If you want to write better subject lines, article titles and teasers, reach for a National Geographic magazine cover and study the taglines. In just three to five well-chosen words, they draw the reader in past the classic yellow-rimmed cover with its gorgeous color photography to the cover story and secondary material.

In the same way, an attention-grabbing subject line gets your email message noticed in the inbox. Teasers – short lines of text at the top of an email newsletter that hint at the full story – are essential if you designed your email message to deliver key content to readers who view their email in a preview pane.

Don't worry if your early efforts don't match the Geographic's for brevity, wit or intrigue. Blather is easy; tight, clear writing is hard. Look for strong, simple words, active verbs and keywords that resonate with your readers.

Review your metrics over the last few email campaigns or newsletter issues. Which articles or offers got the most opens, clicks or conversions? Which subject lines were associated with high email open rates?

We know, for example, that any article in The Intevation Report that has "subject lines" in the subject line, teaser or article title gets appreciably high email opens and clicks.

Finally, remember that you have to put the most important copy in the first 50 characters, including spaces, to ensure that key words and characters aren’t cut off in some email clients.

Need some concrete examples? Review these recent covers from National Geographic; click on each cover to review the taglines:

More tips for writing email subject lines:

• 'Tis the Season for Standout Subject Lines
• Email Subject Lines: 15 Rules to Write Them Right
• Help Your 'From' Line Help You