The power of curiosity: Creating intriguing Cold Email Subject Lines

In the big world of digital talking, cold emailing is still a strong tool for businesses and people to talk to possible clients.

But there's a problem. Many messages fill up mailboxes daily, making it hard for them to get noticed and read.

Sometimes, even if you write a really good email and offer something great, you still don't get many replies from the people you want to reach.

One of the best ways to fix this and get more people to open the emails and read them. You need a really interesting subject line. This blog will discuss why the subject line that gets results is so important and how you can make cool subject lines for your cold emails.

Why Email Subject Lines are important?

While many excel at composing impressive email content, they occasionally overlook the importance of crafting attention-grabbing subject lines. 

You might be wondering, though: why do email subject lines really matter?

Consider this scenario: Imagine you receive two letters. The first arrives in a standard, plain envelope, while the second is in a beautifully decorated, colorful package. Now, which letter are you naturally inclined to open first?

Of course, the second one captures your interest. Its visual appeal and intriguing presentation make it stand out from the plain envelope. 

Similarly, a subject line functions as the introduction to your email, whether a sales email, awareness email, introduction email, follow-up email, etc., setting the stage for the recipient's engagement. 

Much like the decorated envelope, an attractive subject line entices the email recipient to explore further, creating a sense of value and curiosity that prompts them to open and explore your message.

Ways to create intriguing Cold Email Subject Lines

Make your email subject lines interesting to get more people to open your emails. When people are curious, they want to find out more.

You can use this idea in your cold email subject lines to make more people open and read your emails, leading to better results for you.

Let’s discuss how you can create different types of curiosity-driven and best cold email subject lines for a higher cold email open rate:

1. Pose a thought-provoking question 

A thought-provoking question is simply a question that is relevant to your prospect and can make the reader stop and think. Ask about something interesting that they'd want to explore.

Using this method can be helpful to you if you target the right audience looking for that solution.

Example: It could be something like this “ Want to learn how top companies are getting 200% ROI?”

2. Promise of a solution

This is another method for creating a catchy and effective cold email subject line.  Offer a way to solve a problem they might have.

If you already know that your prospect has this problem, they might most likely be looking for a solution. This is your chance to shine by promising a relevant solution that will definitely catch their eye. 

Example: It could be like “Maximize your sales potential with (Solution)”

3. Tease with a teaser 

Give a sneak peek of something valuable. Now this is one of the most effective and curiosity-driven subject line ideas.

Using a teaser from your email body content as a subject line can create a sense of curiosity and value in the minds of your recipients.

Example: It could be like “Use these 3 ideas to boost your open rates?”

4. Create knowledge gaps and FOMO

Creating knowledge gaps makes your recipients curious about what they're missing. This works best if you add some personalization to it.

Example: You can use something like, “Discover the #1 missing piece in your marketing plan.”

This particular subject line example compels the recipient to open the email as it creates a fear of missing out (FOMO) in the recipient's mind.

5. Use numbers and statistics 

Numbers make things specific and trustworthy. It makes the subject line seem more researched and informative. Using numbers with some of the other methods in this list can make your subject line work like a charm.

Example: It could be like, “5 steps to boost your website traffic by 300%.” This catchy subject line teases the body of your email and the numbers make it seem more reliable. 

Note: Try to keep the numbers in your email well-researched and real.

6. Personalization and relevance

This is one of the aspects that can surely generate curiosity and increase your open rates. If you personalize and Talk about something that is important to your prospect.

Indeed this could take some time as you will need to research the recipient first but if you do this, the chances are that you could get a 90%+ open rate.

Example: Consider this email subject line example, “Sam, I noticed your recent project – here's how we can make it even better.” 

Tips and best practices to write Email Subject Lines

1. Shorten your subject lines

Keeping your subject line short can often generate curiosity among recipients. Keep it concise by avoiding unnecessary fillers and words.

Removing excess details can help create a more impactful subject line. Short subject lines are also more visually appealing, especially for mobile users.

2. Test different subject lines

Experimenting with your cold email subject lines is the most effective approach to determining the optimal strategy. It varies from one campaign to another.

To identify the most successful approach for your situation, create multiple email subject lines, preferably 4-5, and then assess their performance.

Conduct A/B testing to test your subject lines and to determine which one yields higher open rates and click-through rates.

3. Avoid spam words

Cold emails can often be overly pushy, even if your intention is sales-oriented. To make them less aggressive, steer clear of terms like “Free!” and “Buy Now!”

Also, be mindful of the exclamation marks in a subject line – one is generally sufficient. Even in the context of a sales cold email, consider presenting a solution or posing a thought-provoking question.

4. Use the first name

Personalizing subject lines of the emails with the recipient's first name establishes a sense of familiarity and relevance, driving higher open rates.

This personalized touch captures attention amid crowded inboxes, fostering a genuine connection and increasing the likelihood of engagement with cold emails.

5. Create urgency

Creating a sense of urgency is one of the practices that can prompt readers to prioritize your email.

A successful promotional approach for events or special offers can utilize time-limited deals like “Summer Offer” or “Spring Special.” While not directly urgent, these terms evoke a limited-time feeling in your cold emails.

6. Use emojis

Use the right emojis in your subject lines. Even though it might not seem very professional, emojis make your subject lines more relatable and attention-grabbing in today's age of AI.

But be careful not to use too many or the wrong ones, as it might look spam. Stick to just one emoji and test it first because emojis can look different on different devices.

7. Don’t use all caps

Using all capital letters in an email subject line is a common mistake cold emailers make. While it does grab attention, there's a distinction between positive and negative attention.

It can come across as yelling or shouting in writing. So, avoid using all caps in your emails, as it can make them look spammy.

5 effective Subject Line examples

We have been writing emails and subject lines for a while, and talking about all this stuff without experience is worthless.

So we will give you some cold email subject line examples with their open rates that we tested using the formulas and tips mentioned above.

1. “Sam, here's a better way to stand out. ”

This great subject line is a short and crisp subject line for our cold email campaigns for selling explainer videos.

The reason why it worked for me is because it is personalized. It uses the first name of the recipient and also an emoji at the end, which creates a sense of familiarity in the mind of the reader.

The psyche behind this is simple – the person reads his name and wants to know what the email is about. This Subject line uses a Teaser formula.

2. “John, crack the code to your software's success.”

This is one of the best examples of engaging subject lines in my cold email campaigns. This subject line was about helping small software companies explain their software using video marketing. 

Using this subject line works because it is relevant to the recipients a small company wants its software to succeed. Using the recipient's first name makes them feel important and creates a sense of familiarity.

On the other hand, it is relevant to the recipient. This subject line uses the technique of FOMO and knowledge gap to make the recipient open the email.

3. “Layla, we have something that you're seeking. ”

This subject line also uses the teaser formula with the essence of personalization and FOMO. The use of the recipient's first name in the subject line makes it personalized while triggering the curiosity that this might be a solution to their problems, which makes the recipient open the email.

This subject line was used to send cold emails to people browsing our pricing and services online.

4. “Nathan, 75% of people judge your website by this…”

This subject line was used in a campaign for selling website themes. This works because it provokes a FOMO with numbers.

At the same time, it is also personalized, making it more human-like. It makes the recipient curious about what the email is about. It is an example of a subject line that uses the abovementioned formulas.

5. “Liam, need help with HubSpot?”

You might think this subject line is too simple, so why does it have many open rates?

This subject line was used in a campaign for HubSpot tutorials for people using HubSpot; it works because it is simply relevant to the recipients.

At first glance, it creates a sense of familiarity in the recipient's mind and makes them think that “this is relevant to me”. A short, relevant, and creative subject line can offer many open rates.

Ready to increase the email open rate with the best cold email subject lines?

In the business world, someone who works in an office receives over 100 emails daily, with around 40 being the average. This means even if your emails end up in their inbox, they might not get opened.

That's why creating an interesting subject line is important for your cold email campaigns and, thus, for email marketing.

Remember, there's no one-size-fits-all rule for the perfect subject line. However, if you've been struggling with low open rates, try the tips we've shared above to craft your engaging email subject lines that get more and more subscribers on the email list and customers onboard.

But that's not all – timing matters too. Consider when your email will reach the recipient.

And here's a tip: The more you know about the person you're emailing, the better your chances of getting a reply.

Researching your prospect is the key to a good response. Experiment with your emails – the more you practice, the more skilled you'll become. 

If you think consulting a professional would be the right decision to enhance your marketing game for your business, contact webdew.

Editor: Vaishnavi Jain

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