Did you know that the average attention span for most people is now 8 seconds?

This means we’re living in what some call an “attention economy.” You really only have a few moments to grab your readers’ attention. No matter what you are writing – an email, blog post, or landing page – make sure you keep it short and to the point.

People open your email based on the subject line you write. If it doesn’t grab their attention, they’ll find something else to do. You only have a few seconds to grab their attention before they move on, so it’s crucial that you make your headline stand out.

Here are some ideas on how you can write an appealing subject line that gets opened:

Ask a question.

If you’re asking a tight, specific question, there’s no way someone can resist opening it. Think: What is the best appliance to buy? How do I…? What should I…? When should I…? Where should I…? Why haven’t I…? Who should I…. ? Reference something familiar or popular.

Add urgency.

Urgency is a great way to get someone to read your email right away. A recent study by Movable Ink showed that emails with “urgent” in the subject line got opened almost twice as often as those without urgency words.

A sense of urgency is frequently the thing that makes readers want to open an email message. For example, you might say something like “Don’t miss this” or “Only 12 hours left.” It doesn’t make sense to include such things in every email message, but they can add pizazz when they’re appropriate.

Personalize it.

The easiest way to make your subject line more effective is to make it relevant to your recipient. This can be as simple as including his or her name or some other identifying information—like the number of times you’ve emailed him or her recently. For example, “John Smith: Your weekly report” gets more attention than “Weekly report.” And it’s more effective than simply “Weekly report.”

Be specific.

The subject line should include keywords about the content of your email that will attract people who might be interested in what you have to say. For example, if you’re sending about a training opportunity, use words like ‘training’, ‘professional development, or ‘grow’.

Vague or broad subject lines do not work well. Your subscribers will not know what the content of your email is about if you haven’t indicated it in the subject line. Use words that are specific and describe what your email is about including using numbers or percentages to indicate a discount for example.

Most people read email on their phones, so keep your message short.

A good length for an email subject line is 50 characters or less. The more text you have in your subject line, the less likely your email will get read.

Your email will get lost in a crowded inbox if your subject line is more than 60 characters long. Use numbers and symbols sparingly so that you’re not cutting into your word count. Also, avoid CAPITALIZING every letter (which looks like spam) or using all lowercase letters (which comes across as unprofessional).

It’s a wrap! For now…

Many marketers try to use lengthy subject lines, or even worse, a laundry list of information. This isn’t the best way to grab the attention of the reader, nor entice them to open your email. Your email should be crafted in a simple, concise manner that highlights the value it will bring.

Whether you see it or not, a lot of your work depends on the quality of your content. You can have all the right features in place, but none of that will matter if readers aren’t clicking through to read more. Your emails won’t sell.

For this reason, it’s important to write subject lines that stand out and get people to read the email in full (and hopefully reply with love!).