your size”

Too much, too often:

• “FINAL FINAL FINAL CHANCE!!!”

• “OPEN NOW OR MISS OUT FOREVER”

Also, do what you say you are going to do. If you say “last day” then keep it the last day, or your audience will stop believing you.

5. Spark curiosity, but make sure you deliver

Curiosity is one of your best tools. A subject line that creates a small “information gap” makes people want to open to close the loop.

Examples:

• “The one thing people always ask us in DMs…”

• “We nearly didn’t launch this”

• “A tiny change that made a big difference in our studio”

If you use this style, you must actually answer the question or pay off the tease inside the email. Otherwise it starts to feel click-baity, and your subscribers will quickly lose trust.

6. Write like a human, not a corporate brand (or AI)

Your best subject lines will often sound like something you would text to a friend.

Try reading your subject line out loud and imagine it popping up on WhatsApp. Does it sound like you would ever say those words?

Human-led:

• “New in: ridiculously soft socks”

• “We made a thing and we are obsessed”

• “A tiny thank you from us to you”

Not so human:

• “New product range designed to optimise your lifestyle”

Your small business superpower is that you can be personal, warm and a bit playful. Use it.

7. Be clear about offers. Don’t hide the good stuff.

If you are running a specific offer, there is no prize for being mysterious.

You do not have to be “clever” if saying it plainly is more helpful for your audience.

Examples:

• “Today only: 20% off knitwear”

• “Free gift with all orders over £40”

• “Buy 2 prints, get the 3rd half price”

Being straight to the point also means the people who are not interested can skip it, which is fine. You want people opening your emails because they are genuinely interested, not because they were tricked.

8. Treat emojis and punctuation like hot sauce

Fun, but very easy to overdo.

Used well, an emoji can add personality or help something stand out. Used badly, it can make you look spammy.

As a simple rule:

• Use 0–1 emojis per subject line

• Avoid long strings like “🎉🎉🎉 SALE 🎉🎉🎉”

• Let the words do most of the work

Same goes for punctuation.

One question mark or exclamation mark is plenty:

• “Ready for something cosy?”

• “New ceramics have landed!”

“?!?!??!???!?!” belongs in your private WhatsApp chats, not your customer’s inbox.

9. Make your preview text part of the subject line

Think of:

• Subject line = the hook

• Preview text = the supporting act

If you do not set preview text, most email platforms will just pull through the first line of your email, which is often “View this email in your browser”. Not very inspiring.

Instead, write preview text that:

• Adds context

• Builds curiosity

• Answers “what’s in it for me?”

Examples:

Subject: “New prints, same cosy vibe”
Preview: “A first look at our autumn drop (before the world sees it)”

Subject: “Last day for 15% off gifts”
Preview: “Cut-off for guaranteed pre-Christmas delivery”

Treat subject line + preview text as a little duo working together.

10. Let AI help, but keep your voice

Most email platforms now have an AI subject line tool tucked away somewhere. These are brilliant for getting you unstuck, especially on days when your brain feels like porridge.

Here is how I suggest you use AI:

1. Start with your own idea: Type the subject line you would naturally write.

2. Ask AI for 5–10 variations: For example: “Make this more playful” or “Give me 5 shorter, more urgent versions”.

3. Pick, mix and edit: Often AI will give you words or phrases you would not have thought of. Use the bits you like, delete the rest, and tweak so it still sounds like you.

4. Avoid copy-pasting blindly: AI does not know your customers like you do. It is very good at sounding generic. You are in charge of making sure the final subject line fits your brand and your people.

Think of AI as your brainstorming buddy, not the boss.

11. Test, track and reuse your winners

There is no magic formula I can give you that will work for every brand, every audience and every season. The “secret” is:

Test. Notice what works. Do more of that.

A few simple habits:

• A/B test subject lines whenever you send a big campaign.

• Change one thing at a time: length, curiosity vs clarity, with vs without emoji.

• Keep a little “swipe file” of your best performers.

• Note the subject line, open rate, topic and segment.

• Re-use and tweak

• If a subject line smashed it last year for your summer sale, bring it back with a tiny refresh this year.

Over time you will spot patterns:

Maybe your audience loves questions, maybe they adore emojis, maybe they always open emails that mention “cosy” or “gifts under £30”, that is your data quietly showing you what to do next.

Steal these 15 subject line prompts

To finish, here are some fill-in-the-blank prompts you can swipe next time you are stuck:

• “{{ first_name }}, a little [day of week] treat”

• “New in: [product type] for [specific use]”

• “The story behind our [bestseller]”

• “Last day for [offer]”

• “We made this for people who [specific problem]”

• “Your [product] just got an upgrade”

• “3 ways to style your [product] this season”

• “You asked, we listened…”

• “Back in stock: [bestseller]”

• “A tiny thank you from us”

• “Can we help you choose your [product]?”

• “[Number] gifts under £[price]”

• “Before you hit checkout…”

• “The one thing I wish I knew when I started [your niche]”

• “Behind the scenes of [launch / collection name]”

Pick one, personalise it for your brand and your segment, then send the email.

Before you hit send…

Subject lines can feel like one of those tiny-but-enormous tasks that sit on your to-do list for days, but once you understand the basics, who you’re talking to, what they care about, and how to keep things simple, it all becomes so much easier.

Remember: you don’t need to be clever, or loud, or use every trick under the sun. You just need to be clear, human, and consistent. Keep testing, keep noting what works, and let your audience quietly teach you what they love.

And if you ever find yourself staring at a blank subject line box again, come back to this guide, use the prompts, or let AI give you a nudge.

Your next great email is always just one line away.