Hey, hey Reader,

Welcome to Day 1 of our little Not-Black-Friday series:

3 days of genuinely useful stuff you can use long after the holiday email chaos ends.

Today: subject lines.

Cuz, if the email never gets opened, nothing else really matters.

And there’s one pattern I see again and again with EdTech brands:

**You’re trying to sound official.

Admins are trying to feel understood.**

Most subject lines die because they lean too far into corporate language:

• “Unlocking Student Success Through Data”
• “Exciting Opportunity for Your District"
• “Final Chance for Exclusive Access”

These are fine. Polite even. And some may say harmless

But “fine” gets ignored.

Especially in an inbox drowning in vendor updates, newsletters, and meeting notes from seven committees.

Here’s what works better:

A subject line that shows you know exactly what an admin cares about today.

Notice I didn’t say anything about what your product does.

A few examples to steal:

• “Is your team planning a curriculum rewrite this summer?”
  ​
• “Your 3 minute fix for low engagement”
  ​
• “What your principals wish teachers understood”
  ​
• “The 1 email that always gets teachers to respond”
  ​

Why these work:
They tap into lived experience over marketing talk.
They feel like help and packed with value.
And they make the admin think, “yes, this is me.”

Want to try this right now?

Here’s a simple formula:

Real-life admin frustration
​ +
Hint of a solution
​ +
Zero jargon

Example:
​“Too many tools, not enough insight?”
“Your December inbox doesn’t need another task.”
“Here’s a smarter way to show impact to your superintendent.”

Take one of your current emails, rewrite the subject line with this formula, and watch the difference.

More tomorrow where we'll talk about messaging blind spots. The ones founders never see, but admins instantly notice.

Talk soon,

And as always, I'm rooting for you, Kelly

PS. I talk in-depth about subject lines inside my email marketing course, EdTech Email Alchemy. I opened rolling admissions because I realized your timeline for improving your email strategy doesn’t always match my enrollment windows.

The price goes up soon (I’m adding cold outreach + deliverability modules), so if you want to lock in current pricing, now’s a good time.

If you’re curious, you can check it out here.