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Methodology · subject-v2-2026-07

Email Subject Line Tester methodology

Rule-based open-potential scoring for up to 12 subject variants. Browser-only. Not ESP open-rate prediction or personalization lift.

Multi-variant rankingStrict gradesSpam dual score

Inputs

01Up to 12 subject variants

Paste multiple subject lines (and optional preheader/preview text). Scoring is browser-side and deterministic for the ruleset no ESP open-rate API is queried. Near-duplicates are flagged so tests stay informative.

Scoring model

02How open potential is calculated

  • Base score starts mid-band; good findings add less than bad findings subtract (strict calibration).
  • Excellent is rare (≥90). Good / fair / needs-work bands are intentionally strict.
  • Variants are ranked live; near-duplicates are flagged so A/B tests stay meaningful.
  • Optional preview text is scored for pairing (truncation + support of the subject promise).

Pillars

03What gets scored

  • Length / mobile truncation risk
  • Framework detection (how-to, question, reply-style, etc.)
  • Power words and curiosity structure
  • Spam lexicon dual score (content risk vs open potential)
  • Formatting noise (caps, punctuation, emoji density)
  • Preheader pairing when provided

Worked interpretation

04Picking a test set

Example: twelve variants rank with a clear top three. The leader is specific and mobile-safe but shares a spammy token with a lower-ranked line. A curiosity framework line scores mid-band because length truncates on mobile. Near-duplicates of the leader are flagged.

  • Ship 2–3 structurally different winners, not ten rephrases of one line.
  • If spam dual score is elevated, prefer the cleaner runner-up for cold lists.
  • Use preheader to complete the promise rather than repeat the subject verbatim.