write better subject lines

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📰 Today's Edition

There’s a company that’s been sending me cold emails for years. I’ve never opened any of them.

This isn’t a newsletter I opted into. It’s a company that wants me to be a customer. And they send at least 3 emails a week.

So why don’t I open these emails? Because the subject lines are terrible. A quick glance at the subject line tells me that they’re trying to sell me something.

This happens all the time.

Sales people target prospects with cold emails, but the email doesn’t even get opened.

The solution to this problem isn’t “oh just send it to more people”. The solution is: fix the copy so that your open rate increases.

The first step is having a great subject line. Let’s discuss.

Elements of a great subject line

We’ll get into examples of great subject lines below. But first, let’s break down the elements of the darn thing.

Make it short

Most email providers show up to 60 characters of a subject line. If you don’t want your SL to get cut off, keep it brief.

Also… long subject lines often feel salesy. A shorter subject line will stand out in a crowded inbox, and look more inviting.

Make it personal

People don’t open generic emails.

But they might open an email that’s been written just for them. Make your email personal by including the recipient'’s name or company in the subject line.

Make it a little weird

Your prospects are probably getting 100+ cold emails a week. If your email stands out from the pack, it’s more likely to be opened.

Let’s see some examples.

Examples of a great subject line

Let’s say you want to pitch a story idea for our newsletter. Here are subject lines that I’d open:

• The story of how I sent 10,672 cold emails

• longtime fan of your writing on LinkedIn 🤓

• Loved your blog post on marginal users…

• Congrats on your recent Camp Hustle! 🙌

• Case study idea for HF: validating our business through pre-sales

• Idea for Hustle Fund newsletter

• Kera + [your name] intro

• Quick question about HF newsletter

• [Mutual connection] recommended I reach out

When someone personalizes the subject line with my name, I want to know how this person knows me.

When someone acknowledges projects I’m working on (like hosting a recent event), I want to know if they are interested in contributing.

When someone has read my writing and offers an idea that’s relevant to my audience, I want to see if it’d be helpful for my work (and boost my ego, of course).

There’s a theme here.

All of these subject lines are focused on the recipient. Not on you, and not on your business.

They appeal to your recipient’s ego, her work, and the audience she serves.

They are also casual in tone, friendly, and easy to read. So they don’t feel like a spammy, salesy cold email. They sound like they’re coming from a friend.

Your next steps

Look at your current cold email subject lines and ask yourself:

• Is this relevant to my prospect?

• Is this personalized for them?

• Does this sound like a friend wrote it?

Now rewrite them. If you’d like more examples, we recommend this article from entrepreneur and marketer, Sujan Patel.

But here’s the big takeaway: write like you’re talking to a friend.

If you remove the words that sound salesy, and replace with copy that sounds like your best friend wrote it, we bet you’ll double your open rates on your next set of cold emails.

Let us know how it goes. ✌️

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