If you’ve ever wondered what the best cold email subject lines are, you’re in the right place.

Think about it: your subject line is quite possibly the most important part of a cold email. If it’s not compelling enough, a prospect might ignore your email completely and miss out on all the good stuff you’re offering inside.

A good subject line, on the other hand, sets you up for success. If you can capture the attention and intrigue of a prospect from the get-go, you have a higher chance of keeping them engaged and interested in your offer.

So what do the best cold email subject lines have in common?

For starters, they stand out – and in a good way. But they’re also clear and concise and tell prospects exactly what they can expect when they open up your email.

I’ve compiled a list of some unique ways you can come up with the best cold email subject lines so that your cold emails consistently get opened, giving you a higher chance of landing the type of clients you love.

1. Put the Pain Point First

There’s a reason your clients are going to want to hire you: they have a problem that you can solve, whether it’s the need for a high-converting landing page to sell their latest offer or a beautiful, eye-catching logo to cement their brand.

Some of the best cold email subject lines work by putting the pain point at the front and making it very, very obvious.

This sets expectations from the get-go and lets prospects know exactly what you’re emailing them about and the potential value you can offer them.

First of all, you need to figure out what the biggest pain point is for your clients.

This might vary slightly depending on the prospects you’re reaching out to.

For example, I write long-form content for SaaS ecommerce brands, but one client might need a blog post to populate their email list while another might need a landing page for their latest lead magnet.

I usually take a poke around the client’s site first to see what’s what. If I can’t see many places where they’re asking people to sign up for their email list, I might lead with that. Or if I see that the landing page for their latest downloadable could be better, I’ll go with that.

So what does this look like in action? Let’s take a look at some examples.

• Can I help you improve the landing page for [X]?
• I’d love to help you increase conversions on [X page]
• Are you looking to grow your email list? I might be able to help

This puts the pain point first and sets the scene for when the client opens up your email and reads the rest of the copy. They’ll already have the pain point on their mind which will make your pitch even more enticing for them.

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2. Be Human!

One of the most important things as a freelancer is the connection you make with your clients. There’s absolutely no way I’d be where I am today if I treated my clients like walking cash machines rather than real life human beings.

If you’ve followed along for a while, you know that I’m a big advocate of being human in cold pitches and the best cold email subject lines reflect this.

There have been so many times when a client has told me that I wasn’t the most experienced option or even the best, but they loved that we vibed and I made the effort to build a relationship with them.

This is why being human in your cold email subject line is so important. It sets your email apart from the hundreds of others in your prospects’ inbox that are generic and robotic. Standing out and getting the prospect to open your email is the first hurdle, so don’t be afraid to put your heart on your sleeve (just don’t be weird about it, ya’know…).

Wanna see what this looks like in action? Here are some examples:

• Is there anything I can do to help with your content?
• I’m a huge fan of [BRAND] and would love to create a beautiful logo for you
• You probably get a ton of these emails, but I’d love to help!

These might seem like cop-out email subject lines but they are so different from the usual “freelance writer for hire” or “I want to write for you” that they will almost certainly get an open. Then it’s up to your cold email pitch to woo the prospect (I walk you through the process in Pitch & Prosper, my signature program about cold pitching).

3. Ask a Question

Questions pique our curiosity and we automatically want to answer them – especially if they resonate with us. What’s more, questions open up a dialogue, which can mark the start of a conversation with potential clients.

It might seem like a simple solution, but it works.

The best cold email subject lines stand out from the other subject lines in a packed inbox, and questions are an excellent way to do this. They invite engagement and treat the recipient as a human rather than a walking cash machine (because, let’s face it, a lot of cold emails are trying to get money out of people).

Let’s take a look at this in action with some examples.

• Do you want more conversions on [X] page?
• Isn’t it about time you updated your brand?
• Can I help you get more leads with a robust content strategy?

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4. Use Powerful, Industry-Related Words

Your prospects will want to know why you’re the right person to help them – and part of that is because of your niche. You know your industry inside out and your cold email subject line is the perfect place to showcase this.

Think about it:

If you can pull out a few industry-relevant words straight off the bat, prospects are going to know that you understand them and their needs.

What do I mean by powerful, industry-related words here? I’m talking about words that are pretty much only prevalent in the industry you freelance in.

For example, I work for ecommerce companies and some words that are hot in that arena right now include “customer-centric” and “conversational marketing”. Other terms that are related to ecommerce include “transactional emails” and “DTC” (or direct-to-customer), so I might incorporate these into my cold email subject lines.

In action, this might look something like:

• Want to attract more DTC brands? I can help
• Are you looking for customer-centric copy that converts?
• I can help you create more engaging transactional emails

These subject lines will definitely stand out more than their generic counterparts (e.g. “want to attract more customers? I can help”, “are you looking for copy that converts?”, and “I can help you create more engaging emails”).

5. Personalise If You Can

Personalisation is so important on the web these days. Despite living in digital times where every activity can be carried out behind the veil of a screen, humans still crave connection with other humans.

This is where personalisation comes into play.

The best cold email subject lines don’t look like mass mail outs. Instead, they look like handcrafted, personal emails that have been written especially for the recipient.

Obviously, you don’t have to write every cold email from scratch, but it can help to personalise your subject lines to create that instant human connection. It’s such a simple thing to do, but it can be incredibly effective.

Here are some ways you can personalise your subject lines:

• Include the recipient’s name if you know it
• Refer to the recipient’s brand
• Call out a specific detail about the recipient’s brand, content, or other asset

For example, if I was reaching out to an ecommerce plugin called Funtastic Ecom who’s content wasn’t fantastic, I might use the subject line: “Can I help make Funtastic Ecom’s content more engaging?” or something similar.

6. Create a Sense of Urgency

Humans are wired to react to urgency. It’s why we jump on flash sales or rush to book when we see “only 1 room left.” Adding a hint of urgency to your cold email subject lines can be incredibly effective if done right.

Why does this work? Scarcity triggers FOMO (fear of missing out), prompting prospects to act quickly. Just be careful not to overdo it—your urgency should always be genuine.

Here’s how you can do this:

• “Only 2 spots left for December content projects!”
• “Quick heads-up: my rate goes up in January.”
• “Need help with holiday marketing before it’s too late?”

These subject lines nudge prospects to open your email without feeling pushy. But remember: always back up your urgency with real, honest deadlines or limited availability.

Try it out and see how a touch of urgency can boost your open rates!

Use the Best Cold Email Subject Lines Every Time

Your subject lines are the doorway to your cold emails, which makes them SO important. I can’t stress this enough. If the doorway isn’t enticing, nobody’s going to walk through it. Which, if we unravel that metaphor, means prospects won’t open your email.

It’s worth taking the time and effort to craft engaging subject lines that are unique to every prospect and their needs. After all, once they’ve opened your cold email (first hurdle), you can wow their socks off from there.

Happy writing!