Top 10 sales email subject lines for increasing email open rate

Were you aware of the fact that 47% of email recipients open an email based on the subject line alone? At the same time, 68% of email recipients report email as spam based solely on the subject line

There is nothing to worry about these statistics if you are writing your email subject lines in a creative, compelling, and informative manner. An email subject is considered to have a good subject line when it piques the interest of the prospects into opening and responding to an email that was dropped by you into his inbox.

Top 10 sales email subject lines that increase open rate

Well, you all must be wondering what is the “good” subject line we are so much emphasizing on? The best sales email subject lines are creatively constructed in an informative manner in order to invoke curiosity. Identical to the rules that are followed for creating email signatures, if you want to know more about reading the art of creating the perfect professional email signature you can read more.

Email open rate = emails opened/emails sent – bounced emails

Looking at the above image we can easily determine that the email open rate. Subtract the bounced emails from sent emails, divide the opened emails by that number. 

In this article, we are compiling 10 sales email subject lines.

1. Subject line: “Name the mutual connection.”

Body

“Hello, Kay, Brian recommends that I get in touch with you for [your matter].  Actually, he felt that this idea could benefit you. Shall I book an appointment for this week to discuss this topic over the phone? I promise it will just take 20 minutes.”

Quick Tips

1. Referral is the best manner you can connect with your prospect.
2. Always assure the prospect that you will not waste their time.
3. Prospects won’t entertain your mail if they feel you are going to waste their time.

18.7% decrease in open rates when the word “newsletter” is used in subject lines.

2. Subject line: “I was just wondering…”

Body

“Hi, Carol. I was wondering, would a 20-minute phone call for (sales topic) works for you? I promise to respect your time. It won’t take more than 15 minutes.”

Quick Tips

Using this subject line as a follow-up allows your prospect to ease into the fact that they are not losing on their productive hours.

3. Subject line: Date Specific

Body

“Hi, Jay. I will be in Charlotte, NC on Aug 12th for a client meeting. Is there a chance you can squeeze me into your calendar. Wasting peoples time is not on my agenda.”

Quick Tips

Allowing a follow-up date or a headstart to your prospect allows them to settle into your timeline and a crawl space of their audience.

If the subject line is addressed to the recipient, as subject lines personalized with a recipient’s first name, for example, can lift open rates by 20%! – MarketingLand

4. Subject line: “These reasons…”

Body

“Hi, John. I truly feel these three reasons establish the motive of working together.

I understand your company’s mission. We are known for providing best in class customer service. Our pricing suites the budget you are working with.”

Quick Tips

1. You can use this subject line once you have had a certain amount of conversation with your prospect.
2. Listing out the reasons for working together breaks down and highlights your forte.
3. It also creates a sense of urgency in the prospect’s mind.

Subject lines that create a sense of urgency and exclusivity can give a 22% higher open rate.

5. Subject line: “Is there any new development …?”

Body

“Hi Gary, is there any new development after our meeting? You sounded really positive for a follow-up call after the meeting. I hope I am not being pushy, I just really want to help you with ________.”

Quick Tips

This subject line allows you to seek the prospects’ attention after you have had a meeting with them or dropped a proposal in their inbox.

6. Subject line: “A fascinating new idea for you…”

Body

“Hi Rob, it’s my pleasure to introduce a budget-friendly idea to you. It is really working for other companies in your forte. 20 minutes is all that I need. It’s part of my working routine that I never waste anyone’s crucial time.”

Quick Tips

1. This subject line pushes the gate open if you are trying to get a new appointment with a prospect.
2. Do remember, the idea needs to be mentioned and it should be really unique and useful for the prospect to get attracted.

7. Subject line: “(Name of a competitor) is marketing very well”

Body

“I really like the fact that John Doe is putting in a lot of effort into their sales routine. I do have an idea for you that will give them a run for their money though!”

Quick Tips

1. Although you might have read this through emails from media sales coaching companies.
2. It does apply to other sales sectors as well.
3. This sales subject line ruffles a few feathers.
4. Make sure you fire your emails on the basis of friendly competition and not to put competitors at each other’s throats.
5. Be as ethical as you can be while taking this approach.

8. Subject line: “Wrong person?…”

Body

“Hi Kyle, did I email the wrong person again? I hate doing that can you be kind and direct me to the person that handles _________ ?”

Quick Tips

1. This is a last-ditch effort.
2. Such subject lines help clients provide you with appropriate information for removing themselves off your prospect list.
3. Although this is negative for your sales, it can often fetch you the right prospects; you just need to be as real as possible.
4. If you are emailing your prospects once a month, then this method is not for you as this can only be used under an aggressive email strategy.

9. Subject line: “20 Minutes?…”

Body

“Hi, Alisha. I just saw the launch of your product new variant on your website. I think this new idea I have will benefit your promotion amongst our long list of customers. I promise this will be short and quick. I pride myself in not being that type of salesperson.”

Quick Tips

For this subject line to work, tweak the above depending on the problem you hope to solve. Or, the idea that will save your prospect’s time, money or effort.

By using a specific personal name, rather than a general email address or company name, you can increase open rates by as much as 35%! – Pinpointe Marketing

10. Subject line: “I will respect your answer…”

Body

“I would really love it if we work together as I see the huge potential of us going together in this market. However, if you decide not to do so, I will respect the decision. If you want to share any update on your project status, I will really appreciate it.”

Quick Tips

This subject line is really a desperate attempt to get the prospect to respond to your emailing attempts. Sometimes this is done to create ratings for the prospects that you will not like to pay more attention to, as it creates a dearth in your productivity.

Final thoughts

Relevancy is the answer for you if you really want to understand the science behind the email open rates. Personalization plays a pivotal role in luring the prospects to open the email that you have worked a lot on. Make your email subject lines precise, informative and creative but within the perfect range limit.

The digital world has allowed users to take advantage of software such as email trackers to get the metric needed for a successful sales email open rate. The market today has plenty of vendors that infuse smart email trackers into their solutions, offering a 360 view of the sales email campaign to the users.