A Quality Subject Line Can Be The Difference Between Open & Deleted
If you are writing cold emails – you know that it’s not an easy task. But what would you do if you knew that your emails are rarely even being opened? Many think that the cold email subject lines are of second importance – but let me tell you – they are completely wrong. No one will visit your website when they don’t even open your email.
What Specialists Think About the Subject Line Of Cold Emails
Every business person at least once in their career has faced this question of subject lines for cold emails. Some of them have shared their experience on various websites. The most important thing you need to understand is – it’s not the same for everyone. So if this works for you it doesn’t necessarily need to work for me as well. Below, you’ll find great samples that have been tested and proven to work.
One of the most important factors for a successful subject line is the context. For example, it is proven that subject lines containing less personal information are more successful than those having the name or other information about the company. But if you are getting in touch with someone you met at a business conference, you need to make the subject line as personalized as possible – so they can remember you. You can start off saying something that goes like – “It was a pleasure meeting you at [name of the venue] …”.
In this article, you will find useful samples and tips that will work for everyone.
1. Short Subject Lines
Often recipients do not read long subject lines till the end. So, you need to keep them as brief as possible. It is not recommended to have more than 3 words in the email subject.
2. Make It Look Real
Another mistake that marketers make with cold emails is that it is too obvious that it’s a sales email. Don’t do that, no one opens such emails. One of the simplest ways to make your email look more natural is not capitalizing all the words in the subject line. Because you will hardly ever write with all capitalized letters if you were writing to a friend in a hurry. So, write the subject line as if you are writing to someone you know.
3. Make It Personal
It is highly recommended to do research about the prospect you are contacting, to know their name and as much information as possible. It will be a huge plus if you find a mutual friend who will serve as a referral. So, you can use their name in the subject line only if it connects with the context.
4. Stick to The Subject Line
Never send a click bait. Often you receive an email with one subject but when you open it and find something completely different. So, the subject line should be relevant to the email content. Do not fool your prospects, be honest with them.
5. Be Genuine
Finally, the last tip which mainly refers to the content of the email rather than the subject line. It’s great if you can write a striking line and make your prospects open the email. But if you will offer them only your products and talk about your company, they will close the email – so it will be equal to cold and straightforward sales, keep it genuine. Start the email with some compliments & warm words and then after that cover a topic that will be interesting for them.
Show your prospects that you want to be helpful and offer them some value instead of cold sales. If you are still struggling to write a good subject line, here are some samples that you can use.
- Introduce yourself or your company and mention their company name.
- Start the subject line with a request.
- Try to get in touch.
- Just put their company name.
Another working type of a subject line is a question which should be specific for each prospect. You can also put your company name and provide some short information about it. Also, often you may find very plain subject lines to work better than others. Just provide short info about the services your offer or say that you got a question.
Let’s Talk About Snippets: The Longer Version of the Subject Line
People often tend to ignore a section in the subject line which is the snippet. It shows a glimpse of the content in the email. When writing a cold email, don’t forget about the appearance of the snippet. You need to make them believe that the email is from the customers, so they will open it. At the beginning of the email, you need to personalize it to show the recipient that you did some research. Start off with a simple ‘hello’ and use the name of the prospect.
Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment
It is completely normal that you can’t write a successful subject line immediately. You may fail once, twice, ten times or even more, until you find your style. It takes some practice to find the most effective subject line that works for you. Even after you found the most effective subject line – never stop experimenting.
Those who are new in cold emailing, need to try various types of subject lines to understand where they are heading to. After finding a working one, stick to it and start working on it – to make it better. When sending cold sales, think about the connection you have with your clients and those who reply to your emails. Think about the part in your email that convinced them to open it. Ask yourself why did they respond.
Show your prospects that you want to be helpful and offer them some value instead of cold sales.
Only after answering these questions you can work on your subject line to make it even better and master it. Here are some of the questions you can ask yourself to find the answer.
- What made you open the email?
- What were your expectations of the email?
- Why did you respond?
- What made you find this email relevant?
- What kept you away from deleting the email?
Bonus 50+ Subject Line Samples You Can Use Now!
Question Subject Lines:
- I got a question about [goal].
- Where do we need to begin?
- Would you be kind to help me?
- Do you want to talk about [relevant topic]?
- Would you be kind to guide me?
- How do you deal with [issue]?
Customized Subject Lines:
- [Your and your company’s name].
- [your name] + [the issue].
- [Recipients name] + [a personal note].
- Looking forward to talking to you at [meeting name].
- [Recipients name] a huge thanks from [your company name].
- Please, check this out [prospect name].
- [Prospect name], I really missed you.
Very Short Lines:
- 20 seconds or maybe less.
- Hey there!
- Are you ready?
- Goodbye
- It’s not because of you, it’s because of me.
- What’s next?
- Oh! I forgot to say something.
Mutual Connection or Friend Subject Lines:
- [Name of a mutual friend] recommended to contact you.
- Can I ask a question? [ask something about their favorite place]
- [Prospect name], I love [favorite soccer team] too.
Above mentioned are some very simple subject line samples you can use even now. These are one of those lines that will immediately catch your prospects’ attention and make them interested. But don’t forget to use subject lines relevant to the content of the email. Don’t just bait, be genuine with your customers.
Make It Your Own
Don’t make the subject line be the reason for the failure of the cold email. Write various subject lines, experiment until you find your style. For beginners, it is recommended to use ones that have been tested, but don’t be afraid to create your own. Depending on the business and the purpose of the email – subject lines will vary accordingly.
By making experiments you eventually will get more response to your emails. Hopefully, this article and all the samples mentioned above will be useful for those struggling to write an effective subject line. If you’re a beginner do not be afraid to try and fail, as for experienced salesmen, never stop experimenting.
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