Subject Lines

Cold Email Subject Lines (Swipe File)

Twenty cold-outbound subject lines that get opened, grouped by angle (curiosity, relevance, referral, value, question). Short, lowercase-friendly, and free of spammy words.

Use it when: Use when writing first-touch cold emails. Match the subject angle to the body and keep it to about five words.

Copy-paste template

Curiosity:
- quick question, [first name]
- [their company] + [your company]?
- worth a look?
- a thought on [their area]

Relevance and trigger:
- saw [trigger event]
- congrats on [funding, launch, or new hire]
- about your [specific initiative]
- noticed [observation about their company]

Referral:
- [mutual contact] suggested I reach out
- [name] said you handle [area]

Value:
- 12 meetings in 30 days for [comparable company]
- cut [metric] by [number] percent
- an idea for [their team]
- [outcome] without [the painful part]

Question:
- how are you handling [problem]?
- still doing [manual task] by hand?
- who owns [area] at [their company]?
- is [problem] on your radar for [quarter]?

Avoid: ALL CAPS, fake "Re:" replies, the words free or guarantee, exclamation marks, and anything that overpromises. Test two subject lines per send and keep the winner.

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