As we head into month 22 of the pandemic (omg), many people are still working from home. This has made it difficult for B2B marketers to leverage one of their most powerful tools: direct mail. In fact, we've never relied on email quite this much.

But email comes with its own challenges: the greatest (as in the worst) of which is that it takes a fraction of a fraction of a second for your recipient to hit "trash." (At least with direct mail, they have to walk from their front door to a trash can.) You have to capture each busy and over-marketed-to person's attention in a flash.

And, subject lines can make or break you.

Fortunately, the response marketing company Worldata runs continual tests on subject lines, determining in near real-time what's hot and what's ... well ... not.

Some like it hot — these words increased open rates in the last 60 days:

• Free +34%
• 2022 +31%
• Limited +28%
• In-stock +28%
• Outlook +27%
• Last Chance +26%
• Expires +26%
• Available +25%
• Only +24%
• Today +23%
• Back +23%
• Exclusive +22%
• Just for +22%
• Update +21%

Not so hot — these words decreased open rates:

• Remember -12%
• Chat -11%
• Might -11%
• Meeting -10%
• Quick -9%
• Training -8%
• Learn -7%
• Featured -6%

Of course, every company, product, and prospective customer is different. So, use these lists as guidelines and follow the golden rule of direct marketing ... test, test, test!