In a recent LinkedIn post, Ashleigh Early discusses common pitfalls to avoid in cold email subject lines, offering practical advice for sales professionals aiming to improve their outreach effectiveness. Early emphasizes that certain tactics, while perhaps once effective, now risk sending emails directly to spam or alienating potential recipients.
According to Early, subject lines should steer clear of sensitive or manipulative content. She highlights several categories of problematic subject lines that can undermine trust and deliverability.
“Anything politics.”
Early argues that political statements have no place in cold prospecting, as the goal is to capture attention, not to provoke or alienate. She further cautions against using any form of threatening language, even implied.
“It’s creepy. (2) It’s cold outbound. Nothing we do genuinely deserves a threat.”
This sentiment underscores the importance of maintaining a respectful and non-coercive tone in initial outreach. Early points out that even if a sender believes the recipient needs to be aware of a product or service due to potential risks, the subject line is not the appropriate place to convey this urgency.
The Pitfalls of Spam Words and Fake Urgency
Ashleigh Early also identifies overused ‘BS spam words’ as a significant issue. While common in everyday business communication, words like “Free,” “Miss out,” “Checking in,” “Quick question,” and “Intro” are flagged by email filters when used by sales representatives.
“We all use these words all the time….but filters know sales people use them more. So unknown email AND in the subject? Straight to spam,” Early writes. This advice suggests that opting for more original and less conventional phrasing in subject lines can help bypass spam filters.
Furthermore, Early criticizes the use of fake “Re:” prefixes, which imply a prior email exchange that never occurred. She states:
“Implying you already sent them an email but you didn’t? Not the best way to build trust. In my experience, it just pisses people off. So…stop it.”
This practice, according to Early, erodes trust from the outset and is counterproductive to building a positive relationship with a prospect.
The Decline of All-Lowercase Subject Lines
The post also addresses the trend of using all-lowercase subject lines. While this tactic may have once been effective for appearing more casual or relatable, Ashleigh Early notes its diminishing returns.
“Yes those used to work really well. Now most prospects are wise to our game…and spam filters are getting wise too,” she observes, adding that this has been a growing trend across her clients over the past year. Early recommends using sentence case instead, where only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized.
Humor and Subject Lines
Finally, Early advises caution with subject lines that are only “half of a joke,” often involving a question in the subject line with the punchline in the email body. She explains that the way emails render across different platforms can be inconsistent, making it difficult to ensure the humor lands as intended.
“Mostly because it’s really hard to confirm how the email will show up across all platforms. So 95% chance it won’t play the way you want…which means the joke won’t land.”
Early’s insights provide a clear roadmap for sales professionals looking to refine their cold email strategies by avoiding common mistakes and adopting more effective, trust-building subject line practices.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Ashleigh Early on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on February 24, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →