30 Insanely Clickable Email Subject Lines for B2B Sales

Looking to get more opens? Who isn’t, right? Sales prospecting and nurturing leads aren’t math or science, but composing a B2B sales email that converts takes a lot of blood, sweat, and tears.

To get there, you’ll need email copy that creates a personalized experience for your prospects. And for it to work, it needs to be good. Like really good. Like really, really, really good. Let’s look at the facts for a sec. 35% of email recipients open their emails based on the B2B subject line copy alone. That’s huge. 

If you want your B2B cold email subject lines to be click-worthy, you need to tap into your prospects’ psyche. When you use psychology in email creation, you can drill into prospects’ minds and create subject lines that are much more personal and engaging.

B2B subject lines: 4 rules of thumb

1. Create instant intrigue: The best B2B sales email subject lines are teasers. Drop breadcrumbs by hinting at your topic in the subject line and give a little info – but not too much – about the offer that’s on the inside.

2. Don’t be vague: Shying away from your offer and avoiding personalization (e.g. not addressing your recipient by their name) will just make your prospects hit the delete button faster.    

3. No spam, please: Words and phrases like “limited time” and “exclusive deal” trigger spam filters. Try to steer away from these to avoid getting reported and creating a bad name for yourself.

4. Don’t be arrogant: Don’t make exaggerated claims; if you’ve got a great product, it will be obvious after you make your pitch.  B2B cold email subject lines like “we have exactly what you need” are aggressive and will put off the people with buying power.

A crucial area: cold email subject lines

As you’ll see from the subject line examples below, there are times when you can let your creativity run wild. But there is one type of email where you really should focus on a few best practices for subject lines: cold emails. 

Any sales rep doing outreach will develop a healthy collection of their best cold email subject lines, because that’s how you grab a busy prospect’s attention. They are as important to B2B prospecting as a nice smile and firm handshake are when meeting a client in person. Think of your own experience when seeing an email from someone you’ve never heard of – unless the subject line catches your eye, it’s an instant delete. But, by creating a go-to list of the best subject lines for cold emails, you’ll gain access to one of the most effective channels out there – 43% of sales professionals say it is their best option.

6 psychology hacks to generate more clicks

Whipping out an email template in a flash is great for producing cold emails at scale. But you also need to know how and when to use certain B2B subject lines. For that to happen, you need to understand and apply Dr. Robert Cialdini’s six principles of persuasion:

1. Reciprocity: Cialdini states that people feel a strong obligation to return a favor after someone has helped them or given them a gift. You can offer value for free before asking prospects to take action.

2. Scarcity: People want what they can’t have, or something that no one else has. You can allude to a custom offer or place a time limit in your B2B subject lines (while paying attention to spam triggers).

3. Authority: You need to signal to recipients that they deserve to be taken seriously. This can be accomplished by sharing client testimonials, case studies, or prior brand awareness.

4. Consistency and commitment: Make small initial commitments and always follow through. 

5. Likability: People say yes to people they like, people with a similar background, hobbies, interests, and style of communication. Start by finding a common ground to initiate real conversations.

6. Consensus: If your offer is backed up with customer reviews and ratings, it shows off your credibility and increases the chances that prospects will engage with your emails.

Your B2B email subject line checklist

To help you get proactive and achieve subject line copy that produces more clicks, start with this checklist:

• Know your value proposition: Your product or service might be amazing, but prospects want to know how it benefits them and what value you’re bringing in. 
• Pack a punch with research: Before you reach out to prospects, get to know them better. You can add Lusha Extension to your browser to gather prospects’ accurate contact data, and use filters like job title, industry, and company revenue that’ll come in super handy for crafting more personalized subject lines. 
• Build instant trust: If your prospect doesn’t know you or your company, you’ll have to establish trust: get your foot through the door from a mutual connection. 
• Create urgency: If your prospect doesn’t know you or your company, you’ll have to establish trust – get your foot in the door through a mutual connection. 
• Watch your length: Subject lines with 44 characters or less have the highest open rate.

30 attention-grabbing subject lines for B2B sales 

Now, you can put the science into action. Following Cialdini’s six psychological principles and the best practices mentioned above, here’s a list of the best B2B email subject lines that convert and will get your prospects’ eyes peeled on their inbox.

Cold emails

1. [Mutual connection] recommended I get in touch

Seeing a familiar name instantly recategorizes an email as not spam. Referrals have a higher chance of getting opened, so it’s worth exploring your network to find ways of securing them.

2. I found you through [referral name]

Sometimes you can’t get a formal introduction, but you may know people in common. Take advantage of that by mentioning your mutual contact. Let your prospect know you run in the same circles.

3. Question about [a goal they’ve mentioned]

This B2B cold email subject line is a short and sweet way to foster curiosity. They’ll wonder how you know about their challenges, and what else you know that could help them. 

4. [A benefit] for [prospect’s company]

This B2B subject line shows your authority: you’ve researched the company and you understand their pain points.

5.  Did you hear the one about [a short but good joke]?

Funny cold email subject lines can be a welcome departure from business as usual, and they (when done right) are about as eye-catching as they come. But make sure that your sense of humor is appealing, intriguing, and avoids giving potential offense. 

5. Hey, I have leads to send over to you

The reciprocity element – giving away initial value for free – can be achieved by simply introducing your prospect to a potential lead: there’s nothing better than more business. Use Contacts API to bulk-enrich your entire CRM system, so when you’re collecting free leads to send off to your prospects, you’ll have the firmographics to hand over to them as icing on the cake.

7. News about [related or competing company]

Maybe their competitor has just bought your product, or has gone out of business, so that the prospect can swoop in and grab their ex-clients. This is a great way to combine valuable information with curiosity.

Follow-up emails

8. [Prospect], I thought you might like these articles

Curating content for your prospects shows you understand them. Use this B2B sales email subject line to entice them into finding out how well you do indeed know them. Make sure you’ve done your research, though. There’s nothing worse than a stranger thinking they’ve got you all figured out.

9. How can we make the next meeting better?

Getting feedback after a meeting will show that you value your prospect’s opinion; it’ll also remind them about what was discussed and nudge them to take action. Plus, their feedback can help you host better meetings in the future.

10. I had this idea since we last spoke

This is another opportunity to lead the conversation, clarify your arguments, and give them a push to respond. Again, make sure it’s a genuine suggestion. Don’t just spam your prospect with “ideas.”

9. I love what you did with launching [product/ initiative]

Commenting on the latest news from the firm shows that you’re committed to their company, and you’re both on the same page when it comes to taking the next step. 

10. How did we do with [product/initiative]?

Your own company news and product developments give you a chance to add even more value. Perhaps a product addition makes you more relevant than before or is simply an opportunity to give the prospect a friendly reminder.

No response emails

10. I forgot to mention…

Sounds urgent! The recipient will be rushing to open your email in case it’s about something that will cost them time or money.

14. Permission to close your file?

Setting a limit to the time you have available to work with someone will help them make decisions faster.

15. Have you changed your mind about working with us?

This is a B2B subject line that will signal you want to work on your relationship and are ready to discuss any issues. Use this line with caution: some prospects may find it confrontational. 

16. X ways to get started 

When your prospect is wrapped up in their projects, remind them you’re ready to work with them: show them how easy it could be with a numbered list.

17. Is this a more relevant contact?

If you are using a lead enrichment service or a sales intelligence tol, you might have the name of someone in your prospect’s organization who will be interested instead. This approach can also trigger their willingness to help you out.

Meeting request emails

18. 10 minutes this week?

Straight to the point: 10 minutes is a short period most people can commit to. Recipients can respond with yes or no in seconds.

19. Tuesday meeting at 10:00

This B2B sales email subject line is even more assertive, with an exact time and date.

20. Let’s meet this week to discuss your budget

Your prospect will do a double-take when there’s any mention of money in your subject line. It’s possibly the most important topic of all. They’ll be eager to read what you have to say.

21. Hey, will I see you at [event]?

If there’s an industry event coming up, try meeting them there. But you can also use the pretext of an event to include a convenient invitation to set up a quick online meeting regardless of their (or your) attendance.

Nurturing emails

22. Three things to know before [event]

Help prospects prepare as they work towards a big goal. They’ll be grateful for the heads up and the sense of support.

23. How [company] improved their business by 20% with us

Case studies are a great way to build confidence that your offer can bring them value, too.

24. Save 10% on [product or service], this Friday only

Get prospects excited to save money, while motivating them to act soon.

25. A quiz to see if your business needs [product or services]

Offer a moment of light relief by adding a quiz in your B2B subject lines, a great way to grab attention and help your prospect make a decision in a fun way. 

26. Prepare for [the next big thing] with [your product]

Give your prospect some important industry info, and combine it with a bit of FOMO. You can mention, for instance, that a demand slowdown is on the way and how you can help them weather the storm.

Sensitive issues

27. Can you afford to lose [something important]?

Address sensitive issues in your subject lines by framing them around things that they’ll lose (time, money, clients, etc.) if they don’t take action. 

28. Is it time to [make a big change in their business]?

Take the opportunity to challenge your prospects. The best salespeople don’t just build relationships: they question the status quo and aren’t afraid to cause a little tension in order to get a better outcome.

29. Did you hear what happened [with X]?

B2B professionals are uber-busy. Try this B2B newsletter subject line that suggests they can quickly catch up on the latest news related to their job role, industry, or network.

30. [X] can help you in difficult times

High-quality firmographic (company) data will tell you if a prospect’s revenue has gone up or down. If you see that they have had a bad quarter, throw them a lifeline by diplomatically mentioning that you’ve noticed their challenge, and you’ve got the solution for their problem.  

B2B email subject line takeaways 

Stay top of mind: 60 characters or more and your prospects’ eyes might start to glaze over. Stick to what works: 44 characters or less.

Open rate success: Emails that get opened are relevant, personalized, timely, and make prospects wonder what the full message is about. They come from a sender they know or who is real. 

Personalize more: Go beyond stating the recipient’s first name. Use Lusha Extension to harvest more details about their job role, industry, and location – all of which you can use to create a custom subject line that gets noticed. 

Next time you begin writing B2B sales email subject lines, try personalizing them using information from Lusha.

How to send cold emails with Lusha

Now that you’ve got some new ideas for creating click-worthy subject lines, it’s time to drop them into a cadence. Lucky for you, Lusha can help with that too.

Check out Engage, our free email sequencing tool that helps you grow your pipeline. With Engage, you can prospect and connect all in one place: add your relevant contacts to your live sequences directly from the Lusha platform or extension.