If your subject lines sound like they were generated by a polite intern with a template, you’re not getting replies. You’re getting ignored. And not because your offer isn’t good, but because no one at the top level of a serious company is clicking on something that sounds like a press release.
You’re trying to sound professional when you should be trying to sound indispensable.
Karim Mokhtar
We’ve seen the usual suspects. Things like “Let’s Elevate Your Business” or “Support for Your Next Milestone.” They’re vague. They’re safe. And worst of all, they’re forgettable!
You think you’re being professional. What you’re actually being is invisible… and that’s sad.
The truth is, most junior B2B sales professionals don’t know how different the world of C-level selling is from everything else. Emailing consumers is a whole different game. It’s emotional, impulsive, lighthearted. You can sell socks with emojis and a discount code. But emailing C-level people is high-stakes strategy. These folks are overloaded, overpitched, and five seconds away from deleting your email unless it punches through the noise with something real.
They don’t want fluff. They don’t want another offer to “hop on a quick call.” They don’t need a free consultation unless you’ve already convinced them you know what the hell you’re doing. They want relevance. Precision. And preferably something that cuts through their routine like a scalpel, not a wet napkin.
Good subject lines don’t beg. They provoke. They hint at something smart, something uncomfortable, or something personal to the recipient. Bad subject lines just talk about you. Great ones show that you understand them, their problems, and the conversations already happening in their head.
Here’s what doesn’t work. Soft asks like “Could This Help Your Team?” Corporate haikus like “Empowering Your Digital Transformation.” And anything that sounds like a slogan from a mediocre brochure. These lines don’t trigger curiosity. They don’t stir emotion. They don’t spark urgency. They just blend in with the rest of the background noise, and worse, they make it obvious that you’re one of hundreds trying to get a piece of their time.
C-level professionals click on things that feel like they weren’t mass-produced. Something with an edge. Something specific. Something that tells them the sender actually paid attention. Even a little bite of sarcasm, or a sharp observation about their industry, can make a huge difference. Try something like “Your best people are already ignoring your training program” or “I ran the numbers on your product ” or “Still using PDFs to train your staff?”
These aren’t just jokes. They’re signals. They say you’re bold enough to speak truth, and smart enough to back it up.
The golden rule is simple. If your subject line could be used by any company in any industry without changing a word, throw it away.
The problem isn’t that you’re not working hard. It’s that your approach sounds like it was written for approval, not for impact. You’re trying to sound professional when you should be trying to sound indispensable.
C-levels don’t owe you anything. So if you’re not hitting the right nerve, they’re not clicking.
Still want to keep writing “Unlock Strategic Gains”? Go for it. But don’t be surprised when the only thing being unlocked is your frustration.
Need help rewriting? Start by deleting half your drafts and rereading the last 10 subject lines you sent. If they don’t make you curious, they won’t make anyone else curious either.
Want a sample batch of real subject lines that actually get clicks? Just ask.
But no fluff allowed!
