Everyone gets emails that they delete without reading. Though I don’t get anywhere near the 4 million emails a day that Bill Gates is rumored to receive, I trash about a third of the emails in my inbox. How can we keep our messages from this oblivion? Try writing better subject lines. What makes a subject line so compelling that the email will be read, instead of trashed without a look?  Lately, the best email subject lines in my inbox come from the health site,  RealAge.com. Who could resist opening a message with either of these subjects:

Tip: Try this cheap and tasty wrinkle fighter
Tip: Think this thought to curb overeating

Here are some lessons to draw from the RealAge subject lines:

Keep it short. You don’t want your most important words truncated by an email app, so keep to 50 characters or less.

Use plain, specific words. Words like cheap, tasty, wrinkle, curb.

Ask for action. This goes for internal emails to colleagues, coworkers, and even bosses, too. (Examples: “Review this plan by Friday” or “Need your recommendation to cut costs” )

Give thought to word order. The same idea can be written in many different ways. Which of the following makes the better subject line?

Subject: MetaCafe Insider Shares Video Campaign Secrets
Subject:  Video Campaign Secrets from Metacafe Insider

Well, that all depends on what you think the recipient cares about most: Metacafe or video campaigns.

Bottom line: Subject lines are the most important part of any email message. Don’t toss them off, or the message may get tossed out.