Ever gotten stuck figuring out how to start an email? Especially if you don’t know the recipient, it’s tough to come up with a greeting and opening line that’ll keep them hooked.

Consider this your guide to avoiding writer’s block and making a personal connection with your email prospects.

We analyzed the data from millions of lemlist cold outreach campaigns to figure out how to start emails that get the highest open and reply rates. Plus, 25 examples of greetings and opening lines that convert.

We’ll start with an overview of why the beginning of your email counts, plus the data behind great email openers - or you can click here to skip straight to the examples.

Why is the start of your email so important?

The subject and first line of your email are what determine if the recipient actually opens your email and reads what you have to say. That’s because this is the only content that they can see as soon as they check their inbox.

So if you haven’t optimized these details, there’s less of a chance that your email actually gets read.

Think about the typical inbox layout. Generally it will look like this:

Your prospect’s decision to open your email depends on your name, subject, and the first few words of your email.

So the goal is to make your email stand out, and to make prospects want to open your email without thinking that they're just one more person on your list.

For example, take a look at this email introduction:

It’s descriptive, but a bit boring. It focuses on the sender, without paying any attention to the recipient.

Now, check out this optimized version:

It's got a sharper subject line, and the greeting gets right to the point. The opening line focuses on the prospect (lemlist) and shows that the sender is focused on them.

In fact, this email got a 90% open rate - the opening line and subject made people want to know what was inside.

Not only that, but once your subject line and greeting inspire prospects to open the email, its opening line is a key factor in whether they read the rest of your message, and ultimately take the action you’d like them to take.

Now, what does the data say about the best way to start an email?

What is a good email opening?

According to our 2023 analysis of millions of cold outreach campaigns, the best way to start an email is with a 4-12 word opening line that gives value to the prospect. That means: start your emails with a concise opener that focuses on the person you’re emailing (not on you!).

Let’s take a closer look at that data.

To test the best email opening lines, we examined the first full sentence of millions of emails, excluding the greeting (e.g. after phrases like “hello {{firstName}}”).

First, we wanted to get an idea of how long the start of your email should be: should it be short, to grab attention, or long enough to give more context?

According to the data, the highest-conversion opening lines were between 4-6 words. Opening lines with 7-12 words also performed well, so we recommend that you aim for a sweet spot between 4-12 words.

Here’s the full breakdown:

Now that you know how long your opening line should be, what is the best way to actually write it?

To test that, we grouped opening lines into different categories, based on whether they contained certain words or phrases.

The categories are:

• Introductions: “Hi, my name is [Name],” “Nice to meet you,” “To introduce myself…” etc.
• Prospect-focused: “congratulations {{firstName}}!” “I saw your post on…” “You might like to hear…” etc.
• Small talk: “Hope you had a lovely week” “I hope this email finds you well” “I hope you’re well,” etc.
• Giving value: “Here’s my feedback on…”, “here’s a free [product / service]”, “Do you want…?” etc.

We generated an AI-powered database of hundreds of words and phrases that fell into each type of opener, and then used that to categorize millions of real cold email opening lines that lemlist users have sent.

Once we had thousands of email openers in each category, we found the average reply rate of each type of opening line.

Here is how each type of opening line performed:

The opening lines that got the most replies were those that provided value to the prospect: offering feedback, giving a free service or advice, providing expert insight, etc.

Other methods like classic introductions or commenting on the prospect’s recent activity can also pique a prospect’s interest.

Small talk was the least successful category, so if you want to start an email with casual chit-chat, you’ll need to make sure that it’s well-targeted to your prospects.

Of course, there are many other factors in a cold email campaign that contribute to the reply rates. You’ll want to optimize not only the start of your email but also its subject line, call-to-action, signature, and your cold email copywriting as a whole.

Now that you know the data behind email opening lines, here are some examples of the best way to start an email.

25 best ways to start an email (greetings and opening lines)

First, we’ll start with the greetings.

Keep in mind that with an email greeting, you should:

✅ Align your email greeting to your prospects' tone of voice

✅ Personalize your greeting with the prospects' name

✅ Match your greeting with your email's context

For the full guide on picking the perfect cold email greeting, use this list of 20+ email greeting examples.

1. Hi / Hey / Hello {{firstName}}

You can’t go wrong with a classic: simply say hello!

This is a great greeting for when you’re reaching out for the first time to this person, and you aren’t sure about what tone to take.

If you’d like to err on the side of caution, pick “hello” over “hey” or “hi” so you don’t come off as too casual.

Just make sure that you include their first name - and double-check that you’ve spelled it correctly.

2. I hope you’re having a great week, {{firstName}},

A longer greeting that incorporates a bit of small talk, this allows you to open the email politely, and then get straight to the point.

If you use a greeting like this, we recommend you follow up with an opening line that immediately delivers value to the prospect. Don’t follow it up with chit-chat openers like “I hope this finds you well.”

You’ve already broken the ice in your greeting, so use the first line to deliver your message! You’ll see examples of to-the-point opening lines further down in this list.

3. {{firstName}}, I’m reaching out to…

If you’d like to deliver your message as directly as possible, start your email with this greeting.

You can add a personal touch by using your prospect’s first name, so it doesn’t come off as too blunt or impersonal.

At the same time, there’s no fluff: your prospect sees immediately why you’re contacting them.

Depending on the length of the subject line, they’ll be able to read why you’re reaching out to them in the preview in their inbox. That makes your email stand out, and it saves the recipient time - which makes them more likely to respond.

4. As promised {{firstName}}, here’s…

This greeting is a to-the-point example for when you’re following up after having already spoken with your prospect.

It’s direct, referencing a conversation you’ve already shared, and immediately communicates the value of this email: a deliverable that the prospect has been waiting for.

5. Following up on our meeting, {{firstName}},

Another follow-up greeting, this one is appropriate if you haven’t already agreed to send something after the meeting.

It keeps the conversation going and encourages your prospect to reply by reminding them that you’ve already met in person.

We recommend you include a recap of what you and the prospect spoke about, then give them clear and simple next steps to move them down the funnel.

6. {{firstName}}, can you please update me on…

If you have already met this person and they have agreed to follow up with you, this is a good greeting to use to check in on their progress.

You keep it polite with the “please” but show right away what your expectations are with the message: to be kept up to date on what the two of you have already discussed.  

If you want it to sound less severe, you can add a “hi” or “hello” before {{firstName}}.

7. {{firstName}}, it was great to have you at…

Here is a greeting for prospects who have attended a talk, webinar, or other event that you’ve hosted.

It’s a good idea to send emails with this kind of greeting to everybody who came to your event, to keep them engaged.

This communicates your appreciation (”great to have you”) and makes it feel personal by using their first name.

Use the rest of the email to provide them with additional helpful info that relates to the event they attended, or to make a pitch that connects to the same topic.

8. Following up on my last email {{firstName}},

A classic follow-up greeting, this is a good one to use for slightly more formal prospects who haven’t responded to the first email.

If you’re unsure of the best tone of voice to use with this person, this greeting is nice and neutral.

By the way, there is nothing wrong with sending a follow-up if the recipient doesn’t immediately reply - in fact, it increases your chances they'll get back to you.

9. Thanks for getting back to me / Thanks for the update {{firstName}},

Here’s a greeting to use for prospects that have replied, to give them some appreciation for having taken the time to get back to you.

Especially if your first email was a cold email, meaning the recipient had no other connection with you, this kind of greeting is great for moving the conversation along and building a relationship.

10. Great to hear from you {{firstName}},

One last follow-up greeting.

This one helps the prospect feel appreciated and interested in continuing the conversation. It sounds a bit like you’re responding to an old friend and opens up the exchange for a casual dialogue.

Now that you’ve got 10 email greetings to choose from, let’s move on to 15 opening lines that will hook prospects and inspire them to act.

11. “Hope you had a lovely week - my name is [name], and I work at [company].”

As we mentioned in the data above, small-talk opening lines like this are among the least successful types of openers.

However, this example is a classic, meaning more formal prospects will likely prefer it.

If you target this kind of opening line to the right prospect and tailor the rest of your email to clearly communicate the benefit you can offer, it can still convert.

Here’s an example of a successful email with this opening line:

In fact, Anna’s gallery-specific email template got an 88% open rate with this intro line.

12. “How about I [create a positive business impact] for you, for free?”

The data shows that opening lines that immediately deliver value get the highest reply rates. An opening line like this one does just that, with an offer that’s tough to decline.

Here’s an example of an email with this opening line. Notice how Romain connects the opener with a concrete pain point that is relevant to the prospect.

This prospecting cold email got an 83% open rate.

13. “Decided to send you and {{teammate}} my feedback on {{companyName}}.”

Another opening line that immediately delivers value, this option requires you to do a bit of research.

You’ll need to follow the opener with real, concrete feedback on the company. It should tie into the offer you have for them and position you as an expert on the subject.

Plus, if you’ve been following this person on social media and have seen them share a specific pain point, you can make this even more personalized by offering them feedback on that specific issue.

Here’s an example of a successful email that used this opening line:

This cold email selling to e-commerce clients got an 80% open rate.

14. “While chatting with {{mutualConnection}}, they told me I HAVE to [talk to you / bring you on as a guest / reach out, etc.]”

Bringing up a mutual connection in your opening line creates an immediate link between you and the person receiving your email.

Here’s an example of this opening line successfully bringing in a heavy-hitting podcast guest:

While interviewing Morgan Ingram, he told me I absolutely have to get in touch with you and bring you as one of my next guests.

Plus, I just finished watching your recent video on prospecting in the time of a global pandemic, and it just adds to all of that.

With this kind of opening line, it is easy to transition into a conversation.

The prospect sees it as an implicit recommendation from the mutual connection, which lends you extra credibility.

15. “What if {{ceoFirstName}} heard you’d [created positive business result] by 50%?”

For a powerful opening line that allows your prospect to imagine a clear business result, give this one a try.

It delivers value right off the bat, with an exciting metric that the prospect could attain if they respond to your email. Mentioning a team member, manager, or CEO of the company they work for makes it even more personalized.

Here’s an example:

You’ll just want to back up this claim by putting a social proof right after the intro. Don’t pull numbers out of thin air - connect it with a real win you’ve had in this area.

16. “Just stumbled on your LinkedIn profile and noticed something unique about you!”

Here’s an option for a different category of opening lines: focusing on the prospect.

LinkedIn is a powerful place to do that, as everyone includes their career info, former projects, and in some cases, posts about professional difficulties and wins.

That's a good opportunity to find common ground or highlight a moment from their past experience.

For example, if you notice a change in their job title, you can use this intro line to say something like:

Just stumbled upon your profile on LinkedIn, and noticed something very unique about you.

From CTO to Director of Business Development is a pretty rare occurrence. :) It made me really curious!

Showing your interest flatters the prospect and shows that you understand the position they’re in.

You create a connection, which you can then transition into the message or business offering that you want to send.

17.“I love [common interest], and I’m [activity related to common interest + business pitch]”

You might consider this opening line to be too close to the small-talk category to be successful.

But if you really personalize it to the recipient’s interests and connect it with your pitch, you’re inviting them to respond.

Here’s an example:

This email came from a coffee-addicted marketer who was looking to do some marketing work for a local coffee shop. Starting off this way showed that they have a personal interest in the shop and fit the narrative of the business pitch.

Thanks to this tailored opening line, this email got an 81% open rate.

18. “I saw [recent social media interaction] and thought we should connect.”

Another opening line that focuses on the prospect, this option is a good opportunity if a prospect has interacted with one of your posts on social media.

It proves that the reader is already interested in your work, and that you have an established connection.

After this line, it helps to build your credibility further by offering even more in-depth information on the subject that the prospect interacted with.

Here’s an example:

When Daria used this opening line in her campaign, she got an 85% reply rate.

19. “[funding amount or milestone] - well, you did it!”

If you’re targeting prospects that have hit certain milestones or are making big changes (e.g. funding rounds, hiring, IPOs, acquisitions, etc.), use this opening line to congratulate them.

Once you’ve done that, connect their milestone to your pitch to drive interest.

Here’s an example of a campaign that paired this opening line with a humorous personalized image to grab the prospect’s attention:

20. “Just saw that you recently became [name of promoted role] at {{companyName}}!”

In addition to a company's milestone, you can also use the opening line to celebrate someone's promotion.

This creates an even more personal connection between you and the reader, as it shows you’re not only following the company news, but also their progress as an individual.

Here’s how a member of our team used this kind of opening line to connect with a prospect:

Just saw that you recently became Director of Business Operations at {{companyName}}.

It must be exciting to lead a team for a project with such a cutting-edge approach to customer relationships management!

21. “[news in prospect’s industry] - I would love to hear your take on this.”

Again, this kind of opening line could fall into the small-talk category, but if you target it well, it will stand out to your prospects.

Use industry news to position yourself as an expert in a domain that matters to the recipient, and to build credibility for yourself. Make sure that it’s truly relevant to your prospect’s work and to your pitch for the best chances of them booking a meeting with you.

Here’s an example of a successful email with this opening line:

This recruitment campaign scored a 71% open rate with this intro line.

22. “I noticed yesterday’s conversation about [topic] in the [mutual social media community / forum].”

Another intro line that makes good use of social media, this one calls out someone’s recent activity and connects your pitch with their needs.

For example, if you’re part of the same Facebook community or forum as the prospect, that shows that you share mutual interests. If you then reference a specific post or comment that the prospect made, you’re building the relationship.

Here’s one way you can use it:

Vuk got an 83% open rate with this email campaign.

23. “As promised, I’m sending [deliverable].”

Similar to one of the greetings above, this opening line gives an immediate benefit and follows up on an existing connection with the prospect.

When we asked our team for successful opening lines for follow-ups, this was one of the most common hooks.

Here are a few examples of how we’ve used it to continue the conversation with prospects:

As promised, I’m sending [XYZ]As we discussed on the call…

A short and sweet (or at least just short 😅) reminder about my previous email:

Thanks for the quick response!

It was great to see you at {{Event}}!

24. “Yesterday you attended my webinar about [topic].”

This follow-up opening line is best for when the prospect has already attended one of your events.

It’s direct, reminding them what they attended and what the topic was. Then you should continue with more in-depth information about the topic, a request for feedback, or another transition that connects with your pitch.

Here’s how Andrei used this opening line:

This webinar follow-up template got an 81% open rate

Also, a small tip for your attachments - don’t forget to name them! It makes a difference when you have a preview of the email.

25. “Hey there FirstName - just kidding, {{firstName}}!”

Finishing the list with a silly example - if it’s the right tone with your target audience, you can even play around with them using joking intro lines.

It helps remind the prospects that they’re more than a name on a CSV file.

Here’s how Ilya used this opening line:

Since the first line is more of a pattern interrupt than a value-add, make sure you add real information and a strong pitch to give more substance.

Ilya used this campaign and got a 55% open rate with 1000+ emails sent.

Key takeaways: how to start an email

To sum up, here’s everything to keep in mind about how to start your emails:

1. Grab attention: Your email's subject and opening line are crucial to stand out in busy inboxes. Keep your opening line concise, engaging, and focused on providing value to increase the chances of your email being opened and read.
2. Make it skimmable: Busy professionals don’t read in-depth: they skim. Write opening lines at 4-12 words to get the message across, quickly.
3. Personalize at scale: Address prospects by their first names, and use a tone that is a match for your target audience.
4. Deliver value early: Provide immediate value to the recipient in your opening line. Share insights, solutions, or valuable content that matches their needs.
5. Leverage social proof and connections: Mention mutual connections, recent interactions, or industry news to establish a connection and credibility.

THE most important factor in high-conversion email campaigns is making them personalized to every prospect. But it will take hours out of your day to manually target every single email to include your prospects’ first names, pain points, common interests, etc.

That’s why we recommend using a tool like lemlist, which allows you to personalize at scale with custom intro lines, images, dynamic landing pages, video thumbnails, and more. You simply upload your leads, fill out their information, and lemlist will personalize each email for you.

You can send your first personalized campaign right now, for free. (We won’t even ask for your card info!)