Want to make a lasting impression with your emails? The email opener has to be your best chance! Whether you're sending cold emails or simple follow-up emails, you only have a couple of seconds before you grab the recipient's attention.
So, what is the key to making your email copy stand out?
A strong email opening line!
If not the most, after the subject line, the second most crucial part of your email is the opening line. That’s why your email must start in a way that recipients find interesting right from the first go.
However, writing the perfect email introduction does not have to be a pain. And we are here to help you craft the best of it.
This blog is all about writing email openers that actually work! Also, we have packed our list with 250+ email openings for different use cases.
Check them out now!
A good email opening line is personalized, grabs users' attention, sets the course for the rest of the email content, and makes your recipients want to keep reading. Depending on the type of email you are sending, you can take different approaches to keep things professional.
While the following are some basics your email starters should take care of, the rest is highly contextual.
They say, ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover!’ However, the same is not true when it comes to emails.
As data shows, the average open rates for email across industries are somewhere around 36.5%. Whereas the click-through rate is just 1.4%, and the bounce rate is 10.4%.
While your email subject line directly attributes to the open rate, the opening sentences contribute to the CTR and bounce rate.
So, how do you write an email opener that not only takes your users to the ‘call-to-action’ of your copy but also reduces the bounce rate?
Here’s how,
Leverage data from past interactions, such as recent downloads, webinar attendance, or website activity, to craft a highly personalized opening.
Segment your audience based on industry, job role, or other relevant criteria to ensure your opening sentence is relevant to each recipient group.
Ensure the opening sentence is directly relevant to the recipient's role, responsibilities, or pain points. For example, if the recipient is a CFO, you might say, "As a CFO, you understand the importance of efficient transaction management..."
Avoid generic statements. Generic openings like "I hope this email finds you well" lack personalization and can feel impersonal. Focus on specific details that matter to the recipient.
Use email A/B testing. Experiment with different opening sentences to see which ones generate the highest open rates and engagement. Test variations that emphasize different benefits use different tones or ask different types of questions.
Use engagement metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and reply rates to determine which opening sentences are most effective. Continuously refine your approach based on these insights.
Ensure the opening sentence delivers on any promises made in the subject line. For example, if the subject line mentions a new feature, the opening sentence should immediately address this feature.
The opening sentence should complement the subject line, creating a cohesive and compelling introduction that encourages the recipient to read further.
When it comes to b2b email conversations, personalization is one of the most effective ways to grab the recipient's attention from the very first line.
But it’s not just about inserting the recipient’s name—what truly makes a cold email stand out is referencing something specific to them, their business, or the challenges they may be facing.
For example, As Matthew Lucero, highlights in a recent discussion on Smartlead Office Hours,
Instead of sending a generic opener like, ‘Hey John, I hope you're doing well,’ you can personalize your approach with specific details about their business. A more engaging and relevant opening could be:
"Hey John, I know you had something wrong with your website, we can help fix that."
Or, if you've noticed a specific pain point:
"Hey John, saw that your website load speed is very slow. We have a widget that can help improve that."
These openers not just grab attention but also immediately communicate that you understand a problem the recipient might be facing. It sets the stage for a more meaningful conversation.
To learn more about how to craft these personalized openers effectively, check out the full conversation with Matt here: Watch the full interview.
Opening lines are the first sentence in an email, which means it's the very first step in pushing the recipients towards the CTA. I understand writing opening lines can be tricky. So, I have listed 250+ opening sentences for various purposes ready for you to steal right away.
Business-to-business conversations have to be on point. To write an introduction appropriate for b2b conversations, understand your recipient's needs, industry, and pain points. It will help you to convey value right from the start of the email.
Next, you can adjust the messaging further depending on who all are the email recipients.
Also, whenever you are sending an email from your business email, focus on keeping things professional.
Your cold email does not have to feel cold! In fact, you can make your recipient feel warm, inviting, and personal from the start of the email. The secret sauce?
Well, there are more than one,
1. Personalize your email opening - make them feel special!
People love feeling special. So you got to make them feel special. Start the email by saying something specific about the recipient.
For example, 'I loved your post on [Topic] - it's really insightful!
2. Identify their problem - show you understand their pain
No beating around the bush! Speak to them directly while stating their needs. When you tell your readers that you know their pain it builds rapport from the start. For example, if you are an email marketing agency sending cold emails to a b2b audience, you can start your email mentioning something like,
'Is managing your email campaigns becoming overwhelming? We can help!'
3. Tease the solution - but don't give it all away!
Once you have got their attention and identified the problem let them know you have the solution too. But don't give it away yet!
Say, for example, '[X] company was facing the [problem] let me show you how we helped them resolve it.'
4. Keep it short- less is more here!
You are busy, so your readers are - let's get to the point right at the start of the email! Keep your opener snappy.
5. Ask a question - get them thinking
Questions are engaging! Ask your readers how they solved the 'X' problem. It will prompt them to think about a solution or challenge they are facing.
Want to achieve a better reply rate on your cold emails? You need to personalize the copy for each sender!
That’s where a cold emailing platform such as Smartlead comes in handy! Smartlead lets you connect your GPT-4 through API access. So, you can automate email copywriting and create personalized copy effortlessly.
Now, personalizing your messages becomes easier than ever! Automate your cold email campaigns.
Want to master the art of cold email copywriting?
Check out some additional resources from Smartlead University!
Some of the additional best email opening lines for B2B email correspondence are:
Peer-to-peer communications are casual. You can send these emails to discuss ongoing project progress updates, ask for feedback, or offer a hand on an ongoing project. The email introductions must be friendly and non-intrusive, as these emails are sent to co-workers, managers, and interns.
Some additional examples of opening email lines for in-office chats can be:
Networking emails should have an inviting opening line with a subject line that communicates the purpose of connecting. You can send networking emails to industry experts to build rapport. Or, you can send a networking email to introduce your product or services to potential business partners, collaborators, and business owners.
Whether you send a welcome email to a new client, subscriber, or new hire, welcome emails should start with warmth and excitement.
Whether you are emailing your existing customers to offer assistance or resolve specific issues, customer support emails must be empathetic and action-oriented.
While sending sales emails to your leads, the opening lines must grab their attention immediately. Thus, messages that describe the value proposition or the users' benefits from the beginning of the email will perform better.
*Don’t send a sales email with a ‘limited time offer,’ ‘X% discount,’ or other spam-triggering words before warming up your email domain. Also, consistently using spam-triggering words in your email damages your sender’s reputation while negatively impacting your email deliverability.
Follow-up emails have to be direct from the start. Whether you are following up on a meeting, a proposal, or a previous email, the opener must convey a sense of urgency.
Your formal emails must convey professionalism and relevance from the beginning of the email. Whether you are sending a job application email or want to discuss a formal project with senior stakeholders, your email should be clear, respectful, and concise.
Whether you are asking for favors or making a simple request where the recipient has an obligation to comply, being polite in your email can never go wrong.
Try to be courteous and professional across the email body. Also, the start of the email has to be respectful and appreciative.
A friendly email opening line shouldn't be overly formal or stiff. Start with a 'Hi' or 'Hey,' but be mindful of the level of informality. You can always adjust the greeting as per the context and the relationship you share with the recipient.
Additionally, a touch of humor can make your email appear friendlier. But you must ensure the humor is appropriate for the recipient and is in the context of the email.
While writing an informal email, you have the flexibility to write as if you are talking to a friend or a close colleague. If you know the recipient personally, you can add a brief sentence or question to show you are thinking of them.
For example, you can start the email by asking, 'How's everything going with your new project?'
A funny email opening grabs the reader's attention right from the start. Humor is a great icebreaker, especially in professional contexts. It gives your reader a sense of familiarity and eases the tension.
Humor connects people! Thus, a humorous email opener lets you stand out in the users' crowded inbox.
Your readers are busy, but you already did a great job in making them open your product launch email in the first place!
Now, let them know how this new launch will make their life better in the email introduction. Also, don't forget to create buzz and curiosity around the launch!
Say something like, 'What if you could [accomplish a goal] in half the time? Find out how!'
This type of statement will make your users want to read the rest of your email.
People love the feeling of exclusivity. So, when you are writing an event invitation email, start by making the recipient feel exclusive.
You can put something like 'Get exclusive access to [Event Name].' If it's a paid participation event, start your email directly by offering personalized discount coupons.
Your customers mean the world. So, a few kind words appreciating their valued support towards your business always helps. If anything, customer appreciation emails position your brand positively.
But, while you craft the appreciation emails, make sure not to sound generic right from the start of the email. Say ‘Thank you’ first before you say the rest!
Receiving a discount on your favorite product or service is always exciting. You got to catch up on that vibe and show some excitement while promoting urgency right from the introduction of your email.
Make sure your special offer email conveys the value as you start addressing the readers.
Circulating social proof makes your brand credible. However, it works best when your email feels authentic and personal from the start. Also, you have to ensure the social proof you share with a particular customer is relevant to their current problem.
Want to re-engage with your leads? Personalized email reminders are the way to move forward.
But how to make your email reminder more impactful? You gotta start it right!
State the purpose of your email in the beginning, as it immediately sets the context. Also, focus on conveying how performing a related action will help the reader.
Start your holiday emails with a friendly and inviting tone that matches the holiday spirit. Avoid generic 'Happy Holidays' messages. Instead, craft messages that reflect warmth and care while making the readers feel like part of your community.
Also, messages tying up to real-life holiday experiences make it more relatable. You can start talking about cozy moments, family gatherings, or the festive excitement.
Your promotional emails must grab the readers' attention from the introduction itself. Whether the goal of the email is to ask the users to sign up, claim an offer, or register for an event, the introduction must create a sense of urgency among the readers.
P.S.: Send promotional emails only to a verified recipients’ group. It will ensure your email marketing campaigns reach real, active users. It will help boost engagement and improve deliverability.
After picking the salutation, it’s time to come up with an intriguing first sentence to create an effective email conversation. Here are four things to keep in mind while writing email opening sentences.
TBH, nobody has spare time to read emails. Reveal your motif on the very first line. It’s always better to offer something in the starting sentence. For instance:
Can I buy you a cup of coffee?
While you’re literally offering something here, it doesn't always have to be the case. Sometimes, you can also offer compliments.
I really admired your article on so-and-so topic.
In the case of sales mails, you can offer your product/service by saying how it can help.
Our latest product/service can increase your sales by 5x.
Beginning sentences also work if they can make the recipient curious. All you have to do for this is ask the right question, preferably something related to their work/industry.
Did you know {statistics/news}?
Or
Is XYZ a priority for your company?
However, it doesn’t always have to be a question. It can also be a statement/fact that makes the reader intrigued.
We recently worked with {company} and helped them achieve {goals}.
While intriguing the reader should be your goal, a token of appreciation always works the best. Take this personal approach when you feel blank and out of ideas. For example:
Congratulations on {so-and-so achievement}!
Or
I see that you recently got promoted…
A perfect email opener aims to break the ice, especially for cold emails. Try to say something related to the recipient’s business/work or previous purchase or ask icebreaker questions. Such as;
I noticed your company recently…
Or
I noticed your profile recently at…
Email opening lines are the most important part of the content after the email subject lines. It tells the reader about the sender, their intention, and what they can offer.
A perfect email starting sentence will break the ice and make the reader intrigued enough to read the rest of the email body. So, think it through before writing one.
If you’re blank, remember that it’s not you. It happens to many, including experienced working professionals and mature business people. Also, you always pick one from an email template.
The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.
A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!
Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.
Smartlead's cold email outreach tool helps businesses scale their outreach efforts seamlessly. With unlimited mailboxes, fully automated email warmup functionality, a multi-channel infrastructure, and a user-friendly unibox, it empowers users to manage their entire revenue cycle in one place. Whether you're looking to streamline cold email campaigns with automated email warmups, personalization fields, automated mailbox rotation, easy integrations, and spintax, improve productivity, or enhance scalability with subsequences based on lead’s intentions, automated replies, and full white-label experience, our cold email tool implifies it in a single solution.
Smartlead is a robust cold emailing software designed to transform cold emails into reliable revenue streams. Trusted by over 31,000 businesses, Smartlead excels in email deliverability, lead generation, cold email automation, and sales outreach. A unified master inbox streamlines communication management, while built-in email verification reduces bounce rates.
Additionally, Smartlead offers essential tools such as CNAME, SPF Checker, DMARC Checker, Email Verifier, Blacklist Check Tool, and Email Bounce Rate Calculator for optimizing email performance.
Our "unlimited mailboxes" feature allows you to expand your email communications without restrictions imposed by a mailbox limit. This means you won't be constrained by artificial caps on the number of mailboxes you can connect and use. This feature makes Smartlead the best cold email software and empowers you to reach a wider audience, engage with more potential customers, and manage diverse email campaigns effectively.
Smartlead’s robust cold email API and automation infrastructure streamline outbound communication by transforming the campaign creation and management processes. It seamlessly integrates data across software systems using APIs and webhooks, adjusts settings, and leverages AI for personalised content.
The cold emailing tool categorises lead intent, offers comprehensive email management with automated notifications, and integrates smoothly with CRMs like Zapier, Make, N8N, HubSpot, Salesforce, and Pipedrive. Smartlead supports scalable outreach by rapidly adding mailboxes and drip-feeding leads into active campaigns Sign Up Now!
The "unibox" is one of the unique features of Smartlead cold email outreach tool, and it's a game-changer when it comes to managing your revenue cycle. The master inbox or the unibox consolidates all your outreach channels, responses, sales follow-ups, and conversions into one centralized, user-friendly mailbox.
With the "unibox," you gain the ability to:
1. Focus on closing deals: You can now say goodbye to the hassle of logging into multiple mailboxes to search for replies. The "unibox" streamlines your sales communication, allowing you to focus on what matters most—closing deals.
2. Centralized lead management: All your leads are managed from one central location, simplifying lead tracking and response management. This ensures you take advantage of every opportunity and efficiently engage with your prospects.
3. Maintain context: The "unibox" provides a 360-degree view of all your customer messages, allowing you to maintain context and deliver more personalized and effective responses.
Smartlead, the best cold email marketing tool, ensures your emails reach the intended recipients' primary inbox rather than the spam folder.
Here's how it works:
1. Our "unlimited warmups" feature is designed to build and maintain a healthy sending reputation for your cold email outreach. Instead of sending a large volume of emails all at once, which can trigger spam filters, we gradually ramp up your sending volume. This gradual approach, combined with positive email interactions, helps boost your email deliverability rates.
2. We deploy high-deliverability IP servers specific to each campaign.
3. The ‘Warmup’ feature replicates humanized email sending patterns, spintax, and smart replies.
4. By establishing a positive sender reputation and gradually increasing the number of sent emails, Smartlead minimizes the risk of your emails being flagged as spam. This way, you can be confident that your messages will consistently land in the primary inbox, increasing the likelihood of engagement and successful communication with your recipients.
Yes, our cold emailing software is designed to significantly improve your email deliverability rates. It enhances email deliverability through AI-powered email warmups across providers, unique IP rotating for each campaign, and dynamic ESP matching.
Real-time AI learning refines strategies based on performance, optimizing deliverability without manual adjustments. Smartlead's advanced features and strategies are designed to improve email deliverability rates, making it a robust choice for enhancing cold email campaign success.
Smartlead enhances cold email personalisation through advanced AI-driven capabilities and strategic integrations. Partnered with Clay, The cold remaining software facilitates efficient lead list building, enrichment from over 50 data providers, and real-time scraping for precise targeting. Hyper-personalised cold emails crafted in Clay seamlessly integrate with Smartlead campaigns.
Moreover, Smartlead employs humanised, natural email interactions and smart replies to boost engagement and response rates. Additionally, the SmartAI Bot creates persona-specific, high-converting sales copy. Also you can create persona-specific, high-converting sales copy using SmartAI Bot. You can train the AI bot to achieve 100% categorisation accuracy, optimising engagement and conversion rates.
Certainly, Smartlead cold email tool is designed for seamless integration with a wide range of tools and platforms. Smartlead offers integration with HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Clay, Listkit, and more. You can leverage webhooks and APIs to integrate the tools you use. Try Now!
Smartlead accommodates both small businesses and large enterprises with flexible pricing and comprehensive features. The Basic Plan at $39/month suits small businesses and solopreneurs, offering 2000 active leads and 6000 monthly emails, alongside essential tools like unlimited email warm-up and detailed analytics.
Marketers and growing businesses benefit from the Pro Plan ($94/month), with 30000 active leads and 150000 monthly emails, plus a custom CRM and active support. Lead generation agencies and large enterprises can opt for the Custom Plan ($174/month), providing up to 12 million active lead credits and 60 million emails, with advanced CRM integration and customisation options.
No, there are no limitations on the number of channels you can utilize with Smartlead. Our cold email tool offers a multi-channel infrastructure designed to be limitless, allowing you to reach potential customers through multiple avenues without constraints.
This flexibility empowers you to diversify your cold email outreach efforts, connect with your audience through various communication channels, and increase your chances of conversion. Whether email, social media, SMS, or other communication methods, Smartlead's multi-channel capabilities ensure you can choose the channels that best align with your outreach strategy and business goals. This way, you can engage with your prospects effectively and maximize the impact of your email outreach.
Smartlead is the cold emailing tool that facilitates seamless integration with existing CRM systems and other tools through robust webhook and API infrastructure. This setup ensures real-time data synchronisation and automated processes without manual intervention. Integration platforms like Zapier, Make, and N8N enable effortless data exchange between Smartlead and various applications, supporting tasks such as lead information syncing and campaign status updates. Additionally, it offers native integrations with major CRM platforms like HubSpot, Salesforce, and Pipedrive, enhancing overall lead management capabilities and workflow efficiency. Try Now!
No. Smartlead distinguishes itself from other cold email outreach software by focusing on limitless scalability and seamless integration. While many similar tools restrict your outreach capabilities, Smartlead offers a different approach.
Here's what makes us uniquely the best cold email software:
1. Unlimited Mailboxes: In contrast to platforms that limit mailbox usage, Smartlead provides unlimited mailboxes. This means you can expand your outreach without any arbitrary constraints.
2. Unique IP Servers: Smartlead offers unique IP servers for every campaign it sends out.
3. Sender Reputation Protection: Smartlead protects your sender reputation by auto-moving emails from spam folders to the primary inbox. This tool uses unique identifiers to cloak all warmup emails from being recognized by automation parsers.
4. Automated Warmup: Smartlead’s warmup functionality enhances your sender reputation and improves email deliverability by maintaining humanised email sending patterns and ramping up the sending volume.
Ensuring the security of your data is Smartlead's utmost priority. We implement robust encryption methods and stringent security measures to guarantee the continuous protection of your information. Your data's safety is paramount to us, and we are always dedicated to upholding the highest standards of security.
Getting started with Smartlead is straightforward! Just head over to our sign-up page and follow our easy step-by-step guide. If you ever have any questions or need assistance, our round-the-clock support team is ready to help, standing by to provide you with any assistance you may require. Sign Up Now!
We're here to assist you! You can easily get in touch with our dedicated support team on chat. We strive to provide a response within 24 hours to address any inquiries or concerns you may have. You can also reach out to us at support@smartlead.ai