Last week I told you the one question nobody asks before they hit send — what will compel the person receiving your email to actually open it.
This week I want to go deeper. Knowing you need a compelling subject line isn’t a revolutionary concept! Most people are getting it wrong in the same ways over and over again. The trick is knowing how to write one that gets THE OPEN! It isn’t obvious and requires research!
Here’s what I see constantly: People most likely Google “best cold email subject lines” and copy whatever comes up, or they follow some guru’s formula. They try to be clever or mysterious. Writing things like “Quick question” or “Can I pick your brain?” or “This will change everything.” is a complete waste of your time.
Your prospect will hit the delete key!
Do you know why those don’t work? Because none of them are about the recipients pain or situation where your product or service represents an OBVIOUS opportunity! And the person on the other end knows it the INSTANT they read it.
Last week I introduced the framework — you’re either in the Opportunity Business, the Solution Business or both. Your subject line has to reflect one of those clearly and immediately. So let’s talk about what that actually looks like in practice.
If you’re selling a solution, your subject line needs to name the problem. Not hint at it. Not dance around it. NAME it. For example: If you know the person you’re emailing is dealing with high sales team turnover, your subject line should make it obvious you understand that specific pain. The recipient reads it and thinks — this person gets what I’m going through – let me take a look… MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
If you’re selling an opportunity, your subject line needs to present something specific and credible you’ve identified through RESEARCH. Not “amazing growth potential.” Not “exciting new platform.” Something the recipient has demonstrated which, again, you’ve uncovered through research. Something that makes them stop and think — I didn’t know about this, and I want to, it may help!
Notice what’s completely absent from both of those? YOU. Your company name. Your product features. Your awards. Your funding round. None of that belongs in a subject line.
The subject line is not about you. It is entirely about THEM.
And here’s something else nobody talks about. Specificity beats cleverness every single time. Every. Single. Time. A subject line that says something specific about the recipient’s world will outperform a clever hook a hundred times out of a hundred. Clever is what you resort to when you haven’t done your research. Specific is what you write when you HAVE.
I learned this from selling advertising over the telephone and in person for 30 plus years. When I put something specific and relevant in front of a prospect — something that spoke directly to what they were doing and/or going through they listened intently. Not because I had a magic formula—because I understood what mattered to them before I ever made contact.
Your subject line is your first impression. In cold email it’s probably your ONLY impression.
So stop trying to be clever. Stop copying templates. Stop guessing.
Do the research. Know their pain. Know the opportunity. Then write a subject line that proves you’ve done the work.
That’s what makes a subject line work.
Jim
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