In today's highly competitive recruiting market, it's essential to make your InMails stand out in a crowded inbox. 

Crafting the perfect subject line is your best chance to do so. However, with so many options, it can be difficult to know where to start. 

Keep in mind that a big part of InMail recipients decide whether to open an InMail based on the subject line alone.

There is some common wisdom around what to do to get a response from candidates, like personalizing subject lines.

Still, there is no one-size-fits-all solution here; the best subject line depends on the type of organization, the target audience and the available candidate information.

Some subject lines have been known to have higher open rates than others.

That’s why we’ve written this guide on LinkedIn InMail subject lines.

In this blog we’ll share:

1. Tips for your InMail subject line
2. Best LinkedIn InMail subject line examples
3. How to automate the personalization of subject lines

Things to keep in mind your subject line

Writing an effective InMail subject line can be tricky, as there is a lot that can go wrong. If not crafted correctly, it could lead to the receiver not opening your InMail.

Below you find tips for writing your subject line:

1. Keep it brief and to the point

You only have a few seconds to capture the attention of your target candidate with your InMail, so make sure your subject line is concise and effective. If it's too long or vague, you risk losing the opportunity to make your pitch.

2. Personalize

Personalization has been shown to significantly increase the open rates of InMails. With personalized subject lines, InMails can expect a 50% higher open rate. Even more impressive is that including multiple personalization fields in the InMail and subject line can boost reply rates by up to 142%. To make a connection with the recipient, address them by name in the subject line and include personal details such as their current job title, location, or company name.

3. Be specific

Rather than using generic subject lines like "Just checking in" or "Quick question", it's important to be specific and make the message relevant to the candidate. For example, a subject line such as "[first name], I saw your [top 3 skills] and have this [job title] job for you” is much more likely to get opened than a generic one. By being clear and concise about what you want to achieve and why the recipient should care, you can ensure your InMail has a better chance of being opened.

4. Use numbers if relevant

Subject lines with numbers can see open rates up to 113% higher than those without. If it is relevant, use numbers to denote for instance salary, benefits, employee or employer review scores.

5. Have a clear call-to-action

Give candidates a clear idea of what you have to offer in your subject line - whether it be a job opportunity, an informational interview or insights into their industry of interest. Without a subject line that communicates the proposed value, InMails can’t be deprioritized in a full mailbox.

Best LinkedIn InMail subject lines

We have used thousands of subject line variations and looked at which ones get positive response from candidates and which ones are ignored or get a negative response. While it is important to get recipients to open your message, the subject line also plays a role in motivating them to read the entire message and actually respond.

Note: If you would like to know how to use personalizations such as [top skills] in your messages automatically, refer to the last chapter in this blog on personalization.

These are the best LinkedIn InMail subject lines for 2023:

1. job from [company name] for [first name]

This subject line is concise, direct and unambiguous. Recipients understand what is being offered before they open it. Its impact is most powerful for businesses with a solid and well-known brand.

Example: "A job opportunity from Google for Benno"

2. [first name], love your [domain] skills 

This subject line emphasizes the candidate's skills and clearly expresses the job offer. However, for it to be tailored to a particular company, some additional work (or automation) is needed, especially for domain personalization. There are plenty of tools that can help with this, or you can insert the personalizations manually.

Example: “Jane, love your developer skills and have this back-end developer role for you”

3. [Company Name] is now hiring [job title]s in [location]!

This InMail creates clarity and urgency, making it perfect for volume hiring, such as hiring delivery riders. The subject line leaves no doubt as to the purpose of the message and what you expect from the candidate, potentially prompting them to act quickly if they are interested in the position.

Example: "Getir is now hiring delivery riders in Amsterdam!"

4. We're impressed with your [top skills] [first name]

This subject line is an effective way to personalize a compliment to a prospective candidate, showing that you have done research on their skill set and background. It should be noted, however, that the compliment must be genuine, so it is not recommended to use this in bulk. This type of subject line is especially useful for targeting niche talent with very specialized skills.

Example: "We're impressed with your blockchain development skills Anna"

5. join us in [mission - short]

This company mission subject line is designed to make potential candidates enthusiastic about joining the mission. It's especially helpful for companies where the mission is an attractive asset, like those in the sustainability sector.

Example: "We want you to join us Marcus to reduce fortune 500 footprint"

6. You're invited to interview for [job position name]

This subject line has an official tone, making it suitable for use in organizations like the government, healthcare, military, or space industries, where job applications must be handled in a more formal manner.

Example: "You're invited to interview for our Head of Department"

7. [first name] and [company name] match made in heaven? 😃

This informal subject line emphasizes the team aspect of the company, making it a great choice for companies like startups and roles that are targeted to the younger generations. It can even be spiced up with the use of emojis!

Example: "The HeroHunt team is excited to meet you Luna 😃"

8. [first name], want to join best place to work [company name]?

This is a subject line that emphasizes the company’s employee experience rating. Some companies score very high on for example Glassdoor and this can be a unique selling point to candidates. Companies with high employee reviews find this particularly useful.

Example: “Emma, want to join best place to work HubSpot?”

9. We're hiring the top 1% for talent and you came up [first name]

This message is for high achievers who value working with the best of the best. Perfect for strategy consultants and other audiences with people who strive for high performance.

Example: "We're hiring the top 1% talent and you came up Maya"

10. [cultural value] people like [first name] needed to join the [company name] team!

This subject line emphasizes values and soft skills, making them the priority for potential applicants. Keeping the values in focus with this subject line encourages the right individuals to apply.

Example: "Entrepreneurial people like James needed to join the Bain team

How to automate personalized subject lines

Including personalization like [first name], [top skills] and [company name] in each message can be tedious and time consuming.

However, there are ways to ensure your subject lines are personalized without having to manually do so for each individual one. 

Here's an example of how you can use a template to automatically generate personalized InMails:

1. Sign in to HeroHunt.ai

For this example we use HeroHunt.ai to create your personalized outreach message.

Sign in here.

2. Create a new template

Create a new template in HeroHunt.ai and name it.

3. Include the subject line with personalization

Include the subject line based on on of the templates above or use your own subject line.

Include the relevant personalizations from the list on the right side.

Personalized subject line

4. Finish your message with personalized content

Then we just copy and paste a message that we know that works.

Insert the blue personalizations like [first name], [top 3 matching skills] or [current job title].

Personalized InMail content

5. Send your personalized message

Once you have saved the template, you can send personalized messages with the same subject line and content simply by opening a profile and clicking the send button. Alternatively, you can copy the message and use it in other places.

Automatically generated personalized message based on your template

For a video on how to do this, see: