Newsletter Subject Lines: 30 Examples for Ecommerce Emails That Aren't Sales

The best newsletter subject lines tell people what this specific email is about, in a few plain words, like a friend would. "Our October Newsletter" says nothing. "How to Pick Your Size" or "The Story Behind [Product Name]" gives people a reason to open. Name the topic, use the preview text to add the detail, and give every email one clear idea instead of five.

Most ecommerce newsletters get opened for one reason: there's a sale.

The rest of the time, the subject line says "Our [Month] Newsletter" or "News from [Brand Name]", and nobody knows why they should open it.

That's a problem, because the emails between your sales are the ones that build trust. They're why people buy from you later without needing a discount.

Below are 30 subject lines we'd start with for the emails that aren't sales: education, product, social proof, brand and founder emails, a monthly roundup and plain-text emails. Each one comes with preview text. Plus what to avoid and how to test them.

By Emiel Dingemans, Founder of Magicianly

Updated November 2026

What Makes a Good Newsletter Subject Line?

A good newsletter subject line tells people what's inside this email, not just that a newsletter arrived.

Here's what we check before one goes out:

• It names the topic. "3 Ways to Wear It" tells people what they'll get. "This Week at [Brand Name]" doesn't.
• It's short. We usually keep subject lines to 2 to 5 words, so the important part survives on a phone screen.
• It sounds like a person. Would a friend send this subject line to another friend? If not, it reads like marketing to your subscribers and to Gmail.
• It matches the email. If the subject line promises a guide, the guide is the first thing people see.
• The preview text adds something. Use it for the detail the subject line has no room for. Here's how we write email preview text.

Should Your Newsletter Look Like a Newsletter?

Usually not. Most brands that say "newsletter" mean a campaign that isn't a sale, and those work best when each email has one clear idea.

A newsletter with five stories, three products and a discount at the bottom is hard to write a subject line for, because there's no single reason to open it. One email about how to use your product, or one email with a customer story, is easy to sum up in a few words.

That's why we plan these emails by type: education, product, social proof and brand, spread across the week. Here's the full email marketing campaign strategy behind that.

A recurring monthly email can still work, as long as it has a clear format. Touchland sends a monthly email called "Your October Forecast" that shows what's new, so people have a reason to open it even when there's no launch. We wrote more about that in our article on selling consumable products.

What Subject Lines Work for Educational Emails?

Educational emails teach people something that helps them buy, use or understand your product. The subject line should promise the lesson.

Pick topics from the questions your customer service team gets every week. Those are the questions your subscribers have too.

What Subject Lines Work for Product Emails?

Product emails without a discount should still name the product or what it does. Someone who's been thinking about it will recognize it right away.

"Staff Picks This Month" only works if your team really picked them.

What Subject Lines Work for Social Proof Emails?

Social proof emails let your customers do the selling. The subject line can lead with the customer, the result or the review itself.

Use real reviews, real photos and real names, with permission. A made-up review is worse than no review at all.

What Subject Lines Work for Brand and Founder Emails?

Brand emails explain who you are and why you do things the way you do. They work when they feel personal, so the subject line can be too.

"It almost didn't happen" only works if there's a real story behind it. Don't write a cliffhanger the email can't deliver on.

What Subject Lines Work for a Monthly Roundup?

If you do send a monthly roundup, give it a name and a clear job, like showing what's new. Then use the month in the subject line so it feels like a recurring moment, not a random email.

Only say "you asked for" if customers really did ask for it.

What Subject Lines Work for Plain-Text Emails?

We like to send one to three plain-text emails a month. They look like they came from a person, which helps them land in the primary inbox. The subject line should look like a message from a person too, so lowercase and no punctuation tricks.

Lowercase is on purpose. These emails should look typed, not designed. Only ask a question if someone will actually read the replies.

How Do You Get People to Open Emails That Aren't Sales?

By sending emails that are worth opening, again and again. There's no single clever subject line that fixes this.

Trust comes from many touch points over time that show your subscribers you know what you're talking about and you're not only trying to sell them something. Educational emails are one of the best ways to do that. When you teach people something useful, you become the brand that helps them, not just another brand in their inbox.

And when people trust you, they buy without needing a discount to push them over the edge. That's better for your conversion rate and your margins.

So the subject line gets the open. The email decides whether people open the next one.

Which Newsletter Subject Lines Should You Avoid?

• "Our [Month] Newsletter." It tells people a newsletter exists, not why they should open it.
• Issue numbers. "Issue #14" means something to you, not to your subscribers.
• Vague hype. "You won't believe this" or "Big news inside" says nothing about what's in the email.
• Clickbait the email can't deliver. If the subject line promises a secret and the email is a product grid, people stop trusting your subject lines.
• Misleading subject lines. A fake "Re:" or "Your order" gets the open and loses the trust.
• All caps and stacked punctuation. They look like marketing to your subscribers and to inbox filters.

For the principles behind all of this, here are our email subject line best practices. And for sale emails, here are our promotional email subject lines.

How Should You Test Newsletter Subject Lines?

Test meaningfully different angles, not small wording changes. Tests worth running:

• curiosity vs direct ("The Mistake Most People Make" vs "How to Make [Product Name] Last Longer")
• a question vs a statement
• short vs long
• naming the product vs naming the benefit
• a plain-text email vs a designed email

Wait until each variation has around 1,000 recipients before you call a winner, and look past the open rate. For emails that aren't sales, clicks tell you whether people cared about the content. Over time, placed order rate and revenue per recipient tell you whether those emails help you sell. Here's how we run email A/B tests in general.

Then keep track of which angles win. After a few months, you'll know what your subscribers actually want to read about, and that's worth more than any single subject line.

So What Are the Best Newsletter Subject Lines?

• Name what's inside this specific email, not that a newsletter exists.
• Give every email one clear idea, so the subject line is easy to write.
• Write like a person: 2 to 5 words, no all caps, no stacked punctuation.
• Use the preview text for the detail.
• Mix education, product, social proof and brand emails instead of sending the same type every time.
• Only promise what the email delivers.
• Test angles, and judge on clicks and orders, not just opens.