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Cold Email Subject Line Generator

Cold emails get opened when the subject line looks like it came from a person, not a campaign. Describe who you're emailing and why, and get 12 short, plain subject lines, each scored.

0/400 · the more specific, the better the lines

Email type

Free, no sign-up. Every line is scored instantly in your browser.

Your 12 lines will land here, like an inbox.

Power words get highlighted, spam triggers get struck through, and each line gets a 0–100 score you can open in the tester.

What makes a cold email subject line work

A stranger decides in a second whether your email is worth opening. The lines that earn that second tend to share a few traits:

  • Short. Two to six words is common for cold outreach. It reads like an internal note.
  • About them, not you. Their company, their role, their recent news. Not your product name.
  • Plain. Lowercase is fine. No emoji, no exclamation marks, no “exclusive offer”.
  • Honest. A fake “Re:” or “Fwd:” may get an open, but it burns trust and can breach anti-spam rules on deceptive headers.

Pair the line with a first sentence that proves you looked them up. Our cold email templates are built around that personal opener.

12 cold email subject line examples

  1. You → prospect

    quick question about [company]

    30 chars · Strong

    Test

  2. You → prospect

    idea for your onboarding emails

    31 chars · Strong

    Test

  3. You → prospect

    [mutual contact] suggested I reach out

    38 chars · Good

    Test

  4. You → prospect

    congrats on the Series A

    24 chars · Needs work

    Test

  5. You → prospect

    {first_name}, 15 minutes next week?

    35 chars · Strong

    Test

  6. You → prospect

    noticed you're hiring SDRs

    26 chars · Good

    Test

  7. You → prospect

    a thought on [company]'s pricing page

    37 chars · Good

    Test

  8. You → prospect

    how [competitor] handles support tickets

    40 chars · Good

    Test

  9. You → prospect

    your post about remote hiring

    29 chars · Strong

    Test

  10. You → prospect

    worth a conversation?

    21 chars · Needs work

    Test

  11. You → prospect

    saving your team 5 hours a week

    31 chars · Strong

    Test

  12. You → prospect

    question about your Q4 plans

    28 chars · Strong

    Test

Replace the [brackets] with real details. Scores for cold lines run a little lower on power words by design; plain beats clever here.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good subject line for a cold email?

Short, specific to the recipient and plain: “quick question about [company]”, “congrats on the launch”, “[mutual contact] suggested I reach out”. It should look like a colleague sent it.

Should cold email subject lines be lowercase?

Many outreach practitioners use lowercase because it reads as a personal, typed note. It is a style choice, not a rule; sentence case works too. Avoid Title Case On Every Word, which looks like marketing.

Should I use the prospect's name in the subject line?

It can help, but it has become common in automated outreach. Referencing their company, role or a recent event is often more convincing than the first name alone.

Is it OK to use “Re:” in a cold email subject line?

No. Using “Re:” or “Fwd:” when there was no previous conversation is misleading. The US CAN-SPAM Act prohibits deceptive subject lines, and recipients who feel tricked are more likely to report spam.