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Thanks to AI-driven tools, sending bulk emails has become easier than ever. But, is sending an email enough? Well, studies say otherwise. FYI, 80% of sales take place between the 5th and 12th follow-up email.
Now that you know, let's jump into how to write one. The subject line is the trickiest part of a killer follow-up email. Imagine, what can you possibly say after rewriting the same piece of content 3 times already?
Cough…cough…that’s my cue. I have listed down the most effective follow-up email subject lines. Now, please stop scratching your head and pick one.
As I mentioned, you must keep following up patiently to make the sender reply. Before diving into examples of follow-up subject lines, let me tell you when and how many times you should follow up.
Following-Up for Number of Days after Sending the First
First time 3 day
Second Time 5 days
Third time 8 days
Fourth time 10 days
Fifth time 15 days
Sixth time 20 days
Seventh time 30 days
After the seventh time, keep sending follow-ups with good email content every month. Note that this works mostly on prospect and sales emails.
For one-on-one networking messages, you can stop after the fifth follow-up mail. Also, it depends on your personal choice. If the potential network is very important, keep going at it with shorter emails.
Additional tip: Stop following up when they say no.
Following up is crucial in email marketing campaigns. If you intend to stop sending the initial email, I suggest you skip email marketing altogether. Here’s why you should always keep writing to your potential customers (within healthy intervals):
If someone doesn’t buy your product or service, they will remember your brand’s name. This way, if they need such services in the future, they will think about your business.
To do this successfully, always keep the content related to the email recipient’s field of interest.
You can start a newsletter if sending random information doesn’t seem right to you. FYI, around 81% of B2B marketers use email newsletters as a form of content marketing.
We write follow-ups to cold email campaigns, networking messages, customer support emails, etc. We write such mails every day, and that too with various intentions. You must have the right words to stay away from the spam folder. So, here’s a categorized list of subject lines for following up.
Bribe them
More than 300 billion emails are exchanged every day. The receivers of your email are busy people who receive 5 or 6 dozen messages daily. They don’t have the time or desire to go through every mail in their email inbox.
So, bribe them. Tell them you have something to give in the subject line itself. For instance:
Get 20% off on Premium Plan + 5x Revenue Increase
This subject line is great for 3 reasons:
First, you’re solving a pain point–budget. Most potential buyers/customers, especially small businesses and start-ups, don’t respond because of their tight budgets. Second, you’re using a keyword related to your product–” Premium plan”. And, third is that you’re showing scope for growth.
There’s one problem with these types of subject sentences. They work only for sales follow-up emails. But, don’t worry! There are other ways of bribing your reader:
I can help with {problem}.
This will work for sales, cold mailing, networking, and also for customer support. You can mention how you can ease their job with your service/product in the email body. In case you’re not selling anything, you can also come up with advice or observation which will benefit them professionally.
I can help increase sales by 5x.
Knock the Curious Door
Sentences used for subjects also work if they’re thought-provoking and can make the email lists curious enough to open them. The best way to do this is to ask a simple question in a conversational tone:
Wanna feature in Forbes?
Or
Is XYZ a goal for your business?
The intention is to intrigue them. So, if statements work best for you, you can go ahead.
We helped {competitor’s name} achieve 10x clients.
You can also use absurd subject lines to write a funny email, such as:
Message deleted
Or
Forget me not
Play Reverse Psychology
The subject of email playing reverse psychology is one of the most successful ways to catch the recipient’s attention. Some subject line examples are:
Do not open this message
Or
Look away
Personalize
While curiosity can increase open rates, personalized mails will increase response rates. Use AI-based tools like Smartlead to gather potential clients’ professional information while sending mails in bulk.
Some examples of personalized follow-up messages are:
Additional tip: Write on the email thread of the original email.
For Cold Emails:
SUBJECT: We helped {competitor’s name} reach {goals}
Hey {recipient’s first name},
What’s your process for {event}?
Last month, {competitor’s name} achieved {goals} in the XYZ area. Our {service/product} helped their {so-and-so process}.
Do you have any plans in place for addressing it?
I have a few suggestions. Let’s schedule a call to discuss this further.
Best,
{Your name}
{Designation}
{Company’s name}
{Contact info}
For Networking Mails:
SUBJECT: Did you know {fact} about {topic}?
Hi (Recipient's first name),
It was a pleasure meeting you at (venue name) and learning about (topic). I must say your views influenced me deeply.
After our chat, I found the attached (piece of content) on (topic) while researching. I thought you might be interested.
I look forward to knowing your views on this. Let’s be in touch.
Thanks again,
{Your name}
{Designation}
{Company’s name}
{Contact info}
Dear readers, take an oath to follow up. Be it sales or networking, following up with relevant information will open new gates for your business/career.
In addition to establishing your brand name, it will also increase open rates and response rates. I hope the subject lines work for you.
With this, I bid you farewell for today! See y'all!
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