Honest subject line examples for sales

I increased my open rates by 17% with these 5 subject line tests: Your subject line is the first impression your email makes. It determines whether your audience opens the email or skips it entirely. Here are 5 subject line tests I ran that actually moved the needle (and why they work): 1. Add Personalization: Instead of: “Improve Your Email Marketing Results” I tested: “Chase, These Email Tips Could Boost Your Revenue” Why this works: Seeing their name feels personal and grabs attention in a crowded inbox. Personalization also shows you’ve tailored the content specifically for them. --- 2. Tap Into Curiosity: Instead of: “Email Marketing Strategies for Your Business” I tested: “You’re Leaving Money on the Table with Email” Why this works: Curiosity compels people to open. But the key is delivering on the promise—your content has to match the intrigue, or you’ll lose trust. --- 3. Create Urgency: Instead of: “How to Improve Your Email Campaigns” I tested: “Last Chance to Fix This Email Mistake” Why this works: FOMO (fear of missing out) gets people to take immediate action, especially when there’s a sense of a ticking clock. --- 4. Go Shorter: Instead of: “Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Email Marketing” I tested: “Better Emails, Today” Why this works: Short, punchy subject lines cut through the noise, especially on mobile where 50%+ of emails are opened. --- 5. Use Numbers or Specificity: Instead of: “Email Tips for Business Owners” I tested: “3 Subject Lines That Boosted Open Rates by 17%” Why this works: Numbers and specificity make your email feel actionable and credible. People know exactly what they’re getting. --- The Big Lesson: Your subject line is your email’s best salesperson. Start testing small variations today—personalization, curiosity, urgency, or brevity. Even a 1% improvement across a large list can make a massive impact. What’s the best subject line you’ve tested?

💡 Your objective with cold email: open, read, reply Part 1: Using “boring subject lines” to drive 40%+ open rates The overwhelming majority of reps make this mistake with their subject lines: ⛔️ Me-centric ✅ You-centric They talk all about their solution, making it easy for prospects to delete the email without even opening it. 🎯 Here’s the key strategy: Match internal communication style - Be familiar - Talk about their world, not your solution or how you help - Keep it short (Salesloft’s data supports subject lines with <5 words) Here are five subject line frameworks with examples of good vs. bad: === 1/ Point out specific problems This tactic works great if you can find specific problems on their website. The key: talk about the problem, not how you can help. ✅ Canada Goose chatbot ⛔️ AI-powered enterprise CX ✅ negative review from Pham T. ⛔️ We can get you more 5-star reviews === 2/ Industry trends or problems This tactic works great if there’s an industry trend or challenge every prospect is thinking about. The key: talk about the trend, not how you can help. ✅ Engage platform R&D credit ⛔️ Pay Less Taxes ✅ Welders ⛔️ Automate welding at ABC COMPANY === 3/ Company initiatives This tactic works great if they’re a publicly traded company or have an investor’s page (pro tip: use Seeking Alpha to find these). The key: talk about the initiative, not how you can help. ✅ 28% growth in Q3 ⛔️ Grow Your Revenue ✅ Interconnection cost reduction ⛔️ Reduce Call Center Costs === 4/ LinkedIn quote This tactic works great if the prospect posts LinkedIn content or has a detailed experience section. The key: talk about them, not how you can help. ✅ Salesloft IPO ⛔️ Finance analytics software ✅ Officer or captain? ⛔️ Reduce project waste === 5/ People on their team This tactic works great if you can find specific people on the prospect’s team who are likely experiencing the problem you help with. The key: talk about their team, not how you can help. ✅ Barry Parker and Katie Grouper ⛔️ HR Hiring Solution === Which subject line formula do you like the best? 👇 Let me know in the comments below #Sales #Prospecting #Outbound

5 cold email subject lines that would work on me right now (to get an open): Jen > Kyle Asay Many Paws Donation Chris Farley, Sales Icon Vermont, Amsterdam, Toronto Deliliah + Koa + Pogo Why? Because it shows the rep spent a few mins on my LinkedIn and has a genuine interest in speaking with me. I'm not just a name on a list of 1000 email addresses for people with the title of "Founder". If you have a prospect who shares content on LinkedIn or X, take the time to be curious. (And, yes, not all prospects post on social. This only applies to the ones who do.) Now, to compare, here are the 5 most recent cold email subject lines I received: contact update You might like this, Jen! Elevate Your Digital Presence with Wikipedia Quick question about DemandJen's operational efficiency Quick question, Jen The job of a subject line is to earn the open. It doesn't earn a reply. That's the job of relevance. And, it's why nailing relevance in your email body matters so much. But, we can't earn a reply if we don't earn an open. (PS - Samantha McKenna has some of the best advice on cold email subject lines, using her Show Me You Know Me approach).