Email marketing is an invaluable tool for your dental practice. Every patient who has a smartphone has email at their fingertips—making this an ideal way to connect with them and grow your relationship outside the walls of your practice.
However, inboxes fill up quickly. This means you must stand out from the “noise” with relevant and eye-catching subject lines that patients can’t resist opening. Because even if the content of your email is perfect—it won’t do you any good if patients aren’t opening the email to see it.
To help you get started, we’ve gathered the four types of email subject lines that give you the best chance of standing out from the inbox crowd and getting opened.
Type 1: Appointment Reminders / Follow-ups
Nothing is more relevant to a patient than their own dental appointments. Whether they have an upcoming appointment, need to schedule one, or are waiting on follow-up from a recent visit, it’s a can’t-miss subject line opportunity. Here are some effective examples to get you started.
- Sample 1: REMINDER: Your Appointment is Next Week
- Sample 2: Schedule your appointment online TODAY
- Sample 3: Read NOW: Appointment follow-up
Once a patient has opened the email, the email should have a clear and concise message that provides them with information alluded to in the subject line, such as the date and time of their upcoming appointment.
Type 2: Promotions
It’s a simple fact that people love a good deal—and that extends to their dental care. Finding ways to provide additional value for your patients will pay off big in your subject line performance, particularly if you include offers that make them feel like part of an exclusive group or acknowledge a personal event. Here are a few ways to do this.
- Sample 1: Only for NEW patients – save on x-rays!
- Sample 2: EXCLUSIVE offer for our most loyal patients
- Sample 3: Happy Birthday! Here’s a gift just for you
Once they open the email, the offer you promised the patient should be front and center with a clear call to action on how to secure it. For example, if the offer is for a patient to receive a free dental whitening kit with their next visit, include a link to schedule their appointment online.
Type 3: Answer a Question
Patients often have questions about their oral health between appointments. Demonstrate that you’re the expert on oral health—and that you can take care of them even when they’re not at your practice—by providing valuable oral healthcare information via email.
- Sample 1: 3 simple ways to relieve tooth pain at home.
- Sample 2: Your COMPLETE guide to electric toothbrushes
- Sample 3: 4 foods to avoid if you have sensitive teeth.
In the body of the email provide the promised information in an easy-to-read format. This will demonstrate that patients can trust that your emails will meet their expectations going forward.
Type 4: Educate on Specific Procedures
This type of subject line works best when you target patients based on the type of treatment they need. Perhaps, you have a group of customers who’ve previously expressed an interest in whitening, or you’d like to target parents of pediatric patients to educate on the importance of fluoride treatments. These patients are ideally suited for subject lines tied directly to these specific procedures.
- Sample 1: Whiter teeth in 30 minutes – schedule NOW
- Sample 2: Why fluoride is essential for kids’ teeth…
- Sample 3: So, you need a crown? Now what…
Finding ways to target patients based on their history with your practice means you’ll offer them highly relevant content—an ideal way to keep them engaged with you going forward.
6 Quick Tips for All Subject Lines
- Include the word “You” or “Your”
- Keep it short; the first 25 characters are typically visible
- Personalize if you can & when appropriate
- Focus on one topic
- Lead with a number (when it makes sense)
- Test subject lines with free tools like this or this
As you continue to grow email marketing for your practice, utilizing these four types of subject lines can help you get your emails opened and build engagement with your email list. Testing which ones work best—and with which patient groups—will also go a long way in helping your practice utilize this powerful marketing tool to its fullest potential.
Happy emailing!
