Muck Rack conducted an analysis of over 5 million pitches to uncover what makes some stand out and get noticed. Here are some key findings on subject lines with an open rate above 90%:
- While it's commonly suggested to keep subject lines between 6-8 words to fit the preview, the study revealed that the most successful pitches had subject lines averaging 10 words or 64 characters, with many even longer.
- Effective subject lines avoided terms like "pitch" or "story idea." Instead, they frequently used words like "new," "embargo," "release," and "launch."
- Only 10% of the top-performing subject lines included any numbers or data.
- A winning formula for a subject line looked like this: [Brief context]: [Clear pitch summary]. For instance, "New app: Alternative destinations when fully booked" or "New Survey: Cloud-Native Benefits Hindered by Key Security and Networking Challenges—First Look?"
Remember, these strategies won't be effective if you target the wrong journalist or pitch a story that doesn't fit their interests. This is the crucial first step!