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Email Marketing · Subject lines and preheaders

Email subject lines and CASL compliance in the Canada

Short answer

CASL requires express or implied consent before sending and identification of the sender in every message. Email subject lines supports compliance by making sender identity verifiable and recipient choices enforceable.

What CASL requires#

CASL requires express or implied consent before sending and identification of the sender in every message.

What email subject lines are#

The subject line and preheader are the two text fields shown in the inbox list before a message is opened. They determine whether a recipient opens, ignores, or reports the message.

Why it matters#

Subject lines are the highest-leverage copy you write. They also affect complaint rates, which feed reputation.

How email subject lines supports CASL compliance#

Regulators and recipients need to identify who sent a message and trust that opt-out mechanisms work. Email subject lines contributes by subject lines are the highest-leverage copy you write. They also affect complaint rates, which feed reputation.

Implementation steps#

  1. Keep subject lines under 50 characters so they survive mobile truncation.
  2. Write the preheader as a continuation, not a repeat of the subject.
  3. A/B test one variable at a time with a statistically meaningful sample.
  4. Avoid deceptive 'Re:' or 'Fwd:' prefixes, which violate CAN-SPAM and raise complaints.

Frequently asked questions#

Do emojis in subject lines hurt deliverability?

Not directly. They can hurt engagement with B2B audiences and render inconsistently across clients.

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