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The subject line of your email can make or break your outreach efforts. It’s the first thing a business owner sees, and the deciding factor on whether they open your email.
For local business outreach, your subject line needs to grab attention, feel relevant, and provide immediate value.
Outline:
Personalization isn’t just about adding a name. It’s about showing the recipient that your email is meant for them specifically.
Including details like the company name, location, milestone, or previous interactions can make all the difference. For example:
“Sarah, boost weekend sales at your Chicago bakery”
“Tips to increase Johnson’s Hardware’s holiday sales”
Local business owners respond best to subject lines tied to their current needs or community context.
For example, a bakery in downtown Los Angeles might respond better to "LA's Sweetest Deal for Local Bakeries" than to a generic offer.
Similarly, seasonal references can make your subject lines more timely:
"Boost your downtown store's holiday weekend sales"
"Summer marketing strategies for Chicago restaurants"
These examples directly address the challenges and opportunities that local businesses face in their specific location and time of year.
By answering the "why now?" and "why me?" questions, your subject becomes more compelling.
Most emails are opened on mobile. If your subject line gets cut off, your message loses impact.
Keep it under 60 characters (ideally under 40) or between 6–10 words.
Instead of: “Revolutionary marketing solution for your enterprise”
Try: “Get more foot traffic this weekend”
You also need to prioritize readability in the email body. Keep paragraphs under four lines, use bold text and bullet points to improve scannability, and always preview your email on both desktop and mobile.
Strong verbs add urgency and make your subject line hard to ignore. Think “Boost,” “Unlock,” or “Discover.”
“Unlock 3 ways to increase lunch traffic”
Before you even think about writing, get a clear picture of who you’re targeting.
Start by building detailed profiles of your ideal customers. Think about factors like their industry, company size, location, and sales volume.
For example, a restaurant owner in downtown Chicago will have very different priorities compared to a boutique owner in suburban Phoenix. Your subject lines should reflect these unique needs.
Tools like Resquared, which has a database of over 13 million local businesses, can help you segment your audience effectively. You can filter by demographics, location, and more advanced filters.
As I mentioned before, personalization is not just about adding a name. Real impact comes from showing you understand the recipient’s business context.
Of course, scaling this level of personalization isn’t easy. If you’re sending 50 to 150 emails a day, you can’t realistically tailor each one by hand. That’s why it’s important to count on AI for support.
With Resquared, for example, AI Snippets automatically personalize each email with business context, helping you scale your outreach while boosting reply rates.
Curiosity is one of the most powerful drivers of openness. A subject line that hints at a benefit or insight (without giving it all away) encourages the reader to click.
Examples:
“The #1 mistake most gyms make in January”
“One simple idea to fill tables this weekend”
At this point, you know what a strong subject line needs. But it’s just as important that your email body delivers on the promise of the subject line.
When someone opens your email, the value proposition must be crystal clear.
Local business owners are busy. Your service may have incredible features, but features alone don’t impress — solving pain points does.
Ask yourself:
Here’s one example: we helped a client increase their response rate by more than 200%.
What works for one audience may not work for another. A/B testing your subject lines helps you learn what resonates.
Start by testing one variable at a time, like length, tone, or the use of numbers.
Send different versions of your subject line to segments of your list and track performance based on opens and replies.
Excessive capitalization or punctuation can come across as unprofessional and may even trigger spam filters. Avoid using ALL CAPS and limit punctuation, like “This offer ENDS NOW!!!”.
Misleading subject lines might get clicks at first, but they break trust and will damage your domain reputation.
Don’t use “RE:” or “FW:” unless it’s a genuine reply, and never promise something in the subject line that your email doesn’t deliver.
Misleading practices can even lead to legal consequences. For example, in 2023, Experian Consumer Services was fined $650,000 for sending emails that appeared to contain important account information but were product promotions.
Your subject line is the gateway to your email. By keeping it short, clear, personal, and locally relevant, you’ll stand out in crowded inboxes.
Treat subject line writing as an ongoing process: test, refine, and adapt to your audience’s needs.
With the right approach (and tools like Resquared), you can consistently write subject lines that get opened, spark conversations, and lead to more deals.
Mention their business name, location, or a timely event in their community. Example: “Congrats on Main Street Café’s anniversary!”
Avoid generic lines, clickbait, excessive punctuation, or subject lines that don’t match your email content.
Test variations (tone, length, personalization) to see which gets better open rates. Over time, you’ll build a library of subject lines proven to work for your audience.
