LinkedIn and subject lines
Sales email subject lines for B2B outreach
A subject line has one job: get the email opened by the right person without misleading them. Clever lines that do not match the email get opened once and then ignored, or reported.
Quick answer
We have not attached open rates to any of these lines. Open tracking is unreliable, because some mail apps load tracking images automatically, so judge subject lines by replies and meetings instead.
How to use these templates
Every {{placeholder}} marks something you must research or write yourself. Replace all of them before you send, and if you cannot fill one with something true and specific, pick a different template.
The names mean the same thing on every page: {{first_name}} and {{company}} are always the prospect and their business, {{your_name}}, {{your_company}} and {{your_phone}} are always you, and {{their_phone}} is the number you called them on.
Each email ends with {{signature}} and {{opt_out}}. {{signature}} is your full name, role, company, website and phone number. {{opt_out}} is one plain line. On a cold email: If this isn't relevant, reply "no thanks" and I won't contact you again. In an ongoing conversation it can be quieter: Prefer not to hear from me? Reply "unsubscribe". Keep both in every commercial email, including short follow-ups.
How to choose a subject line
Pick the subject after you write the email. It should describe what is inside in a few words, using the reader's language. If the email is about their new site in Brisbane, 'the Brisbane site' beats 'exciting opportunity'.
- Two to five words, mostly lower case.
- Specific to them: their company, role, trigger or problem.
- No hype, no emoji, no 'free', no fake 're:' or 'fwd:'.
- Honest: the subject must match the content of the email.
How to test subject lines properly
Test one variable at a time on the same segment, with enough sends to see a difference, and compare reply rate and meetings booked rather than opens. A subject line that lifts opens but not replies is a worse subject line.
Change the subject line between steps of a sequence when you start a new thread, and keep 're:' only for genuine replies in the same thread. Our cold email deliverability guide covers why sending discipline matters as much as wording.
Subject lines and the law
Australia's Spam Act focuses on consent, identification and unsubscribe rather than subject wording, but a misleading subject line can still breach consumer law and will hurt your sender reputation. If you send unsolicited commercial email in bulk to Singapore recipients, the Spam Control Act requires the subject line to start with the label <ADV>.
64 subject lines by type
Copy a line, then replace each {{placeholder}} with something specific to the reader.
Short and internal-looking
Two to four words, lower case, the kind of subject a colleague would write. These work because they don't look like marketing.
- quick question
- {{topic}}
- {{company}} and {{topic}}
- question about {{topic}}
- {{first_name}}, {{topic}}?
- re {{trigger}}
- {{city}} {{target_role_plural}}
- thought for {{team}}
Trigger-based
Name the event that gives you a reason to write. Only use a trigger from the last few weeks.
- congrats on the new role
- {{company}} in {{new_location}}
- the {{role}} hires
- after the {{round}}
- first 90 days at {{company}}
- {{event_name}} next month
- saw the {{announcement}}
- {{product_launch}} and {{topic}}
Problem and outcome
Describe the problem or the result in their words. Avoid claims you can't back up.
- {{problem}} at {{company}}
- fewer {{bad_thing}}
- {{outcome}} by {{period}}
- {{hours}} hours back a week
- when {{symptom}} happens
- {{metric}} this quarter
- {{task}} without the spreadsheets
- the {{problem}} question
Peer and referral
Use these only when the peer link or referral is real and you have permission to mention it.
- {{referrer_name}} suggested I get in touch
Only with the referrer's permission.
- {{mutual_name}} mentioned you
- how {{peer_group}} handle {{topic}}
- what other {{target_role_plural}} are seeing
- {{champion_name}} and {{project_name}}
- intro from {{referrer_name}}
- fellow {{shared_background}}
- {{peer_group}} and {{topic}}
Follow-up
Each follow-up subject should signal something new, not 'just checking in'.
- re: {{original_subject}}
Same-thread replies keep the context.
- one more thought on {{topic}}
- a different angle
- who looks after {{topic}}?
- for your team: {{resource_topic}}
- {{topic}}: quick question
- closing the loop
- should I stop emailing?
After a call or meeting
Plain, specific and easy to find in their inbox later.
- as promised, {{first_name}}
- recap and next steps
- notes from today
- the {{promised_item}} we discussed
- confirmed: {{meeting_day}} {{meeting_time}}
- tomorrow at {{meeting_time}}
- proposal for {{company}}
- summary for {{other_stakeholder_role}}
Re-engagement
Acknowledge the history and give a reason to talk again.
- since we last spoke
- {{months}} months on
- is {{project_name}} still on?
- {{change}}: worth another look?
- checking back in {{month}}
Use when they gave you the month.
- change of plans at {{company}}?
- picking up {{topic}} again
- new since {{month_last_spoke}}
Meetings and no-shows
Short, friendly and practical. The goal is a reply or a rebook.
- missed you today
- all good, another time?
- rebook {{meeting_topic}}?
- still good for tomorrow?
- see you at {{meeting_time}}
- new time for {{meeting_topic}}
- link for today
- over to you, {{first_name}}
Subject lines to avoid
These patterns either look like marketing, mislead the reader or train them to ignore you.
- Fake replies and forwards: 're:' or 'fwd:' on a first email.
- Hype and urgency: 'last chance', 'act now', 'don't miss out'.
- All capitals, exclamation marks and emoji.
- Questions with an obvious answer: 'do you want more revenue?'
- Clickbait that the email does not deliver on.
- Long subjects that get cut off on a phone screen.
Subject line and first line work together
Most inboxes show the first line of the email next to the subject. Treat the pair as one unit: the subject names the topic, the first line proves it is about them. 'the Brisbane site' followed by 'Saw the new site in Eagle Farm opened last month' works because both lines are specific and consistent.
If your first line is 'I hope this email finds you well', the preview wastes the most valuable space you have. Start the email with the observation, trigger or question instead.
Adjusting subject lines by buyer
Executives respond to subjects about outcomes and priorities, such as '{{outcome}} at {{company}}'. Small business owners respond to plain, practical subjects about time, money or customers, such as '{{hours}} hours back a week'. Technical buyers prefer specific subjects that name the system or problem. Match the subject to how that buyer talks about their work, and see the emails to the C-suite and small business owner templates for full emails.
How to use the library
Start with the group that matches the situation, pick two or three candidates, and fill the placeholders for one real contact. Read each one next to your first line. Keep the one that is most specific and least like marketing, then reuse that pattern across the segment with a new placeholder value for each contact.
Spam Act checklist for every template
Australian B2B email is legal and regulated by the Spam Act 2003. Before you send any template on this page, check these four things.
Australian cold calling and Spam Act rules- Consent. You need express consent (they agreed) or inferred consent. For B2B, consent can be inferred where a work address is conspicuously published, the message is relevant to the person's role, and there is no statement that they do not want unsolicited messages.
- Identification. Every message clearly identifies you and your business, with contact details that stay accurate for at least 30 days after you send it.
- Unsubscribe. Every commercial message includes a working opt-out, which must be actioned within 5 working days and keep working for at least 30 days after sending.
- No harvested lists. Do not use address-harvesting software or lists built with it. A bought list does not come with consent.
Calls in the same cadence follow different rules: wash Australian numbers against the Do Not Call Register and call within permitted hours. New Zealand and Singapore recipients are covered by their own laws, summarised on the template library hub. This is general information, not legal advice. AU, NZ and Singapore rules
FAQ
Sales email subject lines: questions
Practical answers from SDR managers who run outbound every day.
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