Subject lines are one of the most important parts of an email, yet they’re often overlooked because it’s much easier to use the same subject line for every email. However, studies show that if you personalize your messages, and especially subject lines for follow-up emails, the chances of getting a reply significantly increase. But the truth is it can be tough to come up with a good follow-up email subject line. So, let’s look at some tips on how to make your follow-up subject lines more effective, along with some examples and explanations to help you get your emails opened and responded to quickly. Let’s get started!
Why Are Subject Lines for Follow-up Emails Important?
The subject line of a follow-up email is the first thing the recipient sees and ultimately determines whether they will open your email or not. It might be your one shot to make a good impression, get your prospect interested in what you have to say, and set the tone going forward.
If you’re a marketer, salesperson, or entrepreneur, you know how vital it is to get your emails opened and boost your email conversion rate. And if you’re sending a follow-up email, it’s even more important to make sure that your recipient opens it so they can see your message and what you have to offer. After all, a good sales follow-up email combined with a great subject line adds value and makes your buyer’s journey more enjoyable.
Follow-up Email Subject Lines Best Practices
A good subject line should be clear, concise, and to the point. It should also be personal and relevant to the recipient. Wondering how to title a follow-up email? Check out these tips:
1. Keep it short and sweet.
You want to make sure your subject line is brief and to the point, as over 85% of people check their emails on their mobiles. The last thing you want is for your recipient to see an incomplete or long, drawn-out subject line and think ‘I don’t have time for this.’ Remember, people are busy and receive a lot of emails every day, so you want to make sure yours stands out. Keep your subject line under 50 characters if possible, and get straight to the point.
2. Make it seem natural and conversational.
Your subject line for a follow-up email should sound like you’re speaking to a friend, not like you’re writing an essay. No one likes to be talked down to, so avoid using overly formal language. Instead, opt for a more conversational and friendly tone.
3. Make it catchy.
You want your subject line to be intriguing enough to make the recipient want to learn more. But beware of being too clickbaity, as this can backfire and make you seem untrustworthy. A good way to make your follow-up email subject line more intriguing is to use curiosity gap headlines like “The Secret to Getting More Prospects to Open Your Emails” or “The One Thing You’re Missing in Your follow-up Emails.” Headlines like these will surely leave the reader wanting to know more.
4. Personalize it with your recipient’s name.
Adding a personal touch to your subject line can go a long way in making your email stand out, especially since it’s a follow-up email and you’ve already established some relationship with your prospect.
5. Optimize and personalize the snippet.
The snippet is the short summary of your email that appears below the subject line in most email inboxes. You want to make sure that your snippet is interesting and furthers the intrigue started in your follow-up email title. But you also want to make sure that it is relevant to the recipient so that they know what the email is about and why they should care.
6. Don’t mislead your recipient.
You might be tempted to use a bit of clickbait in your follow-up email subject line to get the recipient to open your message. But beware of being too misleading, as this might annoy your recipient or, worse, appear like a phishing email which, according to the latest cybercrime statistics, is a common security threat. Be transparent in your subject line and give an accurate representation of what your follow-up email is about.
What Do You Put in the Subject Line of a Follow-up Email?
Depending on what you want to follow up on, the contents of your subject line will vary. So before we go into specifics, here are some examples of the best subject lines for follow-up emails for any occasion:
“Hello again from…” or “Pleasure chatting with you…”
These can work really great because they are easy to remember, set a professional but friendly tone, and show that you remember the person you’re emailing and want to build a stronger connection with them.
“Next steps”
It’s short, clear, and direct and might do better than “When can we meet again to…?” or “Can I set up a call with you to…?” because it conveys an element of disguise. Don’t forget that people are generally curious, and a subject for follow-up email messages as short as this will definitely make them want to know more and open the email.
“I forgot to mention…”
This is a great way to start a follow-up email because it shows that you were paying attention to the conversation and that you have something important to share that you think they would be interested in.
“Let’s take another look…”
Is a much better alternative than “Checking in” and can be really effective because it shows that you’ve already received the go-ahead to contact and now you are writing because you have more to share on the topic.
“Can you help me with this?”
A follow-up email subject like this appeals to the recipient’s need to be helpful and useful and can be really effective in getting a response. It also shows that you are interested in what they have to say and value their opinion.
“Would anything change your mind?”
This is a great way to follow up after a rejection because it shows that you are persistent but also respectful of the other person’s decision. It leaves the door open for further discussion and might just be the thing that gets you the response you’re looking for.
Whichever of the above you choose to use, just remember to keep it short and to the point and make sure that your subject line accurately reflects the contents of your email. Now let’s move on to more specific follow-up email subject line examples.
Webinar Follow-up Email Subject Line
Considering that more than 50% of marketers rely on webinars for promotion, it is absolutely vital to have a strong follow-up strategy in place. Below are some examples of great webinar follow-up email subject lines:
“Your attendance is highly appreciated”
“Loved seeing you with us”
“Webinar feedback”
“Rate us to make us grow”
“Quick question about the webinar”
“Open for post-webinar discussion”
“Webinar summary”
“Here are the important points from today’s webinar”
If, for some reason, people didn’t attend your webinar, you can still make it up to them by sending post-webinar emails. The subject line for follow-up email messages after a webinar would be something like:
“You missed a great webinar”
“Here’s an overview of what you missed in our latest webinar”
“Waiting for your presence in our next sessions”
Don’t forget that people might have signed up for your webinar but not actually attended, so it’s important to send follow-up emails to both groups. If you want to increase attendance for your next webinar, make sure you send a follow-up email to those who registered but didn’t attend with a subject line like:
“What stopped you from attending our webinar?”
“We’re sorry you couldn’t make it”
“We missed you at our last session.”
Follow-up Email Subject Line for Sales
The difference between a good follow-up subject line and a great one is what gets your email opened and read. The average open rate for follow-up emails is 15-20%, so it’s important to make sure your subject lines are on point. Here are some great examples of sales follow-up email subject lines:
“Are you still interested in…?”
“X options to get started”
“When can we expect…?”
“Here’s that info I promised you”
“Know this about [topic of interest to your prospect]?”
“Quick question about…”
“Can I send you some more information about…?”
“Have you had a chance to look at…?”
“Any update on…?”
If you want to increase your open rates even further, use the recipient’s name or company but prior to this, ensure you use the names correctly. Nothing screams “I don’t care about you” more than a generic or incorrect name in the subject line. Marketing automation software solutions can help with this by automatically inserting the recipient’s name into the subject line.
What Is NOT a Good Subject Line for a Follow-up Email?
Now that we’ve covered what makes a great follow-up email subject line, it’s time to look at what definitely does not work. These are some examples of poor follow-up email subject lines that you should avoid:
“Just checking in…”
This is probably the most overused and ineffective subject line out there. It’s lazy, provides no value, and doesn’t make the recipient want to open your email.
“I hope you’re well”
This is another very common subject line that does nothing to engage the reader or add value. It’s also often used as a way to try and sound polite or professional, but in reality, it just comes across as insincere.
“Did you get my last email?”
This subject line is not only incredibly rude, but it’s also a surefire way to get your email deleted without even being opened. If the recipient didn’t reply to your last email, then there’s a reason for that, and badgering them with follow-up emails is not going to change their mind.
“We should catch up”
This subject line provides absolutely no value to the recipient. It’s also very vague and doesn’t give any indication of what the email will be about, which makes it less likely to be opened.
“I have some news…”
This is a great way to make your email sound like spam, and if you’re lucky it might get past spam filtering services. If you have some news, then great, but don’t use this as your subject line as it’s not going to entice the reader to open your email.
As you can see, there are a lot of things that you should avoid when crafting your follow-up email title. The best way to ensure they are effective is to keep them short, sweet, and to the point. Make sure they add value for the recipient and avoid sounding like you’re trying to sell them something. If you can do this, then you’ll be on your way to increasing your open rates and getting more people to engage with your emails.
Final Tips on Choosing the Best Follow-up Email Title
As you can see, crafting an effective follow-up email subject line is no small feat. Hopefully, our guide has given you some good ideas to grab your prospects’ attention and get your message across. Just remember to keep it brief, personalize as much as possible, and test different subject lines to see what works best for your audience. And most importantly, have fun with it! After all, a little creativity can go a long way in getting your emails opened and read.
