How to Use Emojis in Your Subject Lines
Written by Erin Fisher
To learn if emojis can help your open rate, have a look at our previous article on emojis in your subject lines.
Before you add an emoji to your subject line, ask yourself if the emoji is going to add to the message and, more importantly, if the inclusion makes sense.
If you’ve answered yes and yes, then pull out that emoji keyboard and get typing.
You might include emojis in one of several ways: at the start of the subject line, at the end, or wrapping the text.
Check out these examples of emojis used in the subject line.
KLM and Booking.com have put their emojis at the front:
KLM is advertising a flying magazine, so the airplane emoji is a fitting addition. For Booking.com, they’ve chosen a subject line that makes the door emoji relevant.
In the line below, British supermarket chain Asda has included a tennis ball emoji, referencing current sport news while also advertising their products:
Meanwhile, Under Armor has put an emoji on either side, opting for wide eyes and a siren to show that they’ve got something they want you to see:
It’s important to remember that while emojis can help improve open rates, they aren’t a fix-all. You should start with a strong subject line and use emojis to enhance, rather than save.
You’ll also want to be sure that the emoji fits. There is certainly creative leeway, but you’ll want to avoid a faux pas like 😍 if your topic is somber, or 😡 attached to a subject line highlighting exciting news. Even if you aren’t fitting the topic perfectly, you’ll want to be sure that the mood of the subject line and the emoji match up.
Another concern? If the emoji doesn’t show up for some users, the subject line should still make sense. Maybe they’ll miss the fun 👗, but they’ll still know the details of your sale; or the ❗️won’t show, but their inbox will still show the exciting details. If you replace important information with emojis, and those emojis don’t translate, you could lose customers.
Once you’ve got your subject line picked out, and you’ve found the emoji you want to use, you’ll want to remember the important step we highlighted in our last article: test!