by Tom Simpson
A strong subject line is the foundation of every email.
Did you know that according to Invespcro, 47% of email receivers open an email purely based only on the subject line? At the same time, 69% of email receivers also judge emails straightaway as spam purely based on the subject lines.
Email subject lines are the first things we see when we are peering into our inboxes, so taking that into account, we should be extra mindful of the best ways to leverage email subject lines within your email outreach; otherwise, they will be most likely be left unread, ignored, deleted or could end up in spam.
So, what constitutes a great email subject line?…
It should be a statement that communicates urgency, curiosity, personalisation, relevancy and much more. However, it is up to you to choose which fits your company’s tone and proposition ensuring it will appeal and resonate with your target audience.
Before taking a look at some examples, I want to iterate the importance of having standout subject lines by detailing the pros and cons.
Here is a quick run down!
Pros of having a good subject line:
- Leave a lasting first impression
- Gains the attention of the reader immediately
- Increases Open Rates & Reply rate
- Increase Your Brand Awareness
- Avoid your emails from going into Spam
- Builds trust with your recipients
And the obvious Cons of having a bad subject line:
- Your emails may get deleted solely on the subject lines
- Can trigger spam filters
- Your emails may get lost and be unread
- Achieve less deliverability and essentially hurt the ROI of your campaigns
- Confuse the recipient as to the relevance of the Email
So with that out of the way, I have 100 of ours and the market’s best performing subject lines to share with you, that have worked very well for us and our clients over the years within certain situations and context.
We hand selected these based on the results these subject lines yielded in terms of deliverability, open rates, response rates, and positive response rates.
So without further ado, these are our Top 100 Email Subject Lines (categorised by 4 main different styles):
First up, who says email subjects have to be such a bore, here are the best funny subject lines to induce a chuckle and get them reading:
- Since we can’t all win the lottery…
- We are not gonna Give Up on You!
- Are you coming?
- So I’ll pick you up at 7?
- 2 hours before launch and we are still scrambling
- Your dilemmas SOLVED
- Here’s one way to meet your New Year’s Resolution
- Abra-cord-abra! Yeah, we said it.
- How to email a busy person like you (including a word-for-word script)
- Swipe right on us
- Mom’s/Dad’s gonna love this
- C’mon, it’s Friday and you’re killing time anyway …
- We pair nicely with your growth spreadsheets
- Hey, We Need to Talk…
- What you can’t afford?
- As you wish but do accordingly
- Do not commit these [Platform] atrocities
- Yeah, we did it
- This is a sales email
- Will cut to the chase
- This sale (like Cinderella) will disappear at midnight
- Ugh, not another email!
- Our gift to you…
- Oops, we got a bit excited
- Boom shakalak! Let’s get started.
Secondly, as they say, curiosity kills the cat, or in this case, gets your email read. Here are another 25 subject lines that are best for inducing curiosity within the readers:
- A surprise gift for you! Unwrap
- Last Day To See What This Mystery Email Is All About
- Uh-oh, your prescription is expiring
- URGENT! You’ve got ONE DAY to watch/read this…
- Offering you my personal email
- Happy Birthday [Name] – Surprise Inside!
- [Name], do you remember me?
- Crazy Invitation, I am Going to Buy You Coffee…
- Hey, did you forget to open this?
- New things are happening!
- Looks like you forgot something
- Whoa. We have a lot to share with you tonight
- Don’t Open This Email
- A Sneak Peek for VIPs Only.
- Welcome, Gift! Offer Inside 👀…
- Quick favour?
- You free this Thursday at [12 PM CET]?
- Invitation from [Company_Name]
- 10 bizarre habits making our sales team happy
- I’m sending this email because…
- I know you’re busy, so I’ll keep this short
- Tired of salespeople who give up?
- They told us it was impossible
- Only the best for you, [name]
- Might be off-base here, but …
Thirdly, if you are a rather straightforward person and would like to jump straight to the point of your article but still want to carry some intrigue, here are another 25 (salesy) subject lines to capture their attention:
- You’re missing out on sales.
- Is this the hottest software in marketing/sales?
- Flash. Sale. Alert.
- 300% increase in revenue with a single option + a neat growth trick from my mastermind!
- Reminder: Schedule your FREE DEMO!
- Premium trial ending soon
- [Name], need measurable results right now?
- We Saw You Checking Us Out 😏
- What Did You Think? Write a Review.
- Everything you wanted to know about email copy but was too afraid to ask
- Hey, forget something? Here’s [20%] off.
- Did you miss out on some of these new features?
- Don’t think about saving. Save without thinking
- Engaging your prospects can be challenging. We make it easy
- See what our clients are saying…
- [Name], people are looking at your profile
- The perfect opportunity for you and your team
- Are you reaching your customers on the right channels?
- 3 reasons why you should be using our service over others
- [Referral’s Name] suggested I reach out
- [Referral name] loves us & thought you might, too
- Hi [Name], We can help you become successful!
- Have you tried our [product/service]
- Can I/We help?
- Your yearly [X] target
Finally, here are the final 25 email subject lines that tend to address pain points, and problems or present an opportunity:
- Steal these email templates…
- Subscribe to our new newsletter for FREE!
- Find your prospects without breaking the bank
- Stop wasting time on mindless work
- Question about [goal]
- Hi [name], [question]?
- Did you get what you were looking for?
- Hoping to help…
- A [benefit] for [company]
- [N] tips/ideas for [pain point]
- 10x [prospect’s company]’s traction in 10 minutes
- If you’re struggling with [pain point], you’re not alone
- [Name], saw you’re focused on [goal]
- Will I see you at [event]?
- [Something people in your industry do] + “needs to stop”]
- Hey [Name], [Question]?
- I’ve got an idea for [Topic or Painpoint]
- Are you a part of the [n]%?
- Permission to bring you [N]% more [result]?
- $[N] in the next [N] months?
- We have [fact] in common …
- Your yearly [X] target
- [Situation] at [Company]
- Too much on your plate, [NAME]?
- [NAME], could this be useful for you?
You have got to remember, A little imagination goes a long way when it comes to sales email subject lines.
After all, piquing your prospect’s interest is always the easiest and most successful approach to get them to open your email — and once they have, you may win their engagement by crafting a relevant, timely email. But coming up with a solid subject line to match is even more difficult. Furthermore, what was innovative and novel 12 months ago will make your reader’s eyes roll back in their head now because others may have beaten you to the punch already.
So keep your email subject lines entertaining, straightforward, and on-brand while crafting them. Remember to appeal to your target prospects’ emotions and wants, and most importantly, have fun with it – incorporate emojis, jokes, or pop-culture allusions. Guaranteed, your emails will be opened rather than the same old uninspiring tactics.
And lastly, this is where I show my gratitude and ask for a few simple favours:
- We just hit 1300+ subscribers, and I wanted to take a moment first to thank everyone who has taken the time to subscribe to my newsletter and managed to read all the editions so far. It means the world to me!
- If you enjoyed reading this Newsletter, please share it with your friends and colleagues. I would love to grow this community as much as we can.
- If you haven’t subscribed already to the newsletter, you can do it right now by clicking this link.
- I would love to hear from you, so if you have any thoughts on this newsletter or any questions, please let me know by commenting below.
- And if you want to know what my Company and I do, you can check us out on www.weareteamrocket.com, and if you’d like to have a chat with me on your business growth, you can book in a time here.
Until I see you again,
– Tom Simpson,
– Brought to you by We Are Team Rocket.
