The word emoji is Japanese, and it means figurative characters. They are pictorial symbols used in digital communication.
They were developed in 1999 by Japanese interface designer Shigetaka Kurita as part of NTT DoCoMo’s i-mode mobile internet platform. The graphic symbols became an instant hit, first in Japan and then all over the world.
Even though the names sound pretty similar, emojis are different from emoticons. Emoticons (“emotional” + “icons”) were developed in 1982. They’re purely text-based and reproduce typographic facial expressions. Essentially, they’re made up of punctuation and are used to convey emotions.
Both graphically represent emotions. However, unlike emojis, emoticons can be displayed on all browsers and devices since they’re composed of universal punctuation across different fonts. Emoticons are compatible with most digital communications devices and platforms.
Emojis, however, function more like a font, and how it’s displayed depends on your recipient’s inbox service provider (ISP). You can pick your favorite font, but your email will display in a different font if the ISP doesn’t support it. Or worse, emojis might show up as icons like question marks or empty squares, indicating a lack of support.
One of emojis’ main issues is that not all browsers support them in the same way. They can vary considerably from one device, browser, or email client to another. If your recipient doesn’t have the same emojis as you, their ISP or device can’t support the formatting, and they won’t see the emoji the way you do.
Now let’s get into best practices when you insert emojis in your email subject lines.
Logically speaking, if few email subject lines have emojis in them, then using one in yours will draw attention to yours over others, right? However, using one out of context or in the wrong spot can land you on the internet blocklist. There’s a delicate balance. So here are some elements you should think about before adding emojis.
There’s likely an appropriate emoji to punctuate your message, no matter who you send an email to. You certainly aren’t starved for choice with options ranging from trendy fruits and hand gestures to the registered copyright symbol.
There’s also a wide swath of emojis to emphasize your email’s subject line and a corresponding message. The point is to make sure the emoji you choose and your email message match.
Use emojis to match your email content to keep your subject line looking clear. Craft it with intention rather than including an emoji for attention. For instance, if you send a birthday email to a colleague, using the balloon emoji might be more fitting than the pineapple emoji. Unless, of course, your colleague loves pineapples.
Holidays like Halloween are also a great time to include relevant emojis like ghouls, skulls, and bats.
Let’s not shy away from the prefix of the words emoji and emoticon: emo. We’re not talking about the music genre that overtook the nineties and the naughties. Instead, we’re talking about our emotions.
Everyone feels emotions, and expressing them in your marketing draws customers in. An emotional hook can pluck at your readers’ heartstrings. Expressing feelings is healthy and relatable, and you can use emojis to convey those emotions across your digital correspondence.
If you’ve got great news to share with your email audience, consider punctuating your email subject line with a megaphone or smiley face. You’ll add a little zest of personality to your emails, making them more clickable, which could help you reach your key performance indicators (KPIs).
Bonus tip: Consider using an emoji to replace a feeling altogether. For example: 10 things we ❤️ about spring!
Use an emoji following a keyword in your subject line to spotlight that word, thought, or point. Your instinct might tell you to insert an emoji at the beginning of your email subject line, but we strongly suggest the former. Doing the latter might leave your email subject line clunkier than intended. Using emojis at the end of subject lines or after particular words is the aim. For instance: New glasses, who dis? 🤓
When it comes to your email marketing communications, you don’t want to put your foot in your mouth, digital or otherwise. So here are some steps to keep in mind when using emojis in your email subject lines: