Are you forgetting to do this these quick essential tasks before hitting “send” on that beautifully written pitch email?
Improve your odds with editors using these easy email strategies
So, you have the best idea for a photo story, and you’ve found a publication that’s a perfect match.
You’ve spent hours polishing an amazingly well-crafted pitch. It’s concise, informative, and engaging. It’s perfect.
You hit send on an email to an editor with a few jitters in your stomach but feeling really certain about the potential for this story. It’s big, and you’re sure you’re going to hear back with a yes, and then…
…crickets.
But…. You did all the things!
You checked out the publication’s archive, ensuring your story fits perfectly with their content. You made sure your pitch had all the elements.
So, what happened?
It can feel so disheartening when you spend that much time and energy, and you have so much certainty, and then you just don’t hear back. You’re left wondering what went wrong.
There’s one gigantic hurdle you have to leap before you can strike up a conversation with an editor about your pitch: the editor has to open your email.
We live in a culture of information overload, where emails spill in so quickly it feels impossible to ever see the bottom of an inbox.
I’ve been fielding pitches in my email inbox as an editor since 2008.
Most of those pitches end up in the trash without ever being opened.
If that subject line doesn’t grab my attention and make me feel like there was something inside that email I needed to know, I have no time for that email. There aren’t enough hours in the day to open up those emails just to check and see if maaaaaybe there’s something to them.
That subject line HAS to get my attention.
Editors suffer the plight of overwhelmed inboxes as much as anyone else.
So, it’s your job to make sure your email stands out in that inbox so they not only see it but want to click on it.
Here are three keys to writing an outstanding subject line that stands out and is irresistibly clickable.
1. Brevity is Key
Your subject line is your opportunity to use your best words and no more than you need to. It’s not just about getting to the point; it’s also a strategic move based on how we access our email.
A hefty 46% of people access their email on mobile devices, and there’s only so much space on those tiny screens.
You want as much of your subject line as possible to be visible when an editor is scrolling through their emails on the go.
When it comes to mobile device screens, an ideal subject line that fits onto that screen is between 33 to 43 characters.
That’s about how much appears before the rest of the subject line is cut off.
To optimize your subject line readability for mobile devices, aim for about 45 characters or less.
That’s about 6 to 8 words in length, depending on the words you use, of course.
Getting a subject line down to six or eight words can seem really tough, especially if your story is complex.
There’s an urge to load up your subject line with details that you think will spark the interest of that editor.
But if you use the right words, you can make the subject line even more enticing by leaving details out. You’ll open up a curiosity loop that will tickle the editor’s brain and make them really curious.
Once you’ve got curiosity, you’ve got them hooked.
2. Spark Curiosity or Surprise
One of the most powerful drivers of action is curiosity. Curiosity is a powerful force inside our brains. It’s an itch that has to be scratched.
As soon as we become curious, we’re driven to find out the answer, which means we’re driven to click on that article, image, or email.
Use this in your subject line and earn that click from the editor who now really wants to know more about your story.
Think about the keywords of your story—the single words that sum up the elements of who, what, when, where, why, or how inside your story.
Let’s say your story is about wintering ducks that are devouring wolves that come to drink from ponds in winter (hey, it could happen!).
Your keyword list might include ducks, carnivorous, wolves, winter, attack, ponds, drinking.
Make a list of the keywords that get at the core elements of your story. Things like species names, location names, behaviors, times of year, activities, consequences, or interactions.
Use this list to form subject lines that are punchy yet truthful, that spark curiosity or surprise without being cutesy or cliché.
Your subject line can even pose a question. Just make sure you’re using your best words and focusing on sparking that drive to read more.
3. Use Brackets
This simple strategy can make a big difference. Use brackets around a word at the very front of your subject line to help it visually stand out in an email inbox and help the editor quickly notice the purpose or importance of that subject line. Consider using brackets to surround a word that an editor will find important, such as [PITCH], [TIMELY], or [EXCLUSIVE].
For example, your subject line could read something like:
- [PITCH] Winter Ducks Attack Wolves
- [TIMELY] Annual Wolf Migration Story
- [EXCLUSIVE] Captivating Story Unfolding Now
Try not to be sensationalistic or over the top (like I’ve done here, ha!), but provide some level of curiosity, surprise, or urgency that will get an editor to notice that email.
Brackets help your subject lines stand out from the collection of words in an email inbox, making them more likely to be noticed and opened.
Putting It All Together
These three keys—brevity, sparking curiosity or surprise, and using brackets—are your toolkit for crafting a subject line that grabs an editor’s attention. Let’s review:
- Brevity: Aim for subject lines that are 45 characters or less, roughly 6 to 8 words, to ensure they are visible on mobile devices.
- Curiosity or Surprise: Use keywords from your story to craft a subject line that sparks curiosity or surprise, driving the editor to want to know more.
- Brackets: Use brackets around a word that signifies the importance or purpose of your email to make it stand out in the inbox.
By taking an extra 15 to 20 minutes to focus on your subject line, you can dramatically improve the click-through rate of your pitch emails.
The first step to being considered for publication is getting the editor to read your pitch, and the first thing the editor sees is the subject line.
It’s well worth the effort to craft a subject line that maximizes your chance of a click-through.
