• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, 2 hours ago

It may be only Sept. 16, but Black Friday and Cyber Monday are here for marketing teams. That means you have to write some emails—with compelling subject lines, as Validity points out in a recent online article it posted on the subject. 

Here are some general tips from Validity for writing effective email subject lines for the cyber weekend.  

• Pay close attention to the entire inbox experience, not just the subject line. While important, the subject line is only as effective as the rest of the inbox envelope.
• Forget about personalization, at least for this one time--holiday shoppers are buying for others, and the zero and first-party data you have won’t necessarily be useful when creating subject lines for that group. 
• Lead with the story, not just sales—make sure deals are not all you talk about. 

Now here are some more general rules about subject lines: 

• Be concise—that is, don’t exceed nine words or 60 characters.
• Get personal where you can—personalized subject lines do  outperform generic ones.
• Segment your list—In other words, tailor your subject lines to each group’s preferences. 
• Create urgency and intrigue, but don’t overdo it—Make sure your last-chance subject lines are genuine.

Okay, you get all that. But you still have deals to offer. Here are some good examples from brands: 

• 30% off towels (!)
• All signs point to 55% off
• 30% Off Sitewide--Our Biggest Sale EVER
• Don't Miss Out! 20% Off Sale Ends Soon
• Black Friday: 30% Off Everything!

Now here are some samples of other deal types—i.e., free shipping, free gifts and flash sales. 

• Free Shipping for Your Style Refresh
• Save over $700 on Hootsuite plans and certification
• Boost motivation with gifts startinng at $50.95
• Save $150 for Cyber Week!
• Win a $6,500 pro studio setup
• The same features you love, just for a lot less
• Cash in on this opportuity
• Black Friday: 6 awesome deals FTW

Here’s one more thing to remember: Don’t stop emailing after the big weekend. People will still be shopping at the end of the year and beyond.