According to statistics, 64% of email recipients open emails based on the subject line.
So you realize how critical it is to create a good one, especially for cold emails when the potential clients either never heard of you or have signed up but are still cold leads for some time.
It's essential to squeeze everything out of this small email section so that recipients will want to take the time to read your message and leave you replies rather than let it pass or toss it into spam.
I've put together helpful tips on how to create amazing B2B cold email subject lines + prepared a lot of different examples to inspire you to craft the perfect titles for your cold sequences.
A good subject line for a cold email is personalized and piques the potential customers’ interest. It's the one that motivates the recipient to open the email and accurately represents what's inside. It should grab attention without misleading the prospect for the sake of openness.
To create cold email subject lines that work, make them personalized and engaging. Check if they’re optimized for the mobile version. Use the recipient's name or mention something important to them, avoid spammy words to get into the inbox, and emphasize the benefit or value to the recipient
To create subject lines and emails that will arouse your prospects’ interest, first, segment your lead lists by their interests, time zones, and other critical points. GetProspect will be the perfect solution for this task!
Segment leads for freeNow, I will tell you more about each of them and provide examples you can use for your campaigns as templates.
Adding personalization is always a good solution for all email campaigns, and even more so for cold. According to statistics, such subject lines have 29% higher unique open rates and more than 40% higher unique click rates.
Read more about email list segmentation in the article: How to segment email list.
Anastasiia Bilynska, Public Relations Manager at Jooble, about the importance of implementing personalization to subjects for cold emails:
«Know who your audience is and who your potential clients are. This is very important: to know what the client is interested in and what their pain point is. The sales team, who communicate with potential customers, helps me with it.
Jooble's potential clients are job site marketers interested in our traffic. Hiring is rarely interrupted in big companies, so our clients need an assistant like us - a job aggregator.
That's why when selecting email topics, I always try to use what will interest our potential clients: low-cost traffic, special offers, job search statistics, AI tools for easy hiring, and so on.
For example, a subject with an open rate of 65.52%:
Jooble’s Exclusive Report: US Summer Job Trends»
Maximize your reach and get more responses with our cold email tool. Create perfect mailings with follow-up emails, automate personalization, schedule each campaign, and test which approach works better for your business.
Sign up[Lead name] improve email open rate result?
This is where you add 2 types of personalization. The name of the potential customer and their pain point are specified.
Custom sales optimization and automation solution for [Company Name of lead company]
Now, for personalization, I mention the company and emphasize that knowing the actual potential customer needs, we have prepared a solution.
[Lead name], congrats on your [achievement]! In honor of the occasion, we offer [what?]
With such a topic of cold email, you are already showing that you know your leads, that you have them in your contacts on LinkedIn or other social networks, or that you have studied information about them in detail and can offer something valuable.
Go to events where your target audience might be, and you can then do these cold campaigns. Yes, the person will probably not remember you, but it is a great contact point that can encourage the lead to open the email and see what you want from them and can offer.
Adding proof to your email subject lines can be pivotal in gaining your prospects' trust by demonstrating your credibility.
For instance, it can be data from your company's successful cases.
You can say how much a person can improve certain results over some time (deliverability and conversions from email campaigns, lead gen growth and sales, etc.)
Remember, this kind of data has a lot of persuasive power in decision-making and can motivate your future customers to open your email.
David Rubie-Todd, co-founder and head of marketing at Sticker It, shared with us his experience of using social proof in subjects for cold email sequences:
«In my experience, data-driven subject lines have been highly effective in grabbing attention and arousing curiosity.
For instance, one of my great cold email examples,
75% of Companies Miss Out on This Sales Strategy.
This subject line worked well because it invoked a fear of missing out (FOMO) while hinting at a data-driven, valuable insight.
On the other hand, a less successful subject line was,
'Increase Your Sales with Our Strategy.'
Although it promised a benefit, it lacked specificity and urgency, making it less compelling».
John Pennypacker, VP of Sales & Marketing at Deep Cognition, is also in favor of creating data-driven subject lines:
«It provides a sense of credibility. For instance, stating something like «90% of businesses improved their sales with our tool» directly showcases the value our product can provide.
This use of concrete, quantifiable results within the subject line not only grasps the recipient's attention but also tends to spark their curiosity, prompting them to open the email for more information.
It's crucial to avoid the trap of 'clickbait' tactics. In today's digital age, customers have grown savvy to such practices and can discern between misleading headlines and genuine value propositions».
How [Company Name] used [Name of your product] to increase lead gen by 20% in 2 months
This subject demonstrates your product’s effectiveness in solving your target audience's pain points. Select a successful case study of a company similar to your potential clients. Seeing such a headline, a potential customer will probably want to know how your business helped to achieve such incredible results and will open your email.
«Thanks to using the [Your product name], [Customer company name] grew by as much as 200%»
This is how you can add a quote from your client's successful case as a headline. Just choose a case and a quote that will be impossible to pass by.
[Influencer's name]: You can make customers happy faster with [Name of your product]
For such email subject lines, you need a brand ambassador so that it's not just adding an opinion leader but a true influencer supporting your product. Choose the people relevant and familiar to your potential customers, and you and their comments will impact them.
It's crucial to create subject lines that precisely convey the essence of your message and deeply resonate with your audience. This approach not only attracts attention but also maintains honesty and transparency with people.
Strive to avoid clickbait subject lines that may promise more than you offer, as trust is a key element in any customer relationship.
Clickbait subjects can also get you noticed by spam filters. This usually happens if you misuse words like «clearance», «free», «discount», etc.
Proven solutions for [industry-specific challenge] you're facing
Partnering for success: [Unique Value Proposition] for [Company Name]
Insights to transform [Name of the prospect's company]
This is where you demonstrate you can benefit a potential client, and personalization is in order because you focus on the industry’s challenges your leads work in.
What can a potential client gain from interacting with your brand? What value can your products provide to the lead's company? Think about whether your headlines answer the questions - what's the benefit of opening your email to the recipient? can they see its announcement by reading just the subject line itself?
By including relevant and significant data right in the subject, you can 100% increase open rates.
An example of the subject line with an open rate of 42.86% from Anastasiia Bilynska from Jooble:
«No matter how mysterious and exciting the headline is — yes, the audience will probably click on it, but what next? We are not interested in a single click but in turning a potential customer into a regular one. Therefore, the headline should always reflect what info the client will receive according to their interests and requests.
Subject:
A Case Study on boosting conversions by 25%»
Increase ROI with proven strategies from leaders in [specify industry]
This is where you directly indicate the value of the information in the email. The recipient will be able to get cool cases and implement them in their strategy.
Save about [specify how much] with a solution [e.g., a sales automation solution]
Everyone loves to receive favorable offers to find solutions for their company that are both high-quality and budget-friendly.
Use the Technologies filter in the GetProspect B2B database search to find leads that utilize products similar to yours (competitors) and offer them a better deal, a better solution..
Start searchingTop ways to optimize the work of your [e.g., sales department]
Offer the ways to do this, and include using your product as part of the performance optimization strategy. This way, recipients of cold email campaigns will get decent tips and may even want to test your product.
Cold email campaigns are usually sent to leads who don't know about your brand and product, and the subject line they see must be a good one.
A lot of people (over 40%) prefer to open their emails via their smartphones. And the email subject line is significantly reduced on this device. Therefore, always be concise and state the essence, the most important data.
Test how your subject line will look on mobile and desktop before sending it out. All existing email marketing platforms have a test email option.
Anastasiia Bilynska, Public Relations Manager at Jooble:
«I always start writing the subject line in a column and conduct a short brainstorm with myself.
For example: Boost Your Fall Hiring Game with Traffic Power.
And I always try to choose the shortest and clearest one from all of them».
In the list of these cold email subject lines, I point out the benefits and opportunities provided to potential customers. Keep it short and to the point. It can make the recipient click on the email. The main thing is to make it as useful as possible so that the subject line matches the email.
Use mutual acquaintances to the fullest. Even if some of your prospects are simply connected to you through mutual contacts on LinkedIn. This can already be a perfect way to connect with a person. Or you were together at an online event.
This way, you are no longer just a stranger, and you will be more trustworthy.
Sai Blackbyrn, CEO at Coach Foundation:
«Some of my most successful subject lines establish common ground by referencing shared connections or interests. For example, these subjects have worked well to pique interest and get open.
Example: Sam Jones said I should get in touch
My aim is to make it easy for the prospect to understand why they should open my email in the sea of messages they receive daily. A bit of personalization and intrigue helps cut through the noise».
Referral from [Name of mutual contact]
Specify the person in your mutual friends (for example, on LinkedIn) with whom you interact. That means they comment on each other's posts. This way, it won't be just any name from the subscriber list but a familiar name that will intrigue the recipient and make them want to read your email.
[Name of mutual contact] believes that our potential cooperation is a great idea
Here, you indicate that you have a mutual contact and a proposal for collaboration. It is more credible if you are referred by a trusted person.
Really enjoyed your latest post in the [Shared social media group] group
A «mutual connection» can be not only a person but also something else you have in common with prospects. For instance, you were at the same event, in the same social media group, or contributed to the same article on LinkedIn as an expert. Find something in common worth latching onto and add this to your cold email subject lines.
Such email strings can only be effective for cold leads if you have created a relevant offer. Then, you can increase the open rate.
For instance, you know for sure that a particular segment is interested in an event on the topic of increasing lead generation, and you send an email accordingly, in which there will be urgency + value for the potential client:
If your prospects see value in it, they will be afraid of losing something they can benefit from and won't waste time thinking about it, open an email and sign up for an event.
If you choose a relevant question for prospects, it can increase the email open rate firstly due to the value it provides, secondly by creating interactivity, and because it will prompt the reader to think.
Such cold email subject lines can generate intrigue,
curiosity,
and a desire to find out what's in the email itself.
Will Yang, Head of Growth & Customer Success at Instrumentl:
«The best strategy I've found for creating compelling subject lines for cold sequences is to focus on creating curiosity for the recipient. Subject lines that are overly salesy or spammy will likely get ignored, but subject lines in the question format that make the recipient curious to open will have much higher open rates.
Asking questions related to their pain points like:
«Frustrated by low conversion rates?»
or
«What's the biggest sales challenge you face this quarter?»
It makes them intrigued to open up and see how you can potentially help solve their problems.
Avoid generic questions and get specific to what matters most to them.
I've found emails with subject lines tailored in these ways have 2-3X higher open rates than generic lines».
[Lead’s name], are you ready to save money on [specify what exactly]?
Such a subject line can generate interest if you specify exactly what your target audience wants to save money on. If it is relevant, you will get a good open rate with this question.
What marketing strategies should you consider to grow [Lead’s company name]?
It has a good question and personalization by specifying the name of the potential client's company. Just make sure to send this kind of email to decision-makers so that you can immediately contact someone who can allocate a budget to use your product and is really interested in your offer.
How can you increase your email marketing ROI in just [specify the short timeframe for which your solution will help improve performance]?
You can easily replace «email marketing ROI» with something that suits your product or service.
How did [a well-known and more successful competitor of your potential client] manage to take the first position in [important metrics, indicators, titles]?
Such a question, with mentioning a competitor in cold email subject lines, will intrigue the recipient, and they will not be able to pass by.
Email rules change next week - are you prepared?
Replace «email rules» with something relevant to your email content and target audience. I am convinced that such a title can attract attention (based on my experience 😉).
Is Your Leadership Strategy Missing This Key Element?
Dominic Monn, the Founder and CEO at MentorCruise, shared this headline with us, one of the great examples that worked for them. Why?
«Incorporating Thought-Provoking Questions – This approach uses a question to engage the reader - so we're both informing and prompting a more thought-provoking inquiry. The strategy here lies in prompting the recipient to think, creating a psychological investment that encourages them to seek answers in your email».
Believe me, your potential clients' inboxes are already full of boring, monotonous advertising emails. Therefore, what can often work to increase your emails’ open rates is adding emotions to them.
This way, they will stand out from the pile of gray emails and engage the recipient. It could be a funny phrase, a quote, an emoji, or even an exclamation mark.
If you decide to add humor, ensure it is relevant and analyze your target audience carefully. Observe the communities they participate in, what topics they frequently discuss, and what they often joke about.
Anastasiia Bilynska from Jooble also favors adding emotional elements to cold email subject lines when appropriate:
«You should add emotions in the cold email subject lines - the main thing is not to overdo it. Even an exclamation mark at the end of the subject line or an emoji can express emotion. It should evoke positive emotions: interest, joy, and anticipation.
In B2B communication at Jooble, we don't use emojis often, sometimes we use exclamation marks.
For example:
Don’t miss the Women in Tech Event tomorrow morning!
We have a clear example demonstrating that B2B cold email subject lines for potential clients don't have to be tedious and devoid of emotion.
The story was: that Jooble was holding an online event, and colleagues and I thought the subject line should include the event's name. The title may be helpful, but it doesn't evoke emotions, so it didn't interest our potential customers much:
Explore the shift from CPC to CPA on November 9th — an open rate of 11.11%.
By comparison, when we used an emotional turn of phrase, even a complicated subject line:
Say Goodbye to Wasted Ad Spend: Jooble’s PPJ Model - an open rate of 42.86%.
What is the PPJ Model?! Kinda complicated! But it shone with new colors: it became intriguing, and clients immediately wanted to know how this mysterious tool would help them save money on advertising.
A simple formula:
Emotions (‘say goodbye!’) + audience interest (‘how to save on advertising’) + solution + intriguing (‘mysterious PPJ Model’)»
[Lead name], get failproof Cold Email Formulas 💎
Hey [Lead name],😎 Create a trending visual for your brand
Love at First Sight? 😍 Look at our [what?] features!
Just Met: Your business goals and our solutions!
Make your [e.g., app, platform, specific tool, etc.] feel magical ✨
To ensure your subject lines are great, you can test them. Launch an A/B test campaign and find out the real prospects’ reactions to your emails: if people wanted to click on them after seeing your subject lines? This way, you'll know what works best for your target audience, including each segment.
But before testing, it's a good idea to check how effective your headline can hypothetically be and whether there are any shortcomings in the main points. Special testers will help you figure this out (e.g., Moosend, Mailmeteor, CoSchedule).
These tools will help you optimize your subjects by scoring them based on such criteria as spammy words, length, etc.
Anastasiia Bilynska from Jooble, is also sure that to create the perfect email subject line, you should use AI-based checking tools:
«I like that AI is not a guy who will do everything for you, but your buddy who can help. For emails, I use a tool called Email Subject Line Tester (from Mailmeteor), which uses algorithms to help test the subject lines and rule them out as spam.
I have 7+ years experience in content marketing and PR. I always try to bring my unique approach to projects, write helpful articles, guides, and interviews with valuable cases that strengthen brand identity and promote engagement. My mission now is to help small and medium-sized B2B business owners take their companies to the next level.
