Cold Email Subject Lines - Worth Agonizing Over?

Since it's usually the first thing people see, I've spent way too many brain cells trying to figure out what would get them to open the email or not.


I saw a recommendation from someone to just make it, "Hey". TBH, I've been having more success with that as a subject line than anything else.


Curious if folks are using anything else they've found useful.

💌 Cold Emailing
2
salesnerd
WR Officer
3
Head of Growth
Subject lines are, like a lot of things in sales, a moving target. 

What works today might not work next quarter because others have adapted to it. Additionally, just because an email gets opened doesn't mean that's a good subject line. Focus more on response rates -- even better, positive response rates. 

So should you agonize over it? A little bit, but try some different things and see what works. 
CaneWolf
Politicker
3
Call me what you want, just sign the damn contract
Keeping it weird/stupid has been my MO for years and it continues to work.

Examples:

-Let's get the band back together" if anybody had talked to our company ever. That stopped being effective after 6ish months and I had to switch to other things.
-One of my friends broke her leg once and I told her to make her subject line "Broke my leg" to anybody who had been ignoring her. Her response rate was astounding. 
-Just "Why?"
-"This seems weird"

LordBusiness
Politicker
2
Chief Revenue Officer
Will this subject line stand out from the noise? 75% of cold emails never get read cause their subject line is terrible.  
PresidentSkroob
Opinionated
1
CSM
I'm with @CaneWolf on this! I get opens by using a subject line that doesn't look like the rest. I love using GIFs and Memes in the body and will find a way to reference it in the subject line also.
"Where IS Waldo" works nicely. 

Also 'Missed call = Me' works when you send an email if they didn't answer their phone (or if you didn't call but want to pretend you did)
3

Drop Your Corniest Sales Email Subject Lines...

Discussion
8
13

Best cold email subject lines?

Question
19
33
Members only

Keep it vague or precise in cold outreach for email subject lines

Question
23
Better subject line for cold email outreach?
62% Short, vague, and simple
38% Concise and relevant (length doesn't matter)
211 people voted