What’s the ethical standard for subject line honesty?
Ethical standards for subject line honesty prohibit deceptive subject lines that mislead recipients about message content. CAN-SPAM explicitly bans deceptive subject lines. Best practices go further, requiring subjects that accurately represent content.
Avoid false urgency ("URGENT" when it is not), fake personalization ("Re:" or "Fwd:" for non replies), or misleading previews. Such tactics may boost short term opens but damage trust and increase complaints.
Honest subject lines set accurate expectations. When recipients know what they will find, those who open are genuinely interested. This improves engagement quality and reduces the frustration that leads to complaints.
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