34 follow up email subject lines for after networking, by situation, with the characters counted. Each puts the event or topic first, so they can place you before they open it.
A good networking follow up email subject line names where you met or what you talked about, in a few words, so they can place you before they open it. Below are 34 subject lines sorted by situation, each with its length in characters, what two large email studies found about length, and the lines to skip.
By Kai, Founder of Cardr. Updated . Every template here is our own writing, and every figure links to the study it comes from.
3–4
words: most responses
36–50
characters: best response rate
The number beside each line is its length in characters before you fill in the brackets. Your event name will add to it, which is why the short ones put it first.
Why these work. Lead with where you met. It is the first thing they need to place you.
Why these work. Name the thing. A subject that says what is inside gets opened when they want it.
Why these work. Name the topic you covered, so the email files itself next to the conversation.
Why these work. Say how long and about what. A small, specific ask is easier to accept.
Why these work. Use the show and their question. They visited many booths that day.
Why these work. Use the session. It places you faster than the conference name alone.
Why these work. Put both names in, so neither has to open it to know what it is.
Why these work. Reply in the same thread when it is the same topic, so "Re:" is true. Start a new one only with genuinely new news.
Why these work. Give the reason to write now: their news, or the date they gave you.
Both are large, both are one company’s own data, and they disagree on length. That is worth knowing before anyone tells you the perfect number.
3–4
words in the subject: most responses
Subject lines of 3 to 4 words, not counting “Re:” or “Fwd:”, received the most responses in Boomerang’s data (Boomerang, February 12, 2016). Source. How we checked it.
36–50
characters: the best subject length
Subject lines of 36 to 50 characters got the best response rate in the same 12 million outreach emails (Backlinko, with data from Pitchbox, last updated April 16, 2019). Source. How we checked it.
Boomerang’s emails were its users’ everyday mail; Backlinko’s were outreach to strangers. A note to someone you met yesterday is neither. What both support is the advice above: put the part that places you first, and keep it short enough that a phone shows it.
| Skip | Why |
|---|---|
| Following up | Says nothing about who you are or why it matters. They have to open it to find out, and many will not. |
| Checking in | The same problem, with less reason to open it. |
| Re: on a new thread | A fake reply marker reads as a trick once they notice it, and they will. |
| ALL CAPS or several "!!" | Reads as marketing to someone who met you as a person. |
| Your name alone | They met many people with names. Give them the event or the topic. |
| A full sentence of 15 words | Phones cut long subjects off, so the part that places you may never show. |
Then write the email itself. The networking follow up email templates have eight, and the follow-up message generator drafts one from what you type.
Your card, your page and every contact it brings in are free. Pro writes each follow-up from what you talked about and emails it to you at 9 a.m., ready to send.
See what Pro doesOne that names where you met or what you talked about: “Good to meet you at [event]” or “[Event]: your point about [topic]”. They met many people that day, and the subject line is your first chance to tell them which one you are.
Short enough that the event or topic shows first. The data disagrees on more than that: Boomerang found subject lines of 3 to 4 words got the most responses, and Backlinko found 36 to 50 characters did best in outreach emails. Both are on our follow-up statistics page with their samples.
Only when it is true: when you reply in the same thread about the same topic. Adding “Re:” to a new email to make it look like a reply is a trick people notice, and it costs you the trust the email is meant to build.
Their first name can help in a busy inbox, but the event or topic does more. A subject with only your name in it tells them nothing; they met many people with names.
Reply in the original thread, so the subject stays “Re: [your first subject line]” and the history travels with it. Start a new thread only when you have genuinely new news. See follow up email after no response for what to write.