Outbound Email
6 min read

7 Outbound Email Subject Line Tips to Increase Open Rates

Subject lines are the most important part of outbound prospecting emails. If the emails that you’re sending aren’t getting opened, then your prospects aren’t receiving your message. It’s as simple as that. These are the 7 Outbound Email Subject Line Tips to Increase Open Rates.
Kevin Warner
Founder & CEO
,
Leadium
Relevant Posts

Subject lines are the most important part of outbound prospecting emails. If the emails that you’re sending aren’t getting opened, then your prospects aren’t receiving your message. It’s as simple as that.

And that’s a shame because you spent hours (i.e. time and labor dollars) crafting and personalizing that message specifically for your prospects only for it to fall into the abyss of delete folders, spam folders, and email service provider flags.

The subject line is the gateway to starting the conversation, we all know that. This isn’t rocket science. But what you may not know are all the very important factors that go into writing, testing, and perfecting subject lines for outbound sales emails that convert to opens.

Even more, did you even realize that something as simple as a subject line could be a key factor to SDR and sales pipeline performance? Seriously.

If you aren’t aware of a foundational email deliverability issue, you might see poor performance analytics. Then, in response, make ill-advised business decisions around outbound prospecting efforts like shutting down your program altogether. When in all reality, if you take a closer look, it might be simply resolved by fixing underlying deliverability issues (i.e. subject lines).

On Episode 3 of The Outbound Sale Podcast, co-hosts Kevin and Mike dive deep into both the writing and the tech tips that you need to know to increase open rates on your outbound emails. They’re talking everything from tone and what case to use to the tech tools and testing techniques that you should consider for your next subject lines.


PRESS HERE TO PLAY the full scoop on these 7 Outbound Email Subject Line Tips to Increase Open Rates:

  1. Get a check on deliverability
    Do you know if your email DNS records are set up properly? Are you avoiding the specific words that email service providers pick up as spam triggers?

    Deliverability Test Recommendation: Glockapps
    DNS Requirements: SPF Record, DMARC Record, DKIM Domain Key

  2. Use a sales engagement platform
    In 2019, the only way to efficiently test and get data-driven answers at scale to what works and what doesn’t in your subject lines is by using a sales engagement platform - Kevin and Mike share their recommendations.
  1. Recommendation:  Outreach
    Alternatives:  Reply, Hubspot Sales, & Apollo

  2. Match tone to your prospect persona
    Look at the product you have with the industry you are targeting and the decision maker you’re engaging - a pharmaceutical company targeting CFOs will have very different subject lines compared to an email targeting startup founders.

  3. Use lowercase for every word
    Even the first one - we’ll tell you the data that Leadium has seen to back this up.

    Good - Lower Case Example: “optimize your 2019 sales funnel”
    Bad - Upper Case Example: “Optimize Your 2019 Sales Funnel”

  4. Make it 4 words or less
    Again, we have the data. We’ve analyzed over 40K emails in the last 6 months alone to know what works.

    Good - Short Example: “crm data enrichment”
    Bad - Long Example: “Do you know the quality of your CRM data?”

  5. Don’t use custom variables unless it’s a company name
    We get into the psychology of sales a little bit and how it even applies to subject line open rate. But go ahead - we encourage you to test it out yourself.

    Good - No Variables: “quick call”
    Bad - Variables: “John, time for a quick call?”

  6. Keep the sentiment casual
    The old days of outbound emails are over - no more stale, selling subject lines. Prospects don’t like being sold to. So, learn how to keep it casual in your subject line.

    Good - Casual Example: “lower lead cost”
    Bad - Formal Example:  “Decrease your lead cost by 45 percent.”


The Outbound Sale Podcast gives you the lead generation and sales prospecting tactics proven to grow your pipeline and revenue. Discover strategies, techniques, and practical tips used by innovative sales organizations that will bring your sales efforts to the next level. Kevin Warner, Co-Founder & CEO of Leadium is joined by other business owners, sales leaders, and pipeline builders, as they share the practical tips and insights necessary to generate higher quality leads, increase conversion rates, and close more business.

LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE HERE:

Subject lines are the most important part of outbound prospecting emails. If the emails that you’re sending aren’t getting opened, then your prospects aren’t receiving your message. It’s as simple as that.

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