70 Networking Email Subject Lines to Increase Email Open Rates

What is a Networking Email Subject Line?

An email subject line is the line of text a recipient sees when an email hits their inbox. It serves as the title of the email but must at the same time entice the recipient to open and read the email. 

A networking email, on the other hand, is an email you write to reach out to a contact you met on a trip, in the field while prospecting, or at a networking event. 

The purpose of a networking email is, therefore, to reach out with the goal of establishing a relationship. This means you would need to be friendlier than usual with the language you use when writing the email. And that starts with the email’s subject line.

To entice that all-important open, a networking email needs a catchy subject line. A dull subject line just doesn’t draw your recipient’s attention enough to open the email. And if the recipient doesn’t open your email, your networking effort would have failed.

Here are some science-backed reasons to put more effort into your networking email subject lines:

• 47% of email recipients open an email based on the subject line alone,
• 69% of email recipients report email as spam based solely on the subject line,
• Emails with crystal clear subject lines result in 56% more open rates.

So what does a good networking email subject line look like?

70 Networking Email Subject Line Examples to Boost Your Open Rates

You probably have so much to do than spend an hour brainstorming an email subject line. Writing may not even be your best suite. 

So, to make it easier for you, I’ve prepared 55 networking email subject lines and 15 follow up networking email subject line examples that you can tweak and swipe for your next email.

We will start with the email subject lines for the email you write to reach out the first time:

55 networking email subject lines to establish relationships

Sending a networking email to establish a relationship can be tricky. Your recipient doesn’t know you yet, so your email should be convincing enough to coax them to open it.

So make your email subject line count. After all, you never get a second chance at first impressions.

Below are examples of email subject lines that have been proven to work. These emails will not work for every networking scenario. Choose one that fits yours and tweak them accordingly.

1. Reaching out for some expert advice on [topic]
2. I enjoyed our chat at the recent [name] conference!
3. [Mutual connection] suggested I reach out
4. Saying hello, I have a quick question about [topic]
5. Congratulations on [recent achievement]
6. Referred by [name] to discuss [topic]
7. Fellow [your interest] who would love to connect
8. Loved your recent article in [publication]
9. Introducing myself
10. Do you know [mutual acquaintance name]?
11. Hey, [name], let me introduce myself
12. Could I ask you a few questions?
13. Fellow alum from [college] who loves [industry]
14. Interested in learning more about your recent article on [publication]
15. Just caught the interview you had with [name]
16. [Mutual connection name] suggested we meet!
17. Fellow [city] resident who would love to connect
18. About your work
19. Would love your advice on [topic]
20. Your recent [interview/story/article] blew me away
21. Looking for advice from an [industry] expert
22. I love that [idea/opinion] you shared on [publication]
23. Do you know [possible connection]?
24. Loved your contribution to [publication]
25. My opinion on [topic], let me know what you think
26. [Name], I see you like [type of product/service]
27. Completely agree with your thoughts on [topic]
28. I totally admire the [thought/idea/opinion] you shared
29. Happy [holiday/birthday/anniversary]!
30. Fellow member of [program] who would love to connect
31. Looking to learn more about [topic]
32. [Name], thank you for mentioning [your company/product/service] on [platform]
33. Aspiring [industry] professional looking for advice from the best
34. We met at [location or event] – following up
35. What a great post on LinkedIn
36. Hi, [Name], I think you’ll find this interesting
37. Aspiring [position] – would love to ask you a few questions
38. Referred by [mutual connection] – are you free to chat?
39. Saw you on Twitter
40. [Name], can you please help me with [topic]
41. I agree/disagree with your thoughts on [topic]
42. You were impressive
43. I have some great info about [topic]
44. Are you planning to go to [upcoming event]?
45. You surprised me
46. I’m struggling with [topic], can you help?
47. Can I buy you a coffee?
48. [Name], let’s collaborate
49. I follow you on [social media] – can we chat?
50. I’m a little lost
51. Feedback on your interview with [connection]
52. Free drinks?
53. Want to get lunch?
54. Free for dinner?
55. Biggest takeaways from [event]

15 networking follow-up email subject line examples

Once you’ve made your initial interaction with your prospect, give them 2-3 days to reply. If they don’t reply within that time, you should follow up. If you follow up too soon, it may make you look pushy.

But follow-up emails need to be written with tact and consideration. Your goal is to politely nudge the networking lead and get them to reply. It’s possible they missed your first email or were simply too busy to reply and then forgot about it.

Not sure where to start with the follow-up email subject line? You can swipe these examples:

1. Hey [name], just following up on our [call/meeting] the other day
2. Nice meeting you, [name]
3. Re: [original subject line]
4. Loved our chat. Just following up from [place]
5. I really hope you enjoyed the [event]
6. Following up on [your post] on [publication]
7. Hey, [name], this is [your name]
8. It was great meeting you at [event]
9. [Name], did you have the time to think about our call from the other day?
10. A quick hello (and congrats on the [achievement])
11. Re: [post title] [site]
12. I enjoyed our meeting at [place]. I’d love to reconnect!
13. Hey, [name], just checking in since we last spoke
14. Let’s catch up!
15. Hello again!

If these networking email subject lines don’t quite hit the spot for you, you can practice writing your own. The tips we will share below should help:

How to Write a Perfect Networking Email Subject Line

Nothing works better than writing your networking subject lines yourself. You write them in your voice, which means they will be unique and personal to the recipient. Here are tips to help you improve your subject line copywriting skills.

1 Keep it short

Your goal is to catch your recipient’s attention, so they’d open your email and read it. So, you want to keep your networking email subject lines specific and concise.

Perhaps you’re wondering why.

Well, for one, 41.9% of emails are opened using mobile devices. This means your prospect would find it hard to read a long subject line.

Also, long-worded email subject lines may trigger spam filters and cause the recipient to miss the email. That’s not the reward you want for your networking efforts.

Lastly, a long subject line may fail to communicate the real purpose of the email. And if your prospect doesn’t understand your intent, they might send your email to the spam folder.

Pro Tip: Use a subject line checker to achieve the perfect networking email subject line length.

2 Personalize it

Personalized subject lines are 22% more likely to be opened. Therefore, it’s a great way to get noticed.

Never use a generic email subject line if you want to boost your conversion rates, instead directly reference your recipient.

You can mention their company name, their name, or their needs. This way, they’ll get the impression that you crafted that email just for them. As a result, you’ll find it easier to build a connection and get a response.

3 Conduct a quality check

What’s the first thing your recipient sees? Well, of course, your subject line — so make sure it’s perfect.

Check for spelling errors, grammar mistakes, and unclear information. Your subject line should be as flawless as it can be.

As I mentioned earlier, you can use an email subject line checker to help you create a great cold networking email subject line. It can rate your subject line according to different factors like readability, engagement, and word length.

4 Time it right

Timing is important — you can’t start building a relationship with your prospect if they don’t see your email in the first place.

So, to ensure they open your networking email, you should send it during work hours, which is typically from 9 AM – 10 AM and immediately after lunch. These are the times of the day people typically sit down to read their emails.

Never send an email right before a holiday or at the end of a workweek. Most prospects strictly separate their work from family time and will not read work-related emails unless they are at work. So, chances are, your email will get buried and is not likely to be read.

Or if they’ve read it, they might plan to respond to you at a later time and eventually forget it.

5 Ask for advice, not favors

When you write a networking email, you are usually asking a favor from them — but never do it directly.

Sure, you want something from them. But don’t make it obvious.

Instead, use a slower and more organic approach. Let them know that you’d be honored to get their advice on a certain topic. And of course, try to build a genuine connection with them. Doing so can have lots of benefits in the long run.

6 Be sincere

A networking email is ultimately about making a sale. But even if that’s the goal, you shouldn’t forget to be sincere about your intentions.

So your subject lines for networking emails should only promise what you can deliver. Making overly ambitious promises can ruin your reputation and won’t do your brand any good.

So as much as possible, make the prospect feel that you’re happy to help and that you’re sincere about what you are promising with your email subject line. In any case, your prospect is not stupid; they can tell when you are over-promising.

7 Avoid following the same formula

Did you find an email subject line in the previous section that you really liked? Or maybe you’ve tested a few and discovered that one works better than the rest?

It may be tempting to use a similar formula over and over again, expecting the same results — but no, that’s not the way it should be.

Avoid being too formulaic. When your prospects receive identical networking emails, your message may come across as robotic and cold.

Besides, every network scenario is unique. So are your prospects. Your reconnecting email subject lines will stand out if they reference something that is unique to the prospect. 

Unique email subject lines show the prospect that you really were paying attention to them when you met and that you actually made an effort when writing the email.

Staying with that theme:

8 Make it clear you are reconnecting

Your networking email subject line and the email body should reference things about where or how you met the prospect. They likely receive a ton of cold emails every day and unless they quickly recognize yours is from someone they have actually met before, they may not open it.

To help them tell your catching up email from the truly cold ones, you should include things like::

• Place where you met,
• An interest that the prospect shared with you,
• A memorable moment you both witnessed at the event

Remember that a custom-tailored networking email subject line has better chances of getting noticed and opened than those generic ones.

9 Don’t overly depend on a subject line

Subject lines are important but don’t forget other things that can make your email networking efforts a success.

You should be reaching out to the right prospects. No matter how great your email is, it will not achieve much if you send it to the wrong person or to individuals who aren’t even interested.

And of course, don’t forget to craft a winning email body. It should be aligned to your subject line and should offer value to your recipient.

In short, you shouldn’t strongly lean on your networking email subject line. Make sure you’re taking care of other factors too.

10 Add value

Always offer something of value with your networking emails. But make sure not to overwhelm your recipients with a huge amount of information, links, and advice.

Yes, you need to come to the table with a dish — but it shouldn’t be the main dish. Instead, bring a light side dish with an interesting little offer.

It can be a resource, a free tool, or a single link to an article. Or maybe you can give them the contact details of a particular person who can help them with their pain points.

If you don’t have any of those, you can simply offer them your insights on a topic you discussed when you met.

The subject line for your networking email could be something like, 

• ‘I thought you would enjoy this article on [topic]’ or
• ‘This could help with your [problem they are facing]

1. Be prompt

If you’ve been to various networking events, it’s essential that you promptly reach out to your new contacts. But don’t send a reconnecting email a few hours after the event as it may come across as aggressive. 

Instead, do it within the day or the next day to ensure your name is still fresh in their memory. You don’t want them forgetting you — and you don’t want to forget what happened during the event as well.

It’s difficult to create a custom-tailored email if you don’t remember the important details about your encounter at the event.

11 Make a connection

A networking email can be a cold email, but you can always make it a lot less cold.

If you want to get more responses, you should craft emails that acknowledge themes like birthdays and special holidays. These help to personalize the email and humanize its tone.

For example, this networking subject line, “Have you tried [restaurant name] yet?” can be useful if you know where your prospect lives.

Thus, it’s important to do your homework. Find out everything you can about your recipient, so your message would appear genuine.

You can get valuable information from the prospect’s social media profiles as they are likely to post the events they recently attended. In that case, you can include the name of the event or place of the event in your networking email subject line.

It’s also best to follow them on their social media accounts to research their interests and determine if they could become a customer. Chances are you’d discover that you have a few things in common — and you can use those to your advantage.

Look for the stuff they mention or share the most. You can use analytics tools to easily determine their pattern and fovourite topics.

12 Make it relevant

If your prospect is in the technology industry, you don’t send them a networking email with a subject line that is irrelevant to them. That decreases the chances that your email will get opened.

You can’t just choose a random topic and cross your fingers that it’d work. Talk about things that actually interest them

For instance, if they recently got a promotion or assumed a new positon at another company, you can congratulate or wish them well. Your networking email subject line could say, ‘Good luck in your new job at [their new company]’

So doing your research is important. It’s like going on a date, you have to know what your date likes to impress them.

13 Be yourself

Don’t be too eager to make an impression with your networking email subject lines by saying things that are simply not you. If humor is not your strongest attribute, avoid making jokes with your networking email subject lines.

Of course, being polite and professional in your emails can take you a long way. And you shouldn’t forget to inject some of your personality into your email. But keep it clean and stay neutral. You don’t want to offend their moral, political, or other sensibilities.

Like your branding sets you apart from your competitors, your unique personality can also help you stand out from the crowd.

14 Be inquisitive

Your biggest task with the subject line of a networking email is how to stand out and catch the attention of the recipient. It’s not as hard as it may seem, though. 

A tip is to ask them an interesting question. Because they demand answers, people tend to instinctively want to answer questions wherever they are asked. Even if you aren’t really expecting an answer to the question, it can help get the recipient to at least open the email.

As you may have noticed in the networking email subject line examples in the previous section, most of the samples on the list are either asking for advice or asking for feedback.

15 Keep a ‘long term perspective’

Being prompt with your follow-up emails is great. But you should also keep in mind that networking is a long-game strategy.

If you hear back from your prospects right away, then good. If not, then don’t take it personally. That happens — not just to you but to other marketers.

After all, people get swamped, and they may forget to respond. Or they just have a lot on their plate that they can’t make time for new stuff.

Moreover, most of your contacts wouldn’t be staying in touch forever. After a year, or maybe more, you can still reach out to them using the original thread where you had your previous conversation.

This way, they’ll easily remember who you are and appreciate you reaching out even if it’s been so long without contact.

How to Collect Leads for Your Networking Emails

Well, of course, a list of qualified leads should be in place before you can send out networking emails. Without it, your efforts of creating an effective subject line would be to no avail. You can’t write a networking email unless you have someone to send it to.

Fortunately, LeadFuze can make things easy for you. 

LeadFuze will help automate and scale your lead generation. With the tool’s help, you can can automatically build an entire list of verified leads.

The data you collect can be sent to your automation tools, so you don’t need to manually enter lead data. LeadFuze allows you to filter your leads according to such criteria as:

• Company news
• Whether they’re hiring or not
• Monthly Adwords budget
• Technologies used
• Industry
• Position/role
• Company location
• Company size

You can even use specific keywords to customize your search.

With the nifty, AI-powered assistant, Fuzebot, you can automatically add new leads to your list without having to lift a finger. No more manual searching!

Using its huge and well-segregated database, some of the information you can collect using LeadFuze include:

• Email address
• Full name
• Title
• Company name
• Website
• Social media profiles
• Education (degrees)
• Skills
• Interests

You can export this data anytime straight to your CRM.

When you enter very specific criteria, you’ll get hundreds to thousands of contacts to browse through, giving you the type of superpowers you’ve always wanted as a marketer.

LeadFuze also allows you to add negative search criteria, so you can exclude contacts from your search that don’t match your ideal customer profile.

If necessary, you can add some contacts to your “Ignore List” so you can avoid collecting data from companies you’ve already reached out to or people you don’t want to get in touch with.

Let Your Networking Email Subject Lines Do the Heavy Lifting for You

When you are reaching out to or catching up with a recently acquired lead through email, it’s important for your networking email subject line to stand out. If it fails to catch their attention, they may not open your email. 

To keep the conversation going and eventually build a relationship with the leads you acquire through your networking efforts, the email subject lines you use to reach out to them must perform. They must do the heavy lifting and get the prospect to engage with your networking email.

If crafting irresistible networking email subject lines was a struggle, this guide is the resource you need to level up. We have given you tips on how to write good subject lines for your networking emails, but if you are still not confident enough to write them from scratch on your own, you have 70 examples to copy and tweak.