Cold emails have become a staple in the online marketing realm for progressive companies across the globe. Cold calls or telemarketing are a thing of the past, as we’ve grown weary of such intrusive methods of advertising. However, when done correctly, cold emails could be your ticket to that next well-paying client or hundreds of loyal customers.
While cold emails seem far-fetched for promoting a product or service, they’ve proven to be highly productive as they’re often more focused than they appear, and are ideally tailored for a specific recipient.
When sending an email to a company or individual with whom you’ve done no prior business, the most crucial step is getting them to actually open the email with a well-crafted subject line.
Below are five tips for writing the best subject lines for cold emails to initiate future business:
1) Short & Sweet
The average reader’s attention span is short enough, so consider their mindset when scanning over a subject line from a seemingly random address.
Amanda Augustine – Career Expert – suggests trimming the fat and keeping your subjects around six to eight words. Eliminate filler words or tacky greetings. Besides, you can always show your brand and personality in the body of the email.
2) Logical Keywords
Consider the unruly amount of emails rolling into the busy professional’s inbox. Using relevant keywords will work as a filter and ultimately catch their eye among all unrecognizable messages. After all, you have neither worked with nor contacted this individual in the past, so surely they won’t acknowledge your address.
There is no way to formulate a relevant subject line without doing some thorough research beforehand. Know your prospect’s business and current projects well enough to avoid appearing “spammy.”
3) Namedrop
As should be standard practice for all emails, avoid appearing invasive or suspicious in your subject lines by knowing too many details. However, knowing a significant coworker or client of this individual is a great way to catch their eye and initiate a conversation.
On that note, if you were referred to this potential client by a mutual acquaintance, don’t hesitate to incorporate their name in the subject line as opposed to waiting for the body of the message.
4) Make it Personal
Adding a personal touch is still attainable without having met this prospect in person. Simply incorporate their company’s name toward the beginning of the subject line to insure that they will not be scanning over or deleting your message. That said, refrain from using all caps as that reads more like click bait than a personalized business inquiry.
A solid reminder for all companies out there utilizing cold emails regularly is to proof read multiple times – including your subject line – to reassure that your copy matches the recipient. A common strategy for us all when completing any task in large quantity is to copy and paste the bulk of the text. Needless to say it could get messy if you don’t slow down to proof read.
5) Summarize Details
The best subject lines for cold emails don’t make future clients work any harder than they already are. Give them a general idea about the content of your email and your intentions for contacting them. The recipient ought to know whether you’re asking something of them, offering them a service or selling a product prior to opening the email.
If you are in fact looking for some type of immediate action from the recipient’s end, consider beginning your subject line with “apply now,” or “register today” to spark that instant sense of urgency. However, pay especially close attention to your tone with this approach, as it could be easily mistaken as “spammy” if not written tastefully.
Best of luck, and keep these guidelines in mind to boost you in the right direction with your next round of cold emails.
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