Write subject line last

Earlier this month I promised a short post about subject lines. The short version of the post is, develop the habit of writing the subject line of any email LAST. Writing the subject line last is a good learning strategy and a good time management strategy.

In the Dec. 3 post I wrote, “[Three Little Words] does force the reader to pay attention to what is most important. It is a bit like writing the subject line of a message in an online discussion thread or in an email--the short subject line forces the writer to think about what is most important.”

By writing the subject line last, you can always be sure your subject line reflects the most important information in your email, which is a good learning, thinking, and communication strategy. A good subject line can even entice the reader to actually READ your email.

Writing the subject line last is also a time saver.  If you have ever accidently pushed the send button before you finished writing an email, you know it took you as long--or longer--to write a second email as it took you to write the first partial email message. In the second email you had to explain your error and finish writing the message you intended to write in the first place.  If you accidently push the send message before you have finished the message and you have not written a subject line, your email cannot be sent! How simple is that for a timesaver tip!?

We will talk more about the importance of writing a good subject line and provide some examples next post—next year, 2015.