In fact, 47% of marketers claim to test various email subject of cold emails in order to improve the effectiveness of their emails. It is crucial to create subject lines that will persuade readers to click through, for this reason.

Even though they might seem insignificant, they’re one of your email recipients’ very first impressions of you. They also give marketers a chance to stand out in a busy inbox.

Do you want the content of your b2b sales emails to be read, clicked, and opened? The topic line is the place to start. Continue reading for some tried-and-true advice on how to spice up your email subject lines and increase b2b sales email interaction.

What makes a good email subject line?

Let’s go over some principles of what makes a solid subject line before we offer our ideas. Whatever your objectives, your B2B cold email subject line must have these fundamental components:

  • Immediacy

    People are more likely to act when there is a sense of urgency. Strategically crafting your topic lines can produce a similar result.

    When given a start and end date for a specific deal or offer, inbox-scrolling readers will click to see what is available within that period. Fear of missing out, or FOMO, is triggered even by the phrase “limited time offer” in your subject line. When done in a short succession, this is also an excellent technique.

  • Curious

    Occasionally, subject lines are effective because they can convey the idea that “You will benefit from opening this email.” However, there are times when it’s beneficial to maintain a certain level of mystery, particularly if doing so arouses the recipient’s innate interest and curiosity.

    They may, in fact, lead to a higher open rate because they necessitate opening the email in order to get additional information. However, make sure that despite its obscurity, the subject line still supports your brand. If it’s too cryptic, it can be mistaken for spam.

  • Provides

    This is where the advantage of opening a specific email comes into play. People love trying new things and having new experiences, especially when those things are free or significantly cheap. Include that in your topic line to start with.

    Personally, I’m much more likely to open my daily newsletters if there is a direct mention of an offer or hint of “free stuff” in the email.

  • Individualization

    Since no two email subscribers are the same, neither should occasionally be the emails you send to them.

    Marketers currently have more information than ever before about the tastes, occupations, and general (dis)likes of their subscribers. Therefore, occasionally tailor the content you send them to the recipient.

  • Timeliness and Relevance

    Being relevant and updated with the content that would help retain the prospect in the sales pipeline.

    The main intention of any prospect signing up to get your b2b sales email is to get more information on the subject matter. Therefore, update and renew your messages to  make them more relevant.

  • Recognition of names

    Let’s face it: Everyone has famous people they either currently or previously respect. Additionally, if you are aware of the preferences and interests of your audience, you can pique their curiosity by mentioning the names of these well-known, admired figures in your content and email subject lines.

    But beware: This strategy actually only succeeds when it complements your brand, item, or service. So don’t just mention a name for the sake of familiarity; keep it pertinent.

  • Amusing Tales

    At the risk of repeating myself, this is another instance in which curiosity is useful. Your audience is more likely to be attracted and want to learn more if you include a fascinating allusion to a tale in the subject line of your email, but it must be opened or clicked in order to read it.

    Once more, confirm that the narrative relates to your brand. Without it, your readers can become perplexed and decide not to open the email.

    Now that you are familiar with the basics, let’s discuss the ideal email subject lines.

Generate more qualified leads with cold outreach!

B2B Cold Email Subject Line Best Practices

Now that you know the key element that makes your subject line more compelling lets find out some of the best practices that makes your subject line an attention grabber.

1. Take note of effective cold email subject line examples.

We frequently seek examples for inspiration whenever we are stumped for ideas for topic lines. A favorite newsletter’s brilliant use of wordplay or emojis can inspire us to come up with fresh subject line ideas.

We’ve written a blog on how to write email subject lines from actual businesses to assist you in doing the same. We hope you’ll feel similarly motivated.

2. Be precise and to the point.

Long email subject lines will be truncated, especially on mobile devices. Additionally, since up to 46% of email opens occur on mobile devices, we advise using subject lines that are no longer than 50 characters to ensure that recipients who are scanning your emails read the entire message.

If you’re having trouble keeping your subject lines brief, consider which phrases are unnecessary and where you might exclude a pointless element.

For instance, “Your order is being processed” appears better than “Order #9435893458358 is being processed” when emailing an order confirmation.

Likewise, don’t waste time inserting the words “update” or “newsletter” in the subject line of your routine emails. According to some research, including these lines in the message may even reduce the open rate because they alert readers that the email is part of a series and that they can look forward to the subsequent emails.

3. Employ a well-known sender name.

Using the name of the person that is dealing with prospects will help you build more trust with the prospect. Additionally, this also reflects the prospect that they are getting personal attention, personalizing your engagement with them.

An attractive subject line will increase the likelihood of your email being opened but, if a prospect sees a familiar name then the chances of them opening your emails increases.

4. Use tokens for personalization.

A subject line can be made more personalized by adding a token like the name or location. Addressing the prospects by their first name can positively affect the click-through rate of the emails.

One thing in making your engagement more personalized is to never overdo it. Doing so may lead to a prospect that they are being aggressively pursued and I guess no sales rep would want that.

5. Segment your lists

While email blasts sent to your entire list may be relevant and helpful to some recipients, they won’t be for everyone and may frustrate or confuse them. I’m a vegetarian, so why is this restaurant sending me a list of the top steakhouses in the area? I only joined this company’s email list yesterday, so why is it sending me case studies?

Personalize the experience based on previous actions your consumers have performed, such as the forms they have completed, the industries they work in, and their personal preferences. You can segment your client with the tool offered by SendBuzz. With segmentation you can personalize your approach the prospect. This can give your cold email subject line more relevance as it will addresses the pain points of the prospects.

6. Avoid making false promises

Your email’s subject line makes a promise to the recipient about what it will contain. Make sure you follow through on that promise; do not use false promises in an attempt to get your email opened. Your audience will become irritated by this and will start to distrust your subject lines, which will drop your open rate and increase your unsubscribe rate.

7. Use engaging content

Speaking of making promises, it’s a wonderful idea to use a subject line that reads something like, “Your new e-book inside!” or “Your guide awaits!” if your visitor has downloaded an offer and you’re sending them a message via email. This is more effective than merely saying “thank you” in the subject line because it makes it clear that something is waiting inside the email.

8. Target right timing

The subject line and timing of an email can have a significant impact on its open and click-through rates.

A good illustration? The “Where to Drink Beer Right Now” email from the food journal Eater was sent at 6:45 PM on a Wednesday, just in time for happy hour. Got it right.

Another favorite illustration is a vintage Warby Parker email with the subject line, “Uh-oh, your prescription is expiring.” It was sent two weeks before the recipient’s prescription renewal appointment. Warby Parker improved the likelihood that their email would be read by timing the send at the correct moment and including a pertinent call to action about upgrading their eyewear.

9. Write briefly

The more brief and straightforward your subject line is, the better because people read their inboxes really quickly. Unless you’re looking for an elusive subject tone to entice your recipients, it’s usually much preferable to be succinct than it is to utilize intricate and flowery language.

Consider your receivers’ needs when trying to come up with a succinct subject line. This benefit needs to be made extremely obvious. An enticing headline can read “Increase your open rates by 50% today” rather than “How to increase open rates.”

10. Use right call-to-action to drive engagements

Similar to calls-to-action, subject lines are written with the intention of encouraging readers to click. Your emails could be significantly more clickable by adding a lively verb at the beginning. Subject lines that start with action verbs tend to be far more alluring.

Actionable subject lines create urgency and excitement in the reader, encouraging them to act on your email. For instance, the subject line of an email inviting individuals to a meal with a hockey icon would read, “Dine with Bruins legend Bobby Orr,” as opposed to the more general (and inaction-friendly), “Local Boston Sports Legend Meal.” The word “Dine” is used in the first email to assist the reader picture themselves seated at a dinner table.

11. Make others feel valued

A strong force in psychology is exclusivity. People become loyal and are more likely to respond to your emails when they have a sense of being part of something larger than themselves.

Your recipients can feel special with the correct wording, and the result can be amazing. A few examples of effective wording are:

“Only for our cherished customers”

“A special deal just for you”

The phrase “My gift to you”

“You’re welcome!”

“Private invitation.”

12. Instill a sense of significance

“Act now!” is a slogan that many of us associate with old-school infomercials.

And while we wouldn’t advise utilizing that precise terminology in your content, we do concur that, when stated creatively and strategically, emphasizing urgency and scarcity in an email subject line can help push readers to click (or act).

exercise these subject lines sparingly, and try to save them for situations where immediate action is actually required—you don’t want to be recognized as “the brand that cried wolf,” so exercise caution.

13. Run A/B tests to improve effectiveness

Even though it may be alluring to use your instinct to anticipate the subject line language of your cold email that would encourage recipients to click on your emails, you should always A/B test your most important subject lines and adjust the language in response to your findings.

What appeals to your audience the most: Are topic lines longer or shorter? Do you include or do not include numbers? Statements or questions?

SendBuzz helps you test your emails as well as your campaigns with A/B and flow testing.

Here are some example of an attractive subject line:

B2B email subject lines
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Conclusion: 

In the above you have known how you can write a cold email subject line that gets you the attention from the prospect. Use a sales engagement tool to personalize your approach at scale and reach out to your with cadence and effective subjective line.