150+ Sales Email Subject Lines That Get Opened, Read, and Responded To

I have always found the best approach to getting the highest email open and conversion rates — all while evading junk folders — is to write a captivating email subject line.

I know I’m not alone in that assessment. Surveys found that 64% of respondents said subject lines determine whether they open or delete an email, and 69% said subject lines determine whether or not they mark an email as spam.

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Meeting your goals for open rates, click-through rates, and CTA conversions relies on the power of your sales email subject line. Sounds like a lot rides on 60 characters or less, doesn’t it?

But never fear. Once you understand what makes a great subject line, you’ll know how to craft impactful email subject lines that convert to leads, progress opportunities, and help close deals.

Table of Contents

• What makes a good email subject line?
• Catchy Email Subject Lines for Sales
• Professional Email Subject Lines
• Email Subject Lines for Reaching Out
• Attention-Grabbing Subject Lines for Sales Emails
• The Best Sales Email Subject Lines
• Cold Email Subject Lines
• Follow-Up Email Subject Lines
• Best Email Subject Lines After No Response
• Email Subject Lines for Meeting Requests
• Your Guide to Writing the Best Sales Email Subject Lines

It may surprise you to learn that the average open rate of emails across all industries is 37.27%. The way to reel in those opens? Write a creative, catchy subject line that identifies:

• Why you are emailing the prospect.
• When the reader should act on the message (usually, right now).
• The benefits the reader can expect to gain by opening the email.

I like to use the following tips to improve my sales email subject lines.

1. Keep it brief.

The ideal length of an email subject line varies between mobile, desktop, and tablet devices, so keep this in mind as you craft the perfect one-liner for your sales email.

On average, the maximum subject line is about 60 characters long before it gets cut off by the email provider. Campaign Monitor recommends a subject line of 41 characters so that each word appears on desktop, mobile, and tablet devices. And Regie.ai found that subject lines with seven words have the highest open rates.

But while you’re watching your word and character counts, you also have to spark your prospect’s curiosity and make it clear why they should (nay, must!) open your message.

I like to tailor the subject line to the priorities my prospects care most about:

• Their own job security and reputation inside and outside their organization.
• Increasing revenue generation, customer satisfaction, and profitability.
• Boosting employee morale, engagement, and motivation.
• Mitigating risk, complexity, and distractions.
• Their company’s reputation, competitive positioning, and market viability.

2. Personalize it.

Personalizing the subject line to include the prospect’s name is always a smart way to go. In fact, Campaign Monitor found that 74% of marketers claim to enjoy an average 20% increase in revenue when personalizing emails. People want to hear from, talk to, and buy from other people, not from big brands and companies.

So, before emailing my prospects, I like to put myself in their shoes. Would I be compelled to read the email to solve a problem or gain an advantage? Or would it make me feel like the salesperson is taking a “spray and pray” approach, or is it tailored to me and my business niche?

Here are some more of my personalization tips:

• Make your emails feel like an invitation to a one-on-one conversation with a trustworthy advisor who understands their needs and motivations.
• Take the time to personalize the subject line with the recipient’s name and other customer-centric messaging. This goes a long way to boosting engagement.
• Don’t use generic subject lines like “Meeting Request.” Use “Quick chat to discuss employee retention,” which directly highlights the advantage for the reader.
• I suggest using an email address or an alias that includes your first name. It makes your message resonate with more humanity and helps build rapport and trust.

Pro tip: HubSpot’s Sales Hub makes personalizing subject lines easy. Set up automated personalized email sequences, templatize your most effective emails to further streamline your outreach, and more. Campaign Assistant is another great (and free!) tool that uses AI to help with your campaign creation.

3. Make it interesting.

We’ve all been taught not to judge a book by its cover, but sales email subject lines don’t count. (Apologies to Mrs. Walker, my fourth-grade teacher.)

The primary goal of your subject line is to get the prospect to click, read more, and decide if they’re interested enough to respond or take action. However, an interesting subject line means different things for different scenarios.

Here are a few ways to create subject lines that capture the attention and imagination of your audience:

• Reference a recent news story in their industry that’s relevant to problems you can help them solve.
• Include a new statistic about trends in their industry that helps support your case.
• If you know about a project on their agenda, can you help them improve their results, or help them address errors they made along the way?
• Ask for their help. Appeal to the prospect’s desire to do a good deed for the day.

The key to each of these angles is this: They’re all about the prospect. You’ll have plenty of time to pitch your product in the body of the email and on future calls.

Pro tip: I like to use A/B testing to verify whether a subject line interests my prospects. There are a lot of great A/B testing tools on the market to help you do this quickly and effectively. AI can help, too!

4. Offer value.

When writing a subject line, I make sure to describe the measurable and intangible benefits of working with me.

I had a sales coach named Marty Nuckles who said this approach works because everyone’s favorite radio station is WIIFM, or “What’s In It For Me.” The WIIFM sales principle focuses on the value of your offerings to the prospect, and it’s a great way to start building rapport by demonstrating empathy.

Pro tip: I like to personalize my emails by including a specific benefit for the recipient in the subject line. For instance, instead of a generic subject, I use something like “Let’s discuss how [ProspectCo] can increase deal win rates.” This directly highlights the advantage of opening the email and ideally, responding to it.

5. Create urgency.

Time sensitivity is a common filter that many of us use to prioritize our inboxes, so it’s understandable that our prospects operate their inboxes the same way. Even if your prospect isn’t particularly interested in making a purchase right now, there’s still some benefit in knowing that they could miss out on a benefit if they don’t explore the limited-time-only promotions.

I have several emails in my inbox right now with “Don’t miss this deal!” subject lines for promotional pricing. I’ve received other time-sensitive offers for SaaS trials and event registrations.

In my experience, creating urgency — where appropriate — is a tried-and-true tactic to get your emails opened and read, but don’t rely on this all the time. If prospects don’t take you seriously about empty promotional warnings, your overall credibility is compromised.

6. Avoid clickbait.

Using clickbait headlines doesn’t just cheapen your outreach messaging — they increase the likelihood your emails will be caught in spam filters.

Don’t let your email subject lines make claims that your company or its products or services can’t live up to. Falsely insinuating urgency, value, or benefits can damage your reputation as a salesperson, and may even result in your company being fined by regulators.

Pro tip: For an added layer of assurance, cross-check your subject line against our list of spam trigger words to avoid.

7. Include trending keywords.

Keywords are another way prospects filter and organize their inboxes. So, including specific keywords in your email can help yours make it into a folder the prospect will review later.

Google Trends, Search Console, or HubSpot’s Traffic Analysis tool are a few tools you can use to help you generate subject lines that align with how people are finding your company.

Pro tip: Run some A/B tests to determine what keywords result in the highest open rates compared to other versions.

The Best Sales Email Subject Lines

Email subject lines provide vital context to help you prioritize which messages to read immediately, what to file away, and what to send spinning into the digital ether. Your prospects are constantly prioritizing their email inbox, even setting up filters and rules to organize their messages in order to respond to important and urgent notes as efficiently as they can.

Below, I’ve gathered a bunch of proven sales email subject lines from highly successful salespeople and organized them into these categories:

• Cold Email Subject Lines
• Follow-Up Email Subject Lines
• Best Email Subject Lines After No Response
• Email Subject Line Examples for Meeting Requests

Cold Email Subject Lines

I know you might be thinking that your cold sales email won’t make the prospect’s priority email list, but the following cold email subject lines can stoke the fire of curiosity and get that prospect to open up your email.

1. “Quick question about [goal]”

Your question will vary widely based on your industry and the goals that drive growth within it. Ideally, the question will pique the prospect’s curiosity and they will open your email to find out what you’re curious about. Make sure the question is relevant and thought-provoking to the target recipient.

You might think (as I once did) that a prospect wouldn’t want to answer such a bold question from a stranger. Yet if a prospect is willing to respond, your icebreaker question may have hit on an issue that is top-of-mind.

Resist the urge to pounce on the reply with a sales pitch. Ease into a dialogue with some more of the questions on this list. Answers to this question are like having a fish nibble at your bait. If you try to haul the prospect into the boat immediately, you’ll probably break the line.

2. “[Mutual connection] recommended I get in touch”

Referrals are a powerful way to break into a prospect’s circle of trust. If you share an acquaintance with your prospect, be sure to put that person's name in your email subject line. The more your prospect trusts your referrer, the more compelling your email will be.

Just make sure you actually have the mutual connection’s consent to drop their name, as it’s unlikely you can rebuild trust after a false claim at the start of a relationship.

3. “Hi [name], [question]?”

This question is similar to the first, but it adds a measure of personalization I described earlier. Questions provoke answers. Emails with question subject lines provoke opens and replies. Incorporating their name makes the email more personal, which will help it stand out in their inbox.

Asking a prospect a question can also be a psychological trigger that compels them to want to demonstrate their expertise and how they’ve contributed to their company’s success.

4. “Did you get what you were looking for?”

I find this one is good to use when following up with an inbound lead or a website visitor. They're clearly looking for information to address a business initiative — so ask how you can be of service.

Be sure to establish standards for how soon to reach out after a prospect visits your website or interacts with gated content. Getting a call or email before you finish reading the first page of a guide or the end of a webinar seems desperate.

When I was following up on inbound leads, I would subtly introduce myself as a resource a day or two after the prospect’s information was captured, and follow up with a stronger pitch a week or so later.

5. [the e.e. cummings subject line]

Most people incorporate title case capitalization when they draft emails (although some go a little CrAzY). In contrast, an all-lowercase subject line will stand out, although you should confirm with your marketing or management team to confirm whether this style is acceptable.

Younger audiences and startups are embracing this style; however, many companies are shifting towards sentence case and only capitalizing the first word in the subject line. Additionally, conservative audiences may not appreciate the tone this style conveys.

6. “Ready to help”

The age of the hard sell and aggressive Always Be Closing mentality is dead; the best salespeople today adhere to ABH (Always Be Helping). Put this sentiment front and center — prospects will appreciate your candor as well as your willingness to be of service.

Advisory sales methodologies like SNAP Selling recommend educating, not pushing aggressively, to move a deal through the pipeline to a close.

7. “A [benefit] for [prospect's company]”

I explored the power of business benefits earlier in this article. Here are some examples of how this subject line might look like in practice:

• A new HR strategy for Business Inc.
• A savings of $25k for ABC Corp.
• An all-time revenue record for Organization Y.

If the prospect sees the value in the benefit you describe and they let their guard down because of the personalized subject line, you have a better chance at “setting the hook” and booking a sales meeting.

Pro tip: Using the prospect name or company name is a great way to set your email apart from generic pitches. When in doubt, personalize — nobody wants to feel like just another email address on a spreadsheet.

8. “X tips/ideas for [pain point]”

People love numbered lists (hence, the rise of the listicle). Insert a number into your subject line to drive interest. Your list should be snack-sized with four or five ideas to whet the prospect’s appetite.

Keep some of your best nuggets of wisdom for your discovery call.

9. “Idea for [topic the prospect cares about]”

A free idea with no strings? The prospect will likely be willing to invest a click to see what you have up your sleeve. This subject line is a good way to extract value from your website, lead, and social sentiment analytics to determine what prospects care about instead of making assumptions.

10. “2x [prospect‘s company]’s pipeline in 10 days”

Throwing out some buzzy numbers can generate some immediate interest. Make sure your company and its products and services can live up to your claims. Customers will often remember the sting of falling for a dishonest sales pitch far longer than they remember passing on an opportunity and staying with the status quo. However, if they realize the benefits of your promotion though, they are a great testimonial candidate.

11. “I found you on LinkedIn through our mutual connection, [mutual connection’s name]”

Again, don't underestimate the power of mentioning referrals in a subject line. Many salespeople leverage second- or third-degree connections as ways to build out their network.

If you haven’t been able to get the mutual acquaintance or friend’s permission to cite them as a referral, be honest about how you discovered them. I’ve always felt that if you connect with someone on LinkedIn, you should be upfront with them as to your motivation.

Send a LinkedIn message with this subject line, or if you can source their email address, send your introduction that way before sending the connection invite.

Nobody wants a cold connection with a sales pitch chaser two minutes later.

12. “We have [insert fact] in common...”

Spend five minutes looking through your contact’s LinkedIn or Facebook accounts. I bet you can find at least one thing you have in common — even if it’s just that you've both been photographed eating spaghetti.

At the same time, be careful. Don’t mention something too personal or something they clearly want to keep private, or it will come off as creepy. Pick something that the prospect made publicly known on their social profiles.

13. “So nice to meet you, [Prospect]!”

Whether they downloaded a piece of content or visited your pricing page, let your prospect know you've noticed their interest and are happy to finally touch base. This is a warm and friendly way to initiate first contact.

Don’t go high-pressure sales inside the email; maybe suggest another content asset that eases the prospect down the sales funnel.

14. “Feeling [insert emotion]? Let me help”

Tap into current events in your prospect's industry. Targeting marketers during the busy weeks before Black Friday? Try “Feeling stressed? Let me help.” Then, share how your product or service can lighten their load.

15. “Hoping you can help”

People generally want to help other people. If you’re reaching out to someone for the first time, ask something like, “I’d like to learn more about your marketing conference schedule this year. Would you be able to connect me with the right person to speak with?”

If you’re looking for a referral to a decision-maker, look for a champion who can help your cause without feeling like they are being drawn into a sales cycle they have no authority over.

16. “This is a [your industry here] sales email”

You’d be surprised how far humor, honesty, and transparency will take you. By opening with the primary reason for your email, you’ll break down the wall your prospect has up when they’re being sold something.

After openly identifying the 800-pound gorilla in the room, you can use the body of your email to get your point across. If you are bold enough to use this subject line, don’t dilute your message by being generic about what you have to offer.

17. “Your yearly [X] target”

Every professional has KPIs to meet. Pair the target with the persona or prospect’s priorities, and test out what targets generate the most traction.

18. “[Situation] at [Company]”

For example, “Sales Training at Business Inc.” or “HR Services at Organization Y.” Whatever it is that you sell, connect it with the company you're prospecting into for a subject line one-two punch.

Pro tip: Are you using an AI-powered news source (like a Breeze agent) to alert you about events that impact your prospects and accounts? You can increase the impact of this subject line by identifying the best times for you and your team to approach the accounts in your market segment.

19. “Who is in charge of X at [company]?”

Seeking an introduction to the right contact at the buyer‘s organization? There’s nothing like getting right to your point in the subject line of the message.

I recommend you do your research before sending an email like this, though, and to try and get within one or two degrees of org chart separation. Being way off the mark will just get your email swept into the delete folder.

20. “Have you tried [restaurant in prospect's town]?”

The salesperson who suggested this said it has an insanely high open rate, and I’m not surprised.

To use this line, do a little digging to discover A) where the prospect’s company is located and B) one of the top-rated restaurants in that area.

And you don’t have to pretend you've gone there. Inside the email, say something like, “If I ever visit [location], should I go? Does it deserve the hype?”

With luck, you can start a rapport-building conversation, show you did your homework, and make the prospect feel like a local expert in one fell swoop. People like to buy from people they know, like, and trust. And everybody’s gotta eat!

21. “I understand you speak sign language too?”

That’s an example of a tidbit you can easily learn from someone’s bio, personal website, LinkedIn profile, or X account. Personalizing your email subject line — even if it has nothing to do with the purpose of your outreach — will earn you lots of opens.

According to Ali Powell, a former principal account executive at HubSpot, the secret to writing a phenomenal sales email subject line is to make it something about them. Mention something that couldn't apply to anyone else. If you can draw a common thread to your own life, you’ll see better results.

22. “Let’s cut to the chase”

This subject line manages to be both intriguing and matter-of-fact at the same time. Your reader instantly thinks, “Cut to the chase about what?”

According to curiosity drive theory, people find uncertainty unsettling. Conversely, clearing up areas of uncertainty is mentally satisfying.

23. “I might be off-base here, but ...”

What could it be? The prospect will have to open your email to find out.

Similar to “Let’s cut to the chase,” this subject line plays on the buyer’s curiosity. If they don’t click, they’ll never learn what you’re potentially wrong about.

Research is key here, because if you are completely off-base, you could be perceived as wasting their time.

24. “Your peers tell me they struggle with [common pain point]. Do you?”

As a salesperson, you have a bird’s eye view of your prospect’s industry. They often only know their organization’s circumstances and that of their network. That means what might feel like a unique problem to them may actually be a widespread challenge.

I often find you can harness your broader perspective in three ways:

• Grab prospects’ attention with this subject line.
• Demonstrate your credibility with testimonials or success stories.
• Reassure them you may have some answers.

Few executives like to reinvent the wheel or feel alone trying to overcome an obstacle. Thanks to the bandwagon effect, the fact that other people are sharing or have experienced something is often enough to sway opinions and drive action.

Framing this subject line with “tell me” makes you sound connected, whereas if you write “your peers say,” it sounds like you may have just read a survey.

25. “Can I make your life 20% easier?”

I think this eye-catching subject line is a great option if your solution makes your customers more efficient, accurate, or productive. Combined with a personalized email, this opener helps you immediately focus on value.

Make sure your email demonstrates that your company or your products or services can deliver on this claim with evidence or a testimonial, or your claim may come across as clickbait.

26. “[Name], I saw you're focused on [goal]”

Pack a one-two punch with this subject line. You can get points for personalization and customer intelligence with this one. Not only has research shown that people respond positively to hearing their names, but the phenomenon of implicit egotism also holds that our name-based preferences extend to the cities we choose to live in and what occupations we pursue.

Pro tip: Locate this information by leveraging your marketing automation software, which tells you which web pages on your site they’ve visited or what content they’ve downloaded. For example, if they just read three of your company’s blog posts about accelerating their invoice to cash cycles, it’s safe to say they are improving their cash flow management, operational efficiency, and accounts receivable processes.

27. “Will I see you at [event]?”

If you know your prospect will be at the same event as you — either based on a credible attendance list or social media — I recommend this friendly question.

Even if your prospect doesn‘t respond to your email, your name and the event will be linked in their mind. That means they’re more likely to wander over to your booth and check out your demo while exploring the floor.

And if they do respond? You can schedule a conversation or demo.

28. “Can I help?”

Use this subject line to tell the buyer you're looking to help solve problems, not just take their order for your products. Modern salespeople must differentiate themselves as problem solvers and trusted advisors — especially when selling commodity goods or services.

Plus, as soon as your prospect sees this in her inbox, they’ll wonder, “Help with what?” There's only one way to find out...

29. “Tired of salespeople who never give up?”

The rep who passed along this subject line to me said that in the body of her email, she writes:

Yep, me too. That’s why I promise I won’t keep contacting you if you're not interested. :)

Just let me know if you're [seeing, dealing with] any of these three things, which my customers in X [industry, role] often are:

- Issue #1

- Issue #2

- Issue #3

I think this subject line works because honesty is appealing — from the outset of your relationship, you’re showing your prospect you’re a straight shooter. This approach also lets you empathize with them (let’s face it, we are all tired of overly aggressive salespeople).

30. “[Name] suggested I reach out”

Referral sales expert Bill Cates notes that salespeople who get referred to new prospects “borrow trust” from the referral source.

This means that instead of coming in cold, the relationship between the rep and the prospect automatically becomes warmer, thanks to the relationship between the referred prospect and the referral source. In my opinion, this subject line effectively uses that connection to your advantage.

Getting referred up through organization chart levels is often easier than starting at the top and getting referred down when you haven’t built a relationship at an executive level. That said, a referral from an executive can increase the likelihood of a response if the person you are referred to reports to the executive that refers you.

31. “Contacting you at [Referral]'s suggestion”

This is a slightly more formal version of other referral subject lines on this list. Use it if you’re emailing someone in a less casual industry; for example, I’d suggest this subject line for a finance professional or higher-ranking employee.

All the salespeople who recommended this subject line passed on the same warning to me — if you didn’t get a referral, don’t use this line!

32. “[Referral name]”

This is another one from Ali Powell's arsenal. “Just put the full name of the person in the subject line and nothing else. I promise this works!” she writes. For example: “Jane Smith” or “John Doe.”

The simple “referral name” subject line draws on the power of referrals without providing details. But there’s another reason it works — in a sea of emails labeled with verbs and adjectives, a person’s name (and one the recipient knows well) stands out.

33. “[Referral name] loves us & thought you might, too”

Follow up with your happiest customers and use this subject line to set the tone for your communication. As an extra bonus, include a personalized testimony from the referrer in the email or have them introduce you via email.

A referral with no context is just a referral, but one that leads with how happy the referrer is stands out — especially if you can snag an email introduction from your referrer.

34. “Fellow [University] grad here!”

This is less of a referral and more of a referring connection. Draw upon a similar hometown, state, or alma mater for instant rapport-building.

This subject line works because people love to feel connected to one another. In my experience, calling upon a similarity with your prospect forges an instant bond and can lead to easier rapport and a few extra minutes of their attention.

Follow-Up Email Subject Lines

1. “Our next steps”

I think this is a great subject line to follow up after a first connection or to re-engage a prospect who’s gone quiet. Propose a short call to catch up on their business goals — don’t jump into sales mode before you reconnect. If the prospect has already gone quiet, being too pushy could make them continue to ignore your attempts to reconnect.

2. “X options you can get started on Y”

Sometimes a prospect needs help understanding how they can best do business with you. In the body of the email, pop in a few bullet points about how to kick off your relationship in the body text (a webinar, a phone call, an upgrade opportunity for current customers, etc.), and you're good to go.

3. “You are not alone.”

This subject line hits home on two fronts:

• It's intriguing.
• It's human.

If you know the prospect is struggling with a difficult challenge, share stories of how others have overcome similar hurdles.

4. “Do you have 10 mins on [date]?”

Short, easy, and to the point.

If you can mirror this sentiment in the body of your sales emails, I guarantee the replies will be flying your way. Make it easy for the recipient to accept your offer or counter with another time that works with you both by sending a meeting scheduler link.

5. “A 3-step plan for your busy week”

You know the pain points of your ideal customer, so bullet those pain points in the email body and provide short, actionable tips on how they can overcome those challenges over the coming week.

6. “[Prospect], I thought these articles would interest you”

Include their name in the subject line, and fill the email body with content you know they need. I think this is a great way to test disengaged or completely unresponsive prospects for signs of life. It’s not aggressive, and shows you want to educate and advise them beyond sales-related conversations.

7. “Here's that info I promised you”

I recommend always ending your call or previous prospect communication with several next steps and follow-up topics. This gives each side direction — and also gives you a reason to follow up.

8. “I'd love your feedback on that meeting”

If you just gave a demo or led a meeting with a prospect‘s colleagues, it’s a good idea to stay top of mind and immediately ask if you can answer any questions. This also helps gauge how things went and understand what the next steps should be.

When I used this tactic, I often recorded short videos or used screenshots to address any concerns that the customer had as opposed to getting on another call.

9. “I had this idea since we last spoke”

This subject line does two things:

• Encourages them to recall your conversation.
• Sparks interest in what your idea might be.

This interest will likely motivate the recipient to open the email, and ideally, they will want to reconnect on your idea.

Sales managers, technical specialists, or even other customers can be great inspirations for these ideas.

10. “I thought about what you said”

I think this subject line functions similar to the previous one but with an added edge: They may now be curious if you’ve addressed a concern or objective, giving them more leverage. If they believe they now have an advantage, they may be more willing to hear you out.

11. “Don’t tell my boss”

Leverage a little scandal to pique their interest and make them feel that your message is a secret just for them.

12. “What would it take?”

A rhetorical question that trails off (what would it take to what, exactly?) can open a dialogue and perhaps even compel them to reply.

13. “Here’s what I’ll do”

Some people’s love language is “acts of service,” so engage the law of reciprocity by offering something in hopes of winning their favor. I find that the mystery of what you’re offering and the promise of getting something will prompt them to open the email.

14. “Talk on [day] at [1:45]?”

The person who came up with this subject line gave me a bonus tip: “Asking for an appointment on the :45 feels less demanding than one that begins on the hour or half-hour — because it suggests you‘re only going to need 15 minutes of the prospect’s time.”

15. “[Prospect], I loved your post on [website/publication name]”

Who doesn’t like compliments? Do a bit of research on your prospect. If they’ve written an article or shared an insight on LinkedIn you found interesting, let them know. I like this tactic because it gives you a good opener for contacting them and also demonstrates that you appreciate their expertise.

16. “Hi [Prospect], we met at [event]”

This prompt is great for connecting post-event. I like that it’s to the point, but most importantly, I like that it reminds the recipient who you are and why you’re contacting them.

17. “Still undecided? This might help”

Have you already reached out about your product or service and haven’t heard back yet? Use this subject line to help persuade your prospect to purchase.

Go back to the prospect’s pain points and think about how your product fixes them. Did you roll out a new feature, or are you now offering a discount for them to try? Once you have your new angle, include it in your email message to persuade them to convert.

18. “Try [product/service] for free”

Sometimes you need to gain someone’s trust before they’ll try your product. One way to do that is removing the risk of them trying your product. I’ve found that leading with a free trial offer in the subject line gives the recipient a reason to open your note because it explicitly states the benefit to them.

Best Email Subject Lines After No Response

1. “Do not open this email”

If you've ever spent time with a toddler, you know that telling someone not to do something tends to prompt that very behavior. This concept also works on adults. Reverse psychology for the win!

2. “Should I stay, or should I go?”

If you haven't heard from a prospect in a while, pull out this subject line and pair it with a cleverly crafted breakup email.

3. “Know this about [topic of interest]?”

I like this subject line because offering a helpful tip or statistic about a subject the prospect is interested in establishes your credibility and gets the conversation flowing.

4. “Permission to close your file?”

This breakup email subject line puts the onus on the prospect to move forward. Whether or not they respond, you'll know where they stand.

5. “Wishing you and your business the best”

If you’ve made multiple attempts to connect with someone and they aren’t responding, see what happens if you indicate you are prepared to move on.

This is similar to the previous question, but I’ve had better luck with this approach because the prospect may call your bluff on closing their file. I would end the body of the email saying that I didn’t want to interrupt their busy day with unwanted calls or emails, but they were welcome to contact me if they need anything.

6. “If you change your mind about partnering with [your company]”

Break up radio silence by putting the ball squarely back in a quiet prospect's court.

7. “Am I assuming correctly?”

If a prospect just isn‘t responding to your emails, send them a quick note saying, “Usually, when I don’t hear back, it means this isn't a priority for your company at the moment. Am I correct in assuming this?”

8. “HBO Go password?”

If a prospect simply isn't responsive to traditional outreach, I think it’s fun to shake things up with a funny email subject line. You might just earn a second look.

9. “Be honest, are you ghosting me?”

I received this bold and hilarious subject line from a sales rep earlier this year, and it is one of my favorites. It may not work in every industry, but it certainly got my attention, made me open the email, and gave me a chuckle.

10. “Reaching out once more (LMK either way)”

This is a good option to use for your last attempt to connect with a prospect. I like this one because, while they still may decline your services, it encourages them to respond regardless.

Email Subject Lines for Meeting Requests

1. “15 minutes this week?”

We’ve all got an extra 15 minutes, right? If you’re simply trying to connect with a prospect for the first time or restart a stalled relationship, I think this low-commitment subject line can be an easy way for your prospect to re-engage.

2. “Requesting a meeting on [day]”

I suggest using this subject line when your prospect is expecting a meeting request from you. It’s best for follow-up correspondence when you’ve already worked out the details offline.

3. “Time for a quick touch base?”

This is another low-pressure way to engage new prospects or reconnect with stalled ones. You should have had some interaction with them so that your request doesn’t come completely out of left field or as if you’re trying to trick them into meeting with you.

4. “Meeting invite: [Date]”

This subject line leaves out the purpose or content of the meeting to encourage your prospect to open your email for the details. Don’t forget to include a meeting scheduler link to make your calendar transparent.

5. “[Company name] + [Company name]: [Date]”

If you are sending a formal meeting request to a prospect, use this subject line. It's respectful, concise, and purposeful. I think it works well when setting up meetings with C-suite or enterprise clients.

I personally use my name and the prospect’s name in this scenario so it doesn’t sound like I’m proposing that I show up at their office with a busload of my colleagues. That takes more planning than an email out of the blue.

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Thirsty for more? I’ve curated more email subject lines below that you can quickly read through and repurpose for your sales efforts.

Psst — looking for both marketing and sales subject lines? Download 100 more email subject lines that our team loved from both marketers and salespeople.

Your Guide to Writing the Best Sales Email Subject Lines

Even though email subject lines are short, they carry a lot of weight when it comes to the success of your sales emails. I think the best cold email subject lines that work are creative, compelling, and informative without giving too much away. A good subject line that piques interest is the difference between a prospect opening or ignoring an email.

To see the most success in your email subject line, I recommend you be flexible, always test, and get creative for the best results.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in April 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

This article was written by a human, but our team uses AI in our editorial process. Check out our full disclosure to learn more about how we use AI.