Get Your Sales Emails Opened by Using Marketing Subject Line Tactics

Ever write an email to a sales prospect that gets ignored? 

Of course. We all have. It’s frustrating after you’ve taken the time to hone it so it’s organized, short and clear.

One of the biggest problems with getting cold prospects or even lukewarm prospects to respond to a sales email is getting them to open it. Don’t take it personally. Businesspeople receive and send a lot of messages throughout each day. Yours has to stand out in a crowded inbox.

The problem is that for many of us, the subject line is an afterthought. 

We spend a lot of time creating the email but little crafting the subject line, even though it’s perhaps the most critical aspect.

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Here are 10 subject-line tactics to get your emails opened:

1. Capitalize the first letter of each word. 

   Open rates are higher when the first letter of all the words of a subject line are capitalized rather than lower case. Trends change all the time, so watch for a drop in your open rate and be prepared to adjust.

2. Your first three words matter. 

   Make them count. Look at your email inbox for a moment and notice where the subject lines cut off. While the subject line length isn’t particularly important, don’t put the most important words at the end. No one will see them.

3. Use numbers when you can. 

   Numbers stand out in your inbox. “3 Follow-up Questions” is stronger than “Following up with you.” Dates, percentages — these work well too.

4. Use interesting words. 

   When you skim your inbox, you’ll notice a lot of the same words. To stand out, get creative, like: “Crickets. That’s No Way to Start Out with Customers.”  A word of warning: You do have to stay relevant here. So, don’t try to trick people into opening your email, but rather think carefully about what you want and find a standout way to say it.

5. Use interesting punctuation. 

   Brackets [This], ellipses …, bars |, question marks ? — these all work well in subject lines. Don’t overdo it; but give it a try on your next email.

6. Be clear. 

   “Invitation for Free Trial” or “FREE for June — Let’s Talk” are stronger than “Chance to try out our platform.”  If you have a great offer, put it up front and make it clear. If your great offer is only in your email and your prospect doesn’t open your email, they’ll never see it.

7. Name drop when you can. 

   If someone referred you to the person, put it in the subject line. Try something like: “David F. Suggested I Get in Touch” or “Saw Jim at COMDEX — Following Up.” Using your customer or prospect’s name in the subject line can also be helpful. Try it out.

8. Use all caps on one or two words. 

   Here’s an example: “You’re IN — Your Paperwork is Attached.” Again, this tactic helps the subject line standout in a crowd.

9. Try a negative tone. 

   As salespeople, we like to be upbeat and helpful. But sometimes fear can be a strong motivator.  A subject line like this can catch someone’s attention: “Are You Falling Behind? 6 NEW Topics To Help You” or “Why Most Manufacturers Are Switching.” Again, these have to fit the email, so don’t resort to anything spammy or misleading.

10. Get a hand from ChatGPT. 

    AI is a helpful writing tool. Type in your quickly crafted subject line idea and ask it to give you 5 or 10 stronger versions. Pick two or three and email them to yourself to see how they look in your inbox. Your prompt would be something like: “I need a subject line for a sales email. The email is to get prospects to set an appointment to talk about their life insurance plans. We have a special offer in the month of July which is ______. The subject line I wrote is: Life Insurance | Special July Offer. Please give me ten subject line options, no longer than 8 words each.”

Making the sale means staying in front of your sales prospects. Sending emails that don’t get opened don’t count. Consider some of the above tactics to improve your open rates so your emails get seen.