Many real estate representatives don’t put very much thought into their emails’ subject lines when sending updates to their mailing list. Yet your email’s subject line is critical because it determines whether your email is read or not. Very specific subject lines get your emails read; vague ones get them ignored. Subject lines are just one part of The Awesome Power of Email.

I subscribe to many email mailing lists for many different things. So each day many different emails compete for my attention and limited time. All too often I read subject lines from these mass mailings that just don’t interest me. These emails might actually have interesting content, but if the sender doesn’t hook me with the subject line, they risk not being read at all. I might come back to such an email a few days later, but by then there will be many new emails vying for my attention. So emails with vague, uninteresting subject lines have an even less chance of being read later on.

If your emails don’t get read, you don’t build relationships. If you don’t build relationships, you don’t make money.

Here are a few of the most uninteresting yet common types of email subject lines some real estate professionals.  Avoid them:

Subject: “November 2008 Toronto Real Estate News”

There’s nothing very specific in this subject line about what is in the email. Remember: every single word counts in your subject line. So avoid unnecessary information like the ‘November 2008’ part. ‘Toronto Real Estate News’ is pretty vague and gives no clear indication about exactly what’s in the newsletter. This email could be talking about ANYTHING on Toronto real estate, and there are obviously a multitude of facets to that. Consequently, there’s little about this subject line that makes me want to open this email. If I’m unclear about an email’s value to me I will pass it by in favor of emails I know or think might be interesting and therefore valuable. A better subject line would be “Condo Prices Spike Up In The Distillery District”

Subject: “Mortgage Trends Fall 2008″

The “Fall 2008” part is unnecessary. “Mortgage Trends” is more specific than “Toronto Real Estate News” but I still don’t know exactly information is in this email. This subject line is uninteresting because there’s nothing very unique about the information you’re offering here. I can go to the web and find any amount of information on mortgages in seconds and probably find exactly what I’m looking for very quickly. I’m also far more likely to open an email from a mortgage broker on the same topic because they’d probably have more insight into mortgage matters than a real estate professional. So it’s best to stick to the areas you are most knowledgeable in. A better subject line here would be “Mortgage Interest Rates Plummeting In Toronto”.

Email Marketing

Now here are some examples of compelling email subject lines:

Subject: “Just Listed: 242 High Park Ave. in Roncesvalles”

This subject line is very specific. When I see this I know you have a new listing and the neighborhood it’s in: Roncesvalles in Toronto West. Yet I might not recognize the exact street, so there’s a reason for me to open and read the email.

Subject: “Open House: 242 High Park Ave. in Roncesvalles”

Another very specific subject line. I immediately know what’s in this email: someone (presumably the real estate professional I’m getting the email from) is having an open house for a property located at 242 High Park Ave. Just as your listing ads should contain most but not all information about the property, so should your subject lines. Give them a reason for finding out more. Then get them writing to you, and keep them writing to you by asking questions about what they’re looking for. Soon enough you’ll be talking to them on the phone. Nosy neighbors love knowing about open houses in their neighborhood. The smart ones check some of them out even if they aren’t moving in the near future, just to see how properties are selling in the neighborhood. Moreover, what other opportunity do the local gossips get to walk through their neighbor’s entire homes? This subject line compels people to open this email because key pieces of information are withheld: they don’t know what days or times the open house is happening, and they probably won’t know much about the house itself just based on the address either. If the recipient cares at all about open houses in this listing’s neighborhood they will open this email. The information is very timely, so there’s a good chance they’ll forward this email to people they know currently interested in buying or selling a home in the general area.

Subject: “Just Sold: 242 High Park Ave. in Roncesvalles”

Remember, continuity breeds interest: this is the third email I’ve got about 242 High Park Ave. It’s now very hard for any member of this mailing list to ignore this real estate representative has a Roncesvalles area listing. Again, the subject line leaves no doubt about what the email is. You’ve been telling your list about this same property for a while, and now you have the results to brag about. Even if your recipients didn’t care much about your new listings or open houses, if they live in the neighborhood where this listing is they will almost certainly want to know how much it sold for. So they’ll open it. They may even forward it to friends who are moving soon.

I teach real estate reps much more about subject lines and email in my RECO approved course The Awesome Power of Email.