Cold Email Opening Lines That Work Every Time14 min read

In one of our earlier posts, we were talking about the best email subject lines that will increase the chance of getting your email opened by your prospects. 

Now that you know how to craft irresistible subject lines, we should move on to email opening lines as it’s not enough only to get your prospects to open your cold email. 

These introductory sentences should also grab their attention right away and make them want to read your message. 

“Hi Shawn, 

I’m Tony Stark, a sales rep for the XYZ company, yadda, yadda, yadda”

This is how you should NOT break the ice because your prospects immediately know your message will be a sales pitch, and those don’t go well. 

In this article, I’ll suggest some of the most effective tactics for piquing your recipients’ interest with your cold email opening lines.

The Importance of Email Opening Lines

Imagine you’re sending a cold email to a potential client or employer, hoping to impress them with your skills and secure an opportunity.

You’ve put together a thoughtful and informative message, but there’s one problem: your opening line falls flat. It’s generic, boring, and unlikely to capture their attention.

What do you do?

Here’s the truth: the opening line of your cold email can make or break your chances of success. With so many emails flooding inboxes every day, your recipient is unlikely to spend much time deciding whether to read on or delete your message.

That’s why it’s essential to start with a bang.

So, don’t underestimate the importance of your opening line. It’s not just a throwaway greeting or a formality. It’s the key that unlocks the door to your recipient’s attention and interest.

With a well-crafted opener, you can grab their attention, show your personality, and demonstrate that you’re worth their time and consideration. With a weak or uninspiring opener, you risk being ignored, forgotten, or even worse – remembered as a bore.

Cold Email Opening Line Don’ts 

What should you say at the beginning of an email?

First, let’s try to understand why so many cold emails don’t get a response. 

To do that, let’s take a look at your typical cold email opening lines. Most of them look something like the following:

• They start with a standard greeting like hi or hello
• Followed by a boring sender introduction – my name is this, I work at blah blah company
• Then continue to talk about their company in superlatives, and that’s something no one really cares about.

The first and the most obvious mistake in cold emails is that the majority of salespersons make it about themselves and about the company they work for. 

They do not bother to mention straight away WHY they are sending the email and HOW they can help the person or business they are trying to get in touch with. 

To avoid this mistake, start off with a bit more personalized approach by taking some time to get to know your prospects and their needs. 

Find a connection between you and them and a unique approach in order to explain how all the parties involved will benefit from this potential relationship.

Another common mistake is using a generic or overly formal greeting, which can make your message feel impersonal and detached.

Instead, try to use a more informal greeting that matches the tone of your message and shows that you’re approachable.

Also, avoid is using a one-size-fits-all approach to your opening line. While it may be tempting to use a template or copy and paste a generic message, this can come across as lazy and unprofessional.

Take the time to personalize each message and show that you’ve done your research.

But, what to use as an opening line and how to draw the attention of your leads when they open the email you took time to craft carefully? 

It’s simple. 

Follow these six different email openers, and you’ll be all set.

#1 Focus on Trigger Events

People don’t want to feel like they are being spammed with a mass email campaign, so adding some type of personalization can go a long way. 

Find a recent reference that you can start your email with and show your recipient that you are familiar with their company in some way. 

Trigger events can be something that happened recently in your prospects’ company or professional life. 

For example, they have moved up to a new position, their company received new funding, announced expansion into new fields and markets, or launched a new product or service. 

Tip: Use Google Alerts to track news about the company in question so you can quickly use new opportunities in your cold email.

1. A new position 

If your prospect recently moved up to a new position or has changed companies, a sincere congratulations in your opening line will give your relationship a positive start. 

2. Reaction to competitors

Another thing you can try is to mention something their competitors did,  ask them about their response and give your personal opinion or advice about solutions you think could work. 

3. A market shift

Did a new shift in a particular field occur? Let your prospect know and give them your opinion on how it can be best dealt with.

#2 Ask a Question

Starting a cold email with a question can spark your prospect’s interest and “lure” them into a conversation.

1. Use your own curiosity as a gambit

Asking a question or asking for someone’s opinion on current affairs is a good way to get your lead to respond to your email. 

If you ask your prospect about their business, they will probably start a conversation with you, as most people like talking about themselves and their work. 

So, if your question hits the right spot, it will surely prompt a response from your contact.

2. Ask if they need help

If you are contacting someone in an attempt to sell them your products or services, try to find out if the company or individual in question is having issues in a particular area. 

Maybe the product that you are selling or the service you are offering can help them. 

  

#3 First Give, Then Ask

Providing a piece of valuable information or an interesting statistic to your prospects in the opening lines can build trust and show that you understand what their business is about. 

It also shows that you are knowledgeable enough and worth listening to.

1. Give them an interesting statistic

Did you know that 87% percent of people trust you more if you give them a statistic? 

Now, I did make that number up, but I bet you did find that ‘fact’ realistic. 

Of course, I’m not saying you should make numbers up, just that you should try to find something interesting that will entice your prospect to read the rest of your email. 

You need to add a touch of credibility to your claims. Otherwise, they’re just your opinions. 

Maybe recent research found something that relates to their issue or opens the door for your solution. Take some time and find that out.

2. Offer a solution to their problem

If you offer immediate value in the opening of your cold email, your prospect will appreciate this and have more confidence in doing business with you. 

Do little research about their company, find out if there are some areas they are struggling with, and try to think of friendly advice that could help them.

Maybe you or your company write a blog or white papers that cover something which provides value to them. It doesn’t have to be a complex thing, just something to get the conversation going.

#4 Find a Connection

Finding some mutual topic you can start a conversation with your prospect can really kick things off. 

Check your contact’s website or LinkedIn page to see if there’s something you can use.

1. Use your shared background

People generally like working with others they know or at least have some kind of a shared background with. 

This can be anything from a high school, college, previous job, or city they grew up in. Of course, it’s best if the connection is work-related. 

For example, maybe the person you are sending a cold email to has written a post for an online publication you follow. Or perhaps, they were speaking at a conference you attended. 

Try to find any connection, no matter how small it may seem, and use it as a conversation starter.

2. Use a personal connection

A shared connection with a person you and your prospect both know and respect is one of the best ways to start a cold email with. 

Getting a recommendation from a mutual connection is even better but not always necessary. The mere fact that you know someone who is a kind of an authority or a close friend to the recipient is enough to make them pay closer attention to what you have to say. 

Leveraging your network in the right way should be on the top of your list for cold email opening lines.

#5 Introduce a Before-After-Bridge Concept 

This is a compelling way to attract your recipient’s attention and get them to understand why they need to read the rest of your email. 

Start with “Before” which should describe their world now, when they’re not using your product or service. 

Then go on to discuss “After,” that is, how their world would change for the better if they allow you to offer them a solution. 

The “Bridge” part should explain to your recipient how to get from the “Before” to the “After” scenario. 

The reason why this formula works lies in the fact that there are two factors that prompt people to take action – pleasure, and pain. 

By leveraging the former, you’re using a powerful motivator and shifting your recipients’ attention towards something that bothers and unsettles them. 

Naturally, everybody wants to prevent or alleviate a potential or existing issue, which will make them interested in reading what you have to say. 

So, it’s crucial to tap into negative emotions and stir up a feeling of pain and fear in your prospects, only to offer them an immediate and effective solution. 

Here’s how this looks like in an example:

#6 Compliment Them! 

Everybody loves a little ego boost, and your recipients aren’t exceptions. 

By opening an email with a compliment, not only are you recognizing your recipient’s skills, talent, and hard work, but you also show that you’re actually familiar with what their business is about. This tactic offers a high level of personalization, which makes it highly enticing and effective. 

However, in order for this formula to work, your opening line should convey a genuine admiration, and it has to be followed by a sentence or two providing some context. 

Otherwise, it will come off as a randomly picked ice-breaker. 

Here are some examples of this approach. 

1. A kudos opening line

Telling your recipients that you like their work is an excellent hook that will prompt them to read your message and make them more open to your offer.

2. A well-researched opening line

This example plays your prospect’s professional expertise card and mentions the value it provides to others, all of which will make them more accepting of what you’ll suggest in your proposal.

#7 AIDA

The AIDA model (attention-interest-desire-action) works like a charm in grabbing your recipients’ attention, sparking their interest, making them want the thing you mentioned, and ultimately taking action. 

Your intro line should serve as a hook, so start by mentioning a certain pain point that bothers your prospects or something that can significantly improve their life. 

This tactic will undoubtedly intrigue them, meaning that they’ll decide to give your cold email a chance. 

#8 Make Them Go “What?” 

This tactic doesn’t beat around the bush. 

It’s a strong opening that uses a statement or question that will most definitely generate a great deal of curiosity in your audience and drive them to keep on reading your email. 

Of course, the intro line has to be about something that’s relevant to your audience in order to engage them and produce such an effect. 

Final thoughts

The best way to make a cold email effective is to position your subject line with the opening email lines. Your subject line should work as an introduction and a promise you will deliver in the opening lines of your email. Only after you have made sure that every part of your email is working in your favor are you free to hit send.