Your prospects' and colleagues' email inboxes are inundated with ordinary subject lines all day, every day.

"Hope you're doing well," "Just checking in," and "Wanted to follow up" fill their screens faster than Gary Vee drops the F-bomb.

Thirty-five percent of email recipients report opening emails based on the subject line alone. And headline experts at CoSchedule recommend hitting on people's curiosity to get that magic click.

So how do you pique a prospect's interest? Humor. When using funny email subject lines, it's important to know your audience. If you're following up with a CEO after a conference, you probably don't want to lead with a humorous subject line.

However, if a prospect you've been speaking with for a few weeks suddenly goes dark, these witty subject lines can restart the conversation.

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Funny Email Subject Lines

  1. "Need a day at the beach?"
  2. "Since we can't all win the lottery …"
  3. "3 bizarre steps to being better at your job"
  4. "Pairs nicely with spreadsheets"
  5. "Revised policy regarding jean shorts at work"
  6. "HBO GO Password?"
  7. "Don't invite Steve to that meeting. He'll dress like a ghost."
  8. "Dad jokes. I've got 'em."
  9. "You can't buy this on Amazon …"
  10. "You have this in common with Steve Jobs"
  11. "Swipe right on us."
  12. "I like you better than my nephew right now."
  13. "What's your Uber rating?"
  14. "How to organize your VHS collection"
  15. "Mom's gonna love this"
  16. "C'mon, it's Friday and you're killing time anyway ..."
  17. "Is Twilight the best movie ever made?"
  18. "Coffee's for closers"
  19. "Confession: I watched Harry Potter 1-4 this weekend"
  20. "If they made a movie about your life ..."
  21. "The most important meal of the day"
  22. "I'm just a girl/boy ..."
  23. "Is it too late now to say sorry?"

Funny Email Subject Lines for Prospects

1. "Need a day at the beach?"

If your prospect says they're going to be busy planning for this quarter's board meeting over the next few weeks, you want to give them space.

When it's time to reconnect, however, it might be necessary to get back on their radar with something special.

Use this Travelocity-inspired "Need a day at the beach?" subject line, and open with, "I know you've had a lot on your plate recently. I wish I could send you somewhere with umbrella drinks and beach chairs, but all I can do is offer you this [product/service] …"

Close by telling them how your company can free up the time they need to take a real vacation -- or at least an afternoon off.

2. "Since we can't all win the lottery …"

Want an attention-grabbing subject line? This Uber original is it. Follow up with a sentence or two saying, "You may not strike it rich overnight, but you can become more efficient at your job with our [product/service] -- which is kind of like winning $5 from a scratcher!"

It's quick, funny, and shows you don't take yourself too seriously.

3. "3 bizarre steps to being better at your job"

Have fun with the steps inside your email. For example: "Step 1: Buy two venti double-shot espressos over ice, give one to a coworker, and watch the synergy unfold. 2: Bring donuts to the office on a Monday and become everyone's employee of the month. 3: Ask me for a demo of [product/service] and save your company so much time they'll be begging to give you a promotion."

Customize step three for any call to action that fits your email's goal. Swap out "Ask me for a demo" for "Ask me to send over the contract" or "Let's schedule that follow-up call." It's a versatile and friendly way to give your prospect a nudge to the next step.

4. "Pairs nicely with spreadsheets"

This might not be relevant to every industry, but if you're dealing with B2B prospects, this Warby Parker subject line is a home run.

Follow it with how your product/service will increase company efficiency, team morale, or revenue, making it a breeze to present spreadsheets full of positive numbers at their next big meeting.

5. "Revised policy regarding jean shorts at work"

You're either really a fan of this clothing policy or you're really not. Either way, this Funny or Die subject line should elicit a second look and a laugh.

Include a sentence in the body of your email saying, "OK, maybe this is a bad idea, but doesn't it make a 15-minute demo with me suddenly sound more appealing?"

6. "HBO GO Password?"

Whether you've sent this email to a dozen friends five minutes before a new Game of Thrones episode or are the unfortunate friend who has HBO GO -- you know this email.

When a prospect sees this coming from you (another Funny or Die-inspired gem), they'll be curious. Make sure to elicit a laugh by including, "Just kidding, I use my college roommate's distant acquaintance's second nephew twice removed's HBO GO account. But while I've got you here, I'd love to follow up on where we stand with the contract."

7. "Don't invite Steve to that meeting. He'll dress like a ghost."

How do you not open this email -- our last from Funny or Die? Follow up with, "On second thought, you should definitely invite Steve to that meeting. Speaking of meetings, I'd love to get that demo we've been talking about scheduled. I promise not to dress like a ghost."

8. "Dad jokes. I've got 'em."

Everyone loves a good dad joke, so you'd better deliver. Give the people what they want with, "Why do chicken coops only have two doors? Because if they had four, they would be chicken sedans!"

Include your call to action at the end, and promise not to tell any more jokes if they sign the contract by end of week.

9. "You can't buy this on Amazon …"

They probably can't buy your product/service on Amazon. Isn't that amazing? You can promise them they'll enjoy free same-day shipping on the contract if they're ready to sign.

10. "You have this in common with Steve Jobs"

This is another subject line that's great at sparking reader curiosity. Open your email with something like, "You're both great at spotting the next big thing. Ready to make it a reality? I'd love to give you a presentation this week."

11. "Swipe right on us."

Waiting on your prospect to make the final decision between you and your competitor? Send them this email. If you really want to go the extra mile. Put together a faux dating profile for your product/service listing all of its attributes for them one more time.

12. "I like you better than my nephew right now."

Prospect go dark? I bet they'll still open this email. Grab their attention by saying, "It's been a while since we spoke, but I still like you better than my nephew, Theo. Want to reconnect this week?"

13. "What's your Uber rating?"

Have you checked yours lately? Chances are, your prospect hasn't. Attract their interest with this click-worthy subject line and make your first sentence something like, "If we were your driver, you'd be a 5! Unfortunately, we can't do anything about that one friend you ordered an Uber for who threw up in the back seat. But we can do something about your data storage problem …"

14. "How to organize your VHS collection"

Trust me, you're not the only person who waxes nostalgic for Blockbuster on Friday nights.

Once your prospect has eagerly opened this Blu Dot-inspired email, drop a line that says, "Before you start alphabetizing your box sets, set up a 10-minute call with me so I can tell you how organized our [product/service] can make you." Bonus points for linking to this lifesaving product.

15. "Mom's gonna love this"

Everyone wants to make their mom happy. This subject line, originally from Brit + Co, taps into that habit. Include a sentence telling them, "Your mom will love how much easier [product/service] will make your life. And my mom will appreciate me paying her back with the commission I get from this deal."

16. "C'mon, it's Friday and you're killing time anyway"

Try an uncommon approach and message your silent prospect on a Friday afternoon. It's lighthearted, friendly, and probably true. Even if they see this subject line in their inbox on Monday morning, it will stick out and still bring a smile to their face.

17. "Is Twilight the best movie ever made?"

Were we ever this young? Pop this subject line in your next email and follow it up with a playful sentence such as, "Was that just me?" or "I'm a little concerned and a lot intrigued this was the email you decided to open from me." Include your ask quickly below, and don't say R-Patz never gave you anything.

18. "Coffee's for closers"

Use this iconic "Glengarry Glen Ross" line in your subject and make the first sentence of your email read, "... and I'm thirsty." It's a good-natured way of reminding prospects you're interested in their business.

As with all things in sales, use good judgement when sending these funny email subject lines. Once you've made sure they're in line with your company values and branding, you can really let your creativity loose.

Funny Email Subject Lines for Colleagues

19. "Confession: I watched Harry Potters 1-4 this weekend"

Confession: I've borrowed a few of these subject lines from Dharmesh Shah, HubSpot's co-founder and CTO, whose many talents include a knack for penning perfectly clickable email subject lines.

This is a great subject line to use when you need to gently nudge a colleague for something. Whether they owe you an email reply or feedback on a document, you can phrase your body copy like:

"Even after watching 12 straight hours of magical children, I still drafted the deck for our presentation on Thursday. Would you mind taking a look at it and giving me your notes?"

20. "If they made a movie about your life ..."

Use this email line when you need to compel your colleague to do something, like fill out a survey, or attend a meeting.

Phrase your email to follow up to your subject line. "If they made a movie about your life ... it would include you saving the world, and filling out this survey." It can be silly (and flattering) to pique their interest, and get them to complete the desired action.

21. "The most important meal of the day"

Need feedback on a slide deck or a blog post? Here at HubSpot, we believe that breakfast is the feedback of champions -- and it's also the most important meal of the day. So if you need to cleverly ask a colleague for their opinion, shoot them an email with this subject line, followed up with, "Feedback is the breakfast of champions. So would you mind taking a look at this and giving me your thoughts?"

22. "I'm just a girl/boy ..."

This subject line is a callback to the classic romance flick, Notting Hill, wherein Julia Roberts' character says, "I'm also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her." So, your task for this email is to rephrase that iconic line in the format of what you're asking your colleague for.

Use the subject line to introduce yourself, and then follow up in the body copy with "... asking you to submit your September expense reports," or whatever task you need the colleague to get done.

23. "Is it too late now to say sorry?"

You might recognize this line by humming the melody to its song in your head. "Sorry," by Canadian crooner Justin Bieber, is a song about wanting to reach out to an ex, but worrying too much time has gone by to apologize for past mistakes.

Hopefully, you haven't encountered similar blunders at work, but if you ever want to catch up with a colleague after a long period of time without connecting, use this subject line, and follow it up with something along the lines of "Sorry we haven't kept in touch!" You'll reopen the lines of communication in a funny, memorable way.

To learn more, read our list of the best sales movies next.

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Originally published Oct 12, 2018 3:48:00 PM, updated October 30 2019