What is important to include in a business e-mail 'subject line'?

What is important to include in a business e-mail 'subject line'?

Tim Burress (E-mail Etiquette and Organization Specialist) gives expert video advice on: What is important to include in a business e-mail 'subject line'?; How do I write a subject line in an e-mail that delivers requested information? and more...

The subject line is critical to a business e-mail for many reasons. First of all, it's going to set the receiver to engage in the business e-mail. It's a lot like a newspaper as the newspaper doesn't just produce a newspaper that says, interesting article, fun stuff at the top, they give you a title that engages you, and that's what a subject line should do. Some people recommend using a descriptive word, "action!", in the subject line. This lets the receiver know that you're going to ask them to do something or request them to do something. The subject e-mail sort of sets up the business e-mail for the receiver, to give them a bit of context of what the business e-mail is going to say. A clear descriptive subject line also helps with crafting out the body of the business e-mail for the sender, but it also helps the receiver then file the business e-mail, because most of us file our e-mails. So if the subject line of you business e-mail is clear and descriptive, it will aid in retrieval of that e-mail and that information later.