Mysterious checkmark in email subject
I just got an email from a company called Luminosity. When I looked at it in Gmail, I noticed something weird. There’s a little checkmark (✓) right in the subject line. I’ve never seen that before!
Subject: ✓ Brain health tips from Sleep
At first I thought it was just Gmail being fancy. But then I checked in Outlook.com, and the checkmark shows up there too.
I took a peek at the email source code, and I found this:
=E2=9C=94 Sleep's secrets to brain health:
What’s going on here? Is this some new email trick? Or am I just out of the loop on some cool feature? Anyone know how they did this or what it means?
As someone who’s worked in email marketing, I can shed some light on this. That checkmark is a sneaky little tactic we call “Unicode baiting.” It’s not new, but it’s definitely effective.
Companies use these symbols to make their emails pop in your inbox. It’s like waving a flag saying, “Hey, look at me!” The checkmark specifically implies trustworthiness or completion, which can boost open rates.
I’ve seen open rates jump by 15-20% just by adding these symbols. But word to the wise - it’s a double-edged sword. Overuse can backfire, making your emails look spammy.
If you’re annoyed by it, most email clients let you filter based on subject line content. You could set up a rule to move emails with ✓ to a separate folder. Just a thought if it starts to bug you.
That checkmark you’re seeing is actually a Unicode character, specifically U+2714 (✓). It’s not a Gmail-specific feature or a new email trick, but rather a clever use of special characters in the subject line.
Companies often use these symbols to make their emails stand out in crowded inboxes. The checkmark might imply completion, verification, or approval, which could increase open rates.
The code you found (=E2=9C=94) is the Base64 encoded version of the checkmark character. Email clients decode this to display the actual symbol.
While it’s an effective attention-grabbing technique, it’s worth noting that overuse of such symbols can sometimes trigger spam filters. As a recipient, you can’t control its appearance, but you can adjust your email client settings if you find it distracting.
yo, that checkmark thing? it’s just a fancy unicode symbol companies use to catch ur eye. they wanna stand out in ur inbox, ya know? it’s not new or anything, just a marketing trick. some peeps love it, others hate it. if it bugs u, u can probably filter it out in ur email settings or somethin.