If you've run out of ideas for

SUBJECT LINES, here are 160 of

them to get you started

This cheat sheet includes cold

email subject lines we used to
shoot up our open rates. We did
that by tailoring each subject line to
invoke different emotions in our
prospects.
Table of contents
#1 Introduction 3
#2 Personalized subject lines 4
#3 Funny subject lines 6
#4 Short subject lines 8
#5 Mutual connection subject lines 10
#6 Urgency subject lines 12
#7 Value proposition subject lines 14
#8 Social proof subject lines 16
#9 Question subject lines 18
#10 Key points to remember 20
#1
Pick a line that won’t make you roll your eyes
1 Tom, have a minute?
2 Last day of your offer, Sydney
3 You’re getting ACQUIRED by your competitor
4 Let’s set up a meet?
5 We make a good pair
6 Check out Avanta publishers

Did the 3rd subject line raise your eyebrows?

If it did, then that’s natural curiosity at play.

All you have to do is write an eyebrow-raising subject line to hook

your prospect.
Pose a question or crack a joke or entice them with what they want
the most -- a discount maybe, instead of sending boring connection
requests that will get buried in a sea of similar emails.
We won’t keep you waiting. Keep reading to head to the juicy bits.
#2
Personalized Subject Line
These subject lines are 22.2% more likely to be opened.
Let’s be honest, don’t we immediately turn our heads when we hear
the slightest whisper of our name?
Subject lines that are personalized are proven to work simply
because we have it ingrained in our brains to respond immediately
when we hear or see something related to us.

Examples
1 {First Name} x {Company Name}
2 {First Name}, {Pain Point}
3 Check it out, {First name}
4 {Prospect’s Name}, here is a personal note
5 Looking forward to meeting you at {Conference Name}, {First
name}
6 Your comment on {post} was insightful
7 Congrats {First name}! Have you thought of {business value}?
8 {Prospect Name}, Thanks from {Your Company}.
9 {First Name}, I just missed you!
10 Goodbye, {Prospect’s Name}
#2
11 Do you remember from {event name}?

12 We love {prospect’s city/town/village}!

13 {prospect name}, congrats on your promotion!

14 {prospect name}I am a big fan of your work

15 Loved your post on {idea} in {LinkedIn/Facebook/Instagram}

16 Can’t agree more with you

17 Sale at {prospect’s city/town/village}!

18 I miss seeing your posts on {LinkedIn/Facebook/Instagram}

these days

19 No {prospect name}, No Party

20 We don’t want to lose you {prospect name}

#3
Funny Subject Line
Laughter shoots up dopamine, and serotonin levels in your brain
leaving you feeling all good.

So use this science-backed subject line type and bring a smile to

your prospect’s face on a busy workday.

We’re sure they will appreciate the gesture.

Examples

1 NOBODY EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION!!

2 What are your views on Crocs?

3 How you doin’?

4 Did you see that ludicrous display last night?

5 Hello. My name’s Forrest, Forrest Gump. You want a

chocolate?

6 Your Netflix password?

7 I got the good stuff. Hit me up anytime.

8 Hello from the other side…

9 Are you ok?

10 Where is the love?

#3

11 WILSOOOON!!

12 Your wife is going to love our CRM. Here’s why…

13 Read this email tomorrow…

14 Seriously. We all love you here!

15 Here’s a wishing tree from us

16 Permission to crack a joke?

17 We have nothing to offer you besides….

18 When was the last time you…

19 You really don’t want us???

20 It’s gonna be one heck of a ride with us

#4
Short Subject Line
To-the-point subject lines can be quite simple. But it shines through
when emails are opened on handheld device screens.
They convey what the email is about and stand out in a littered
inbox by getting to the point in 4-5 words.
Subject lines with 6-10 words had open rates as high as 21%.

Examples
1 Request to connect.
2 Hey!
3 Are you ready?
4 26 seconds (or less).
5 Just tried calling you.
6 Oh! I forgot to mention.
7 Next Step?
8 Time to Part Ways
9 Moving On.
10 It’s not you, it’s me.
#4
11 Adieu.

12 Can’t decide?

13 Save money

14 Another chance?

15 Not a sale!

16 There’s still time

17 Only {quantity} left

18 It’s official…

19 You won’t regret

20 Meet {product name}

#5
Subject Line for Mutual Connection

If you and your prospect share a mutual connection, you are no

longer a total stranger to them.

Reminding them of this connection in the subject line will not only
put your prospect at ease but also help your email stand out in their
shambolic inbox.

Examples

1 {Mutual Connection} asked me to get in touch with you.

2 {Prospect’s Name}, it’s finally nice to connect with {Common

Ground}.

3 Build your {team} like {favorite sports team}

4 BTW, {Mutual connection} told me to get in touch with you

5 {First Name}, I love {favorite facebook group} too

6 One Question. {question about favorite place}?

7 Things didn’t work out here. How about {playing favorite

sport} next weekend?

8 We never met at {common college name}

9 Hey, fellow {favorite sport} fan!

10 A {favorite sports} match next week?

#5
11 Hello from a {common college name} alumnus

12 {Your name} from {common Facebook Group/LinkedIn

Group…} says Hi!

13 Heard a lot about you from {common connection}

14 {Common connection} had great things to say about you

15 Can we meet at your favorite coffee shop?

16 Something I learned about {favorite sports team} recently

17 Hello, {favorite hobby} lover!

18 Enjoyed your seminar on [topic] at [event]?

19 You have excellent taste in books

20 Do you know {mutual connection}?

#6
Create urgency in your Subject Line
Creating a sense of urgency is the most effective way to catch your
prospect’s attention.

Let’s be honest. We have all been prey to ‘limited time offers’ and
‘big bonanza sales’ that retail chains deploy to empty their shelves.

So you already know this works.

Examples

1 Get ready for {event}!

2 Only two weeks until {regulation law}.

3 One last quarter to go, on track to hit {specific target}?

4 Only few seats available for {conference/training

classes/etc..}

5 Need help implementing {change due to a regulation}?

6 [TODAY ONLY] Tickets for {event} at {discount%}

7 Tickets for {event} disappear at midnight!

8 Last chance to solve {pain point}

9 [URGENT] You’ve got 1 day before {regulation law} kicks in

10 Don’t get left behind

#6
11 Your discount code is going to say adios soon!

12 Time’s running out. Addressed {pain point} yet?

13 24 hours left. Are you ready?

14 We hate to see you miss out on {offer}

15 Clock’s ticking…Booked tickets for {event name}?

16 Drop everything! Just a few hours left for {regulation law}

17 Tickets for {event name} selling out in 3.2.1..

18 You’ve still got time…

19 LIMITED TIME offer on {product}

20 Move quick or else lose this deal

#7
Put your company’s value proposition in your
Subject Line
Throw the benefits of your offering or solutions to their pain points
as bait and wait for the prospect to get hooked.

These subject lines are most effective when it reaches the prospect
at the right stage of their buying intent.

Listing down and bucketing your prospects according to use case

and benefits should give you a clear picture on how to frame your
value proposition subject line for each prospect.

Examples

1 Key challenges in implementing {solution}.

2 {Prospect Name}, want to learn more about {solution}?

3 Resources to help with {pain point}

4 Ideas for {goal}

5 {Product Benefit}

6 {Company name} X {Product Name} = {Benefit}

7 Hit {your goal} with {product}!

8 Here’s a better way to solve {pain point}

#7
9 Trust me – You’ll achieve {goal} with {idea}

10 3 Secret recipes to meet {goal}

11 [FREE RESOURCES] to solve {pain point}

12 Super Proud of {new product feature}

13 Have you tried these to solve {pain point}???

14 I badly want you to solve {pain point}

15 [100% SURE] {new product feature} will blow you away

16 Why we love {idea}

17 Stop guessing! Try {solution} for {pain point}

18 Save {savings in %} by employing {solution}

19 X Tips to reach {goal}

20 Here’s how {another company} solved {pain point}

#8
Subject Line that shows social proof
Social proof is a psychological phenomenon where people think
that the action of others is the correct behavior for a given situation.
Marketers have been leveraging social proof to sell for years now by
plastering customer reviews on most marketing collaterals.

A whopping 63% of consumers surveyed wanted to hear company

claims three to five times before they actually believed them.

So adding social proof to your subject lines can increase your open
rates.

Examples

1 Guess who ranked us #1…

2 Heard what {partnering company/another client} said about

us???

3 Celebrating {number of products sold} in {country}!!!

4 Great Service, Excellent Product – {influencer}

5 CLICK. We just captured {celebrity/influencer} using

{product}

6 People have declared we are their faves

7 This, friends, is how you solve {pain point}

8 [CASE STUDY] My personal pick for you

#8
9 {Influencer/celebrity} says HI
10 A flawless execution of {solution} like {another client}
11 Your friends from town are loving {product}
12 You deserve the best like these folks
13 {Product} named the leader in {product category}
14 Your review will be the next
15 Hear! Hear! Hear! We’ve got featured in
{magazine/newspaper/article}
16 Psst…Your friends are skyrocketing with {product}
17 Hurray! We just beat our own record
18 You’re not alone if you JOIN US
19 Do you recognize your friends?
20 {Another Client} just hit {goal} with {product}. You’re next.
#9
Question as a Subject Line
When posed with a question, you simply cannot retreat without first
burying yourself in the quest to find the answer. It’s just science.

Make sure to question their goals or pain points.

If the prospect opens your email that mentions a certain pain point,
that’s a clue for you that your prospect might be suffering from that
pain point or is at least thinking about it at the moment. Leveraging
such insights when you follow up can do wonders to your email
campaigns.

Examples

1 How are you dealing with {Pain Point}?

2 Thinking about {specific goal}?

3 Are you making these mistakes?

4 Question about {Goal}

5 Where shall we start?

6 Are you ready for?

7 Can you help me out?

8 Want to talk about {Topic}?

9 Can you point me in the right direction?

#9
10 {First Name}, What went wrong?
11 Ready to move to a robust CRM?
12 Still thinking about picking us???
13 Want to know the future of {organization name}?
14 Did you know that you can get superpowers?
15 Did you miss these new features of {product}?
16 {Prospect name}, Do you remember me?
17 Can you do me a quick favor?
18 Did you like our gift?
19 Did you get what you were looking for?
20 Permission to close your file?
#10
Key points to remember
1 Tweak your subject line to match your prospect’s intent
2 Try out different subject lines and A/B test them to identify
the one that gets more replies
3 Subject lines should engage the prospect in some way
4 If you opt for a funny subject line, remember that humor is
subjective so use it wisely
5 Use the right triggers to create urgency and not generic ones
like “Awesome Deals”
6 Remember that the fate of your cold email rests on your
subject line, so put some thought into it

That’s all folks. You’re armed and fully loaded. Good luck on
your email journey.

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