When crafting sales emails, the subject line might be the most important line of all, prompting either an open or a delete. Many salespeople agonize over what to include in the subject line. How long should it be? What words should be included, and what words should be avoided? Are emojis helpful? 

You might have incredible content to share, but if your subject line doesn’t grab attention, it won’t matter. Crafting the perfect email subject line can undoubtedly be tricky. This is because it needs to pique your prospects’ interest and stand out in crowded inboxes, according to Janhavi Nagarhalli, a B2B writer who contributes to the Storylane blog.

Want to improve your sales outreach game in 2024? In this issue of PromoPro Daily, we highlight Nagarhalli’s thoughts on the five elements every subject line needs. She also shares 55 attention-grabbing sales subject lines. Let’s dive in.

  1. Personalized. If you’re thinking this means adding the prospect’s name, you wouldn’t be wrong. But it also requires some creativity to make it relevant. How can you stand out? Nagarhalli says you need to think outside the box. For example, if you know a prospect supports a particular sports team or graduated from a certain school, use this information to engage with them. They’ll appreciate you taking the time to add a personal touch to your outreach.

  2. Short and simple. Remember the long-standing KISS advice? Put this to work when crafting subject lines for your sales emails. Make it easy to scan and compelling enough to inspire a click. Nagarhalli says even something like, “Hey [Name], have 5 minutes?” can also work.

  3. Eye-catching. You don’t want your email subject line to appear like spam, so don’t use all caps for words like “FREE” and “BUY NOW.” Instead, aim to get prospects’ attention without the clickbait. Try including numbers and currency values. Examples include, “What if you could boost your sales by 30%?” and “Save $10K with this genius program.” Emojis are another way to drum up interest, so don’t be afraid to work them into your subject lines.

  4. Relevant. With 300 billion emails going out every day, people’s inboxes are filled to the brim, Nagarhalli says. They won’t open your email unless it’s relevant to them. Make your subject line appealing to prospects by addressing a unique pain point or offering an exclusive benefit. With the subject line and the content of your email, think about what the prospect wants and how you can align yourself with those outcomes.

  5. Urgent. According to Nagarhalli, creating FOMO – the fear of missing out – is one of the best psychological tactics to spark interest in your offerings. She recommends using words that show limited availability and time sensitivity, like “last chance,” “urgent” and “expiring.”

When coming up with subject lines for your sales emails, remember the points above. Aim to make them personalized, succinct, eye-catching and relevant. Stirring up a little FOMO is another great tactic to inspire more opens.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Janhavi Nagarhalli is a B2B writer who contributes to the Storylane blog.