As of this writing, Upworthy.com asks their email marketing writers to come up with 25 subject lines per email, so that they can whittle down the most effective phrase.

This is clearly an effective process (they’re a top company), but it can be much too tedious of a process for the rest of us who lack the time (or creativity) to flesh out more than 3, or 5, or even 10.

But, there is certainly merit to striving to come up with at least a few different subject lines for each newsletter, and sending them to different segments.

For example: Let’s say you’re marketing the family-friendly Flower Festival. If you are running a campaign to promote a new event at the festival, which of the following would work better: a direct, formal approach or a casual, uplifting title? Well, it depends on the reader. This one example could have many different lines:

A. Introducing our Newest Family Event (direct, appropriate for older demographic)

B. Exciting News for Your Family (formal, better for parent-demographic)

C. Flower Fest Just Got Way Cooler (informal, better for younger audiences)

D. We’re Thrilled to Announce… (excited and optimistic, variety of demographics)

Think, develop, test, and measure to find the best tone for your audience segments.