How to Use Emoji in Email Subject Lines

So you’re working on a brilliant email campaigns, the template is ready, previews are rendering beautifully, the audience is perfectly targeted, links are tagged, but…man…that subject line…it just feels…off.

Your subject line is the first thing a recipient will see when they receive your email. So even though it’s just a handful of words long, it’s competing withing dozens of not hundreds of other campaigns for the attention of the person you send it to. Which makes that subject lines can be perhaps the most important bit of marketing copy you write for every campaign you send. In this battle for attention, you ask yourself;

“Maybe adding an emoji or two would help?”

When considering emojis in your subject, it's important to think strategically about when and how to use them. Adding emojis to your subject lines can help your email stand out and, when relevant, can improve open rate by attracting more attention. In email marketing, using emojis effectively in subject lines is a common tactic to boost engagement. To add emojis, you can simply paste them directly into your subject line from sources like Emojipedia, making the process quick and easy.

Before we jump in, let’s give this tactic a little bit of context to help you understand how often other marketers use emoji and which emoji they use as part of their broader email marketing strategies.

How many email subject lines contain emoji?

For this analysis we’re going to look at retail emails specifically with a couple side insights from other industries as well. If you’d like to better understand how your industry, peers, and competitors use emoji in their subject lines, SendView’s Emoji Trends report can show you.

Different audiences may respond differently to emojis in subject lines, so it's important to consider audience preferences and tailor your emoji usage accordingly. Emoji usage trends can also vary depending on the audience and industry.

So let’s start by talking about what percentage of retail emails show emoji in the subject line. To find our answer we looked at over 7,000 email campaigns sent by retail brands over the last 12 months. Of those campaigns, 40% (about 2,850 total) included at least one emoji in the subject line.

When analyzing this data, it's important to note that some studies have tested the impact of emojis in subjects and inboxes to analyze user behavior. Testing different subject lines with and without emojis can help determine what works best for your audiences. Additionally, emojis may render differently across different email clients, which can affect how subjects appear in recipients' inboxes.

Which emoji are most commonly used in email subject lines?

Using that same data set, the top 25 most common emoji used in these retail brands’ email subject lines were as follows with the number representing how many of those 2,850 emails contained that emoji. Choosing popular emojis for your subject lines can significantly impact engagement, as the right emoji can help set the tone and increase open rates.

• 🚨 Rotating Light - 266
• 🔥 Fire - 231
• ✨ Sparkles - 223
• ⚡ Zap - 118
• ⚠️ Warning - 115
• 💥 Boom - 98
• ⏰ Alarm Clock - 88
• 🚀 Rocket - 85
• 💸 Money With Wings - 70
• 🎁 Gift - 64
• ⏳ Hourglass Flowing Sand - 61
• ❤️ Heart - 57
• 🎉 Tada - 54
• 🌟 Star2 - 50
• ☀️ Sunny - 49
• 💙 Blue Heart - 47
• ✈️ Airplane - 46
• ⭐ Star - 45
• 🤑 Money Mouth Face - 44
• 🤩 Grinning Face With Star Eyes - 43
• 💨 Dash - 40
• 💖 Sparkling Heart - 40
• 💰 Moneybag - 39
• 📦 Package - 38
• ‼️ Bangbang - 38

You may notice that the most frequently used emoji have something in common which we’ll touch on in a second, but notice that the most commonly used emoji show up in about 10% of all subject lines that contain emoji. That’s a pretty hefty number and suggests there are some patterns here. Using a single emoji can make your subject line stand out and keep it visually clean, while using different emojis can help convey a variety of emotions or highlight multiple aspects of your message. The most popular emojis tend to be those that are relevant to the message or occasion, making them especially effective in email marketing.

Email Client Support and Rendering for Emojis

When it comes to using emojis in your email subject lines, how those emojis actually appear to your subscribers can vary widely depending on the email client and device they’re using. While most modern email clients—like Gmail, Outlook.com, and Apple Mail—offer strong support for emojis in subject lines, there are still some quirks and inconsistencies that email marketers need to keep in mind.

For example, Outlook 2003 is notorious for poor emoji rendering, sometimes displaying only a blank box or even replacing the emoji with the word “emoji.” On the other hand, newer versions of Outlook, as well as Gmail and iOS devices, generally display emojis in subject lines as intended, but the style and color of the emoji can differ. Gmail, for instance, uses Android-style emojis in the inbox view and Google’s own emoji style when the email is opened, which can subtly change the emotion or emphasis you’re trying to convey. Meanwhile, on Android devices, you can add emojis using the standard keyboard, but the final look may shift depending on the recipient’s email client.

Because of these differences, it’s essential to test your email subject lines with emojis across multiple email clients and devices before sending your campaign to your full list. This means previewing your subject lines in Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, and on both Android and iOS mobile devices. By doing so, you’ll catch any display issues—like missing emojis, odd substitutions, or formatting problems—that could make your message look unprofessional or confusing.

Another important consideration is the number of emojis you use. While a well placed emoji can help your email stand out in a crowded inbox, too many emojis can have the opposite effect, making your subject line look spammy or even triggering spam filters. Using emojis sparingly and choosing the right emoji for your message will help you increase engagement and open rates without risking complaints or deliverability issues.

Ultimately, the key to successful emoji use in subject lines is to test, test, and test again. Make sure your emojis display correctly for your audience, on the devices and email clients they use most. By paying attention to compatibility and using emojis strategically, you’ll ensure your email subject lines grab attention for all the right reasons.

Three Ways to Use Emoji in Your Subject Lines

Which brings us to the next part of this guide: how to use emoji in your email subject lines. Emoji placement in the subject line can influence both attention and accessibility, especially for users relying on screen readers. We’ve analyzed a lot of email campaigns over the years and we’ve identified three primary ways emoji are typically used to complement a subject line. Comparing emojis and emoticons, both can add personality and improve engagement, but they may have different effects on how your messages are perceived. Replacing plain text with emojis can make messages more visually engaging, while thoughtful emoji usage can enhance the clarity and expressiveness of your messages.

1) Emoji That Add Urgency

This is what we were referring to with those top few emoji. The majority of the 10 most commonly used emoji all have some way to tie back to urgency. Let’s look at a few subject line examples to visualize what we mean by that. For example, these subject lines all use the “rotating light” emoji tied to sale that either won’t be available for much longer.

• 🚨 Flash sale alert 🚨
• 75% Off All Sale FINAL HRS🚨
• 🚨 Last Chance: Your 30% off ends tonight

And while the "rotating light" emoji is probably the most common one paired with this type of email, it's not the only one. For example, many of those others are paired with time-sensitive subject lines in very similar ways.

• ⏰ Tick Tock: Save $1700 on Hugo Power Reclining Sofa!
• Price Drop⚠️75% Off ALL Sale!
• ⚡️SALE ALERT⚡️ Extra 20% OFF
• Day 10 🔥 Save $1100 on Quincy Leather Reclining Sofa
• SALE ALERT💥60-70% Off 1,000+ Styles!
• 💸Ur 25$ OFF Code Expires In 3Hrs💸
• Last Day⏳BOGO FREE Tops & Bottoms!

So the first way to use emoji in your subject line is to add a little bit of visual support to drive home that sense of urgency you’re trying to get across. Urgency emojis are effective because they evoke strong emotions and prompt immediate action from recipients. Choosing relevant emojis that match your message is crucial, as this increases the likelihood of engaging your audience. When used appropriately, urgency-related emojis can lead to higher open rates. However, overuse or using emojis that are not relevant to your content can increase negative sentiment, making recipients feel manipulated or annoyed.

2) Emoji That Draw Attention

This really is the classic idea behind emoji, right? Instead of black text, recipients are seeing a splash of color. Most people are naturally drawn to visual elements like emojis when scanning their inbox, making them more likely to notice and engage with these emails. In fact, more people tend to open and interact with emails that include emojis compared to those without. The use of emojis in email subject lines actually has roots in texting culture, where emojis became popular for conveying emotion and grabbing attention.

But while that is the premise of emoji use in general, there are specific ways these visuals are placed in and around words that try to optimize their ability to get eye balls to not just look, but look at specific parts of the subject line. For example, a few common examples of this are the double emoji around the whole subject line.

• ⚡ Flash Sale ⚡
• ❗Final Reminder: Extra 20% Off Everything – Winter Sale Ends Tonight❗
• ❤️ Welcome to The Love Shop ❤️
• 🤑$5 | $7 | $9 | $12 BLOWOUT SALE🤑

And the double emoji around specific words you want to draw extra attention to.

• Made some ✨ NEW ✨ savings yet? This sale ends TONIGHT!
• Winter Blowout💥50-60% OFF💥
• ⚡Flash Sale⚡10% OFF Mattress Protectors
• Last Day For👉FREE CLOTHES👈

Or putting multiple emoji one after the other in your subject line for extra emphasis.

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stix reviews
• 🥳 🎉 2024 Kickoff: Your Exclusive Savings Inside!
• Baby, it's COLD outside! 🥶❄️
• Chrome makeup for under $12 💜 💙 💚

Heck, you could even combine both of those ideas together and put repeating multiples on either side.

• 🔥⏳ Less than 24 hours before the sale (and the year) ends ⏳🔥

For example, using a smiley face or smiley emoji 😊 in your subject line can set a friendly, informal tone, but consider your audience—while it can humanize your message, it may not always be appropriate in more formal or B2B contexts.

In other words, emoji are meant to draw attention and you can either stop with one emoji or take that as far as you dare.

3) Emoji that Illustrate the Message

The third way we see emoji being used is to add a little visual that illustrates the key message in your subject line in the same way you might choose a hero or product image that compliments the headline at the top of your email template. Using email emoji can help clarify your message and make marketing emails more engaging for your audience. The perfect example of this is holidays. All of these subject lines below are related to holidays and use an emoji to illustrate that. Using subject line emojis can also enhance the effectiveness of your email campaign by grabbing attention and increasing open rates.

• ☘Our St. Patrick's Day Sale is Now Live!
• Hop Over to EightVape for a SITEWIDE Easter Sale!🐇🥚
• Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas 🎄
• 🎇 Celebrate Freedom with 20% Off this Fourth of July
• Happy Thanksgiving 🍗 🍷! Thank you for being a VIP customer!
• 🎉🇺🇸 Happy Presidents Day! Final Hours for Free Shipping!

But it’s not just holidays. Emoji can add a visual illustration to emoji about sales, weather, the type of products you’re selling, and more. When planning your email campaign, remember to keep your email list updated and test which emojis resonate best with your subscribers.

• NEW RELEASE: Xbox Ethereal Energy Controllers 🎮
• Sun-Kissed Swim☀️
• 👕 Achieve effortless style with spring essentials!
• LAST CHANCE: 10% off Travel Must-Haves! 🌏✈️
• 🎉 Celebrate Spring: $20-$25 Deals + Extra 30% Off Clearance!

Marketers should also be aware that new emojis and brand new emojis are released regularly, but support for these in subject lines depends on updates from operating systems and email clients. Before using the latest emojis, check their compatibility to ensure your message displays correctly for everyone.

Pretty simple, right? If you have a message about X, find an emoji that represents X.

4) Emoji That Replace Words in Your Subject Line

This is similar to the last one, but the idea is that instead of putting both the word and the complimentary emoji in your email subject line to illustrate the word, you only put the emoji. And not just that, you put the emoji where the word would have been, replacing plain text with a visual element. This can make your messages more visually appealing and engaging. A simple example is using number emoji, but the most common are variations of the heart emoji in place of the word love.

• Day 8️⃣ Save $180 on the Bari dining table!
• We 💜 chrome
• Fall in ❤️ with these face must-haves
• Pink glitter = 💖

However, keep in mind that emojis may display differently on different devices and email clients, including Android devices. It's important to test your messages to ensure emojis render correctly and convey the intended meaning. Using emojis in place of words can also change the tone and clarity of your messages, so consider your audience and the context carefully.

That said, this usage seems to be falling out of favor. When we looked at emoji use a couple years ago we saw quite a few examples of this. This year, they seem to be much more rare and for good reason. While emoji can be used in place of words, the context of a subject line is something people are used to reading in words not converting from emoji to words.

Email Subject Line Emoji Are Here to Stay

It really wasn't that many years ago that emoji in subject lines were a very rare, sort of "edgy" idea. Today, that couldn't be further from the truth. Every type of brand from banks and online retail to government and doctors offices use emoji to add urgency, draw more attention, illustrate their message, or replace words.

These are a few ways brands often use emoji in their subject line, but not all the ways. Take these subject lines as inspiration, sprinkle in a little creativity, and maybe you'll be celebrating 🎉 a big win in your next campaign.

The only way to find out is to try, test, and learn.

And if you'd like to better understand emoji use by your competitors and peers, you should give SendView a try. It can show you which emoji they use, which is most common, and how many of their campaigns contain these clever little characters we've all come to know and love.