A. The Introduction Email

Remember, the first hurdle you need to overcome is simply getting your email opened.  Here are a few examples of subject lines to use in your introduction emails:

Make it personal

Personalizing your email subject in any way, like using your prospect’s name, gives you a 22.2% higher chance of having your email opened, according to a report from Cold email.

Referrals provide a powerful advantage in the world of cold email. Using a mutual contact’s name in the subject line creates instant credibility and makes your prospect more inclined to open and reply to your message.

Spark curiosity

Do not open this email

Here we have a classic example of reverse psychology. Telling your recipient not to do something will only make them want it more – even if they might have otherwise skipped over your email.

You are not alone.

This unusual subject line works on a few different levels. It’s intriguing and hard to ignore, plus it gives you an opportunity to address a pain point from a very human perspective.

B. The Follow-Up Email

These subject lines might apply after your first cold email gets a reply or after an initial meeting has already taken place. Whether your prospect just needs a gentle nudge to take the next steps or you haven’t heard back from them lately, these follow-up email subject lines  will help you continue the conversation.

Send a friendly reminder

In a best-case scenario, your prospect will be happy to hear from you and move forward with the deal. Your first follow-up should be light and friendly, but in a way that still gets their attention. Use one of subject lines to casually follow-up without putting too much pressure on your prospect.

Provide more information

Another option is to tie the email into something you said earlier on the phone or during a meeting. For example, if a prospect asked a question and you were unable to provide an in-depth answer on the fly, your follow-up email is the perfect opportunity to provide more information and reconnect.

Highlight multiple touch points

If your voicemails aren’t getting returned as often as you’d like, consider sending follow-up emails with these subject lines to make sure you stay on your prospect’s radar.

C. The Breakup Email

If your prospect doesn’t reply to any of your follow-ups, it’s time to take a different approach. Breakup emails are your last attempt to elicit a response from a silent contact. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck in opportunity limbo with a bunch of unanswered questions.

1. Focus on Your Audience

The fastest way to get your email deleted is to write a subject line that’s selling a product to someone who doesn’t want it.

You’re writing these emails for your readers, so make that clear.

2. Remember Your Goals

You may need to focus on the reader, but you can’t forget what you want to accomplish with your email. Every email needs to have a specific call-to-action that your subject line prepares them for it.

3. Craft Compelling Headlines

An effective email subject line captures the reader’s attention and piques their interest to see more. It may seem difficult, but there are six different tactics you can use to create the perfect subject line for your readers.

4. Test and Track

All of the things we’ve discussed in this article are best practices to get you started. The actual best practices are the ones that work for your business and your customers.

No two businesses are alike, so it’s imperative that you test and track which subject lines perform the best. 

1. Simple, No Nonsense Email Subject Lines

Cold email conducted an email subject line study and found that short, descriptive subject lines fare better than cheesy lures. Some might bristle up at the accusation that humor and creativity should take a back seat when creating good subject lines for emails, especially since many marketing experts say otherwise.

2. Funny Email Subject Lines

A humorous subject line can really stick out among the dry, dull emails surrounding it. Humor it a touchy thing though – it thrives on exclusivity, which isn’t always great if you’re trying to appeal to the masses.

3. Controversial/Shocking Email Subject Lines

This strategy requires you to be confident in your understanding of your audience’s tastes and perceptions. It’s a bit of a gamble, but the pay-off can be pretty great – would you simply gloss over the subject lines below? Not likely.

• Everyone Is Gay: Social Media As Social Action
• Why Your 5-Year-Old Is More Digital Than Most CMOs
• Your Marketing Sucks: Why You Need to Think Local

4. Single-Word Subject Lines

One effective email subject line strategy involves going ultra-minimalist with one-word subject lines. Let’s take a peek at the promotions tab of my Gmail.

5. Email Subject Lines with Numbers & Lists

Many of the factors that make up a good blog post title also make a good email subject line. Incorporating numbers into your subject line attracts attention, as our brains are naturally drawn to digits.

6. Personalized Subject Lines

By personalization I don’t mean incorporating a user’s name into the subject line – this has become so common practice that many users glaze over these as spam. Instead, try location-specific offers and language, or interest targeting.

7. Questions & Other Punctuation in Email Subject Lines

Question marks and unusual punctuation offer another method for standing out from the email masses.

8. Mysterious Email Subject Lines

As Scooby-Doo or Sue Grafton can tell you, people dig a little mystery in their lives. Giving readers a little taste of something intriguing might cause them to bite.

Tip 1: Go Easy on the CAPS

Capitalization can be a powerful tool to draw attention where desired, but with great power comes great responsibility. Use it sparingly and professionally. Capitalizing as you would a title seems to be an unofficial industry standard.

Tip 2: Make a List

People like lists. Perhaps it’s the promise of information diced into easily digestible snippets or maybe it feels like zeroing in on the most important aspects of a given topic. Whatever the reason, people on the Internet enjoy consuming information via numbered/bulleted lists!

Tip 3: Personalize the Message

Personalization in the subject line can be quite a contentious topic. One study from Cold Email suggests that including names in the subject line may actually be detrimental to open rates.

However, the data scientists at Cold Email say that personalizing subject lines to include the recipient’s full name can positively impact open rates.

Tip 4: Create a Sense of Urgency!

While people don’t like to be yelled at in all CAPS, they do respond well to time sensitive material. The fear of missing out can be a powerful motivator. Key words like “Urgent” or “Breaking” can positively impact open rates.

Tip 5: Keep it Short

Keeping your subject line short and to-the-point is instrumental to establishing a good first impression with the recipient. The ideal subject line lays out the point of the email and sets the expectations for when the reader opens it. This should all be accomplished in 50 characters or less. 

Create a referral program with complementary providers to exchange referrals. 

Be sure you only include providers in this network that you’d be comfortable recommending to your best client or best friend.

Recognize and thank your referral sources. 

This could be with a simple phone call, email, or even better, a handwritten note. The important thing is to express your appreciation. You’ll also encourage additional referrals this way.

If you have clients who don’t refer, create another way for them to recommend you 

I once worked for a large organization that prohibited written testimonials and discouraged referrals; however, I was able to provide recommendations by phone for vendors with which I worked.

Make sure your current clients know about all the products and services you offer

Too often sellers assume their clients know more about them than they do. If you’re a market research firm and a client uses only your online survey research services,

Add a link to a form on your website for referral submissions.

Be remarkable; remind clients why your company is special. Give them something (good) to talk about.

Inspire confidence. 

You can inspire confidence in your referral sources by letting them know that 80% (or whatever) of your business comes from repeat customers.

Provide valuable content your referral sources can share with their network

In an invitation to a breakfast or lunch seminar or webinar on an industry topic, research briefs, an article about a regulatory change or industry trend, etc. Make it something special for them to share.

Treat the vendors and suppliers with which you do business as partners. 

Make sure they’re aware of who and how you help.

Update your LinkedIn profile 

In stay engaged with your contacts regularly.

Create a list of buyers you want to work with. 

Check out their LinkedIn profiles to see whether you’re connected in any way. If so, reach out to them via your network—whether it’s an individual, a company, or a group.

Treat your clients as partners, too. 

Let them know you view them as a strategic partner, and tell them you hope they’ll do the same with you. Create formal channels to share referrals.

Give a referral. It’s one of the best ways to get one in return.

You’ll get a lot more referrals if you ask for them. As you’re completing a project with a client, simply ask if they know anyone who would benefit from something similar.