You’ve heard me say before how powerful cold emailing is for client acquisition, and the first part of a cold email that works is the right subject line. In fact, some estimates say that 47% of recipients open an email based on the subject line alone (and 69% of them report it as spam based on the subject line!). I want to share with you the three best cold email subject lines to dramatically increase your open rate.

I use these on a regular basis, and they work. If you’re curious about your open rate, you can use a free tool like Streak to track your email opens. That’s what I do.

Psst! I’ve got a YouTube video on this, too. Take a moment to like and subscribe? 😉

The 3 Best Cold Email Subject Lines

We’re going to keep this simple and to the point.

1. Down to Business

Some of the best advice I can give you is this: Keep it simple. The first subject line you need to employ is this:

Writing for [company name]

That’s it. Can you believe it?

Of course, put in the service that you offer — social media, graphic design, etc. I know it seems too simple to work, but that’s exactly why it works. One of the smartest approaches you can take with your cold email subject lines is to describe what the email is about. No more, no less.

People appreciate it when you’re straightforward, no frills. Your leads are bombarded every day with sales emails trying to win them over. Do them a favor and just be real with them.

2. CTA

Call-to-action. CTA. Long story short, CTAs work when it comes to getting people to do what you want them to do, making this one of the best cold email subject lines you can use.

Here’s an example of how you would write it:

Quick call this Thursday to discuss your blog?

This subject line is specific, concrete, and actionable. Right away, I’m trying to schedule a time to get them on the phone so we can get to know each other a little bit better.

Keep in mind that the goal is to make this as easy as possible for your lead. Don’t make them do much work or even much thinking. This is why I like to offer up a few specific times. Then, all they have to do is pick one — as opposed to us going back and forth trying to figure out what works.

P.S. I know I’m talking about leads a lot. If you need help sourcing leads, check out this video:

3. Collaboration

This approach is so unique because instead of outright pitching your services to someone, you’re more so saying, “Hey, I think that if we work together, we could do something pretty magical.” This means that your email should also take a collaborative tone.

You’re telling them that you want to work with them to help them accomplish their goals. This is a mutually beneficial relationship.

I might write this type of subject line as:

Collab with [company name]

or

Blogging collab with [company name]

Like Down to Business, this comes across as low-key and casual, whereas other people in the recipient’s inbox undoubtedly sound desperate and in-their-face.

Remember, you’re just one human being trying to strike up a conversation with another human being because they’re trying to achieve something and you passionately believe that you can help.

That is the driving force behind the best cold email subject lines.

Remember to Split Test Your Cold Email Subject Lines

This is how you find out what works best for your business. Start with two to five subject lines and test 10 to 20 emails with each. Then, compare the results. Is one subject line seeing a better open rate than the others? You’ll know by the open rate. A higher open rate likely means that the subject line is better.

I have 60 cold email subject lines you can test:

So, you’ve got three proven cold email subject lines you can take and use for your own business. What comes next? The email itself!

I’ve been cold emailing for years, and I’ve done all the grunt work for you. Now, you can copy my five proven cold email templates that have helped me land clients and scale my agency to five figures a month. All five templates are available in one download.

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