80 of the Best Winback Email Subject Lines We’ve Seen

Winback email campaigns are one of the most powerful and important automations you can set up. Ensuring you have fantastic Winback Email Subject Lines is your first consideration.

When done correctly, they send to inactive customers just as they lose interest in your store and entice them to come back and make another purchase. 

But for this to happen, your disengaged customers need to have opened your email in the first place. That’s why getting your win-back email subject lines right is so important. 

Especially when a third of your email list decides whether to open emails entirely on their subject lines.

So that’s why we’ve put together this list of 80 of the best win-back/’we miss you’ email subject lines we’ve seen well-established brands use in their email marketing. 

Feel free to steal some inspiration from any you like! 

General ‘we miss you’ email subject lines

These are general, all-purpose win-back subject lines that lend themselves well for any kind of store. The most common strategy among these being to include ‘we miss you’ as the key message.

• We Miss You (And You’re Missing Out) – Ann Taylor
• We Miss You Already – Birchbox
• Come back to beef up dinner! – Blue Apron
• You’ve missed over 30 different snacks! – Bokksu
• Reminder: Pick your book for September – Book of the Month
• Let’s reconnect! – CBS
• Because we miss you – Chanel
• Ends Tomorrow: Earn your initiation back. – Equinox
• We’ll be here when you’re hungry – Home Chef
• The word is out. We miss you (a lot). – Jane
• Checking in… – Le Tote
• Let’s start over – Le Tote
• We Miss You! Come Back And Try LingQ Again – LingQ
• We TOTALLY need to catch up – LOFT
• We miss you! Enjoy this exclusive offer just for you! – Loot Crate
• We miss you…*puppy eyes* – Lucky Vitamin
• It’s been a while… – MistoBox
• Try Netflix again today. – Netflix
• Don’t leave this message on the printer – Office Depot
• We miss you – ThirdLove
• Long time no see! Here’s a discount b/c we miss you. – TOMS
• Because we miss you + you’ve GOT to see what’s new – West Elm

Win-back subject lines with emojis

To help your subject lines stand out a bit more in customers’ overcrowded inboxes, it’s worth considering including an emoji. 

When done well, these emojis draw attention and have been shown to increase open rates. 

If you decide to include emojis, just be sure to keep the best practices for using emojis in subject lines in mind.

• Because breaking up is hard to do…? – Dinnerly
• We miss you, here’s our best offer to show it (?oh sheet!) – Dream Cloud Sleep
• 2 Free Pints! Because We Miss You ❤️ – eCreamery Ice Cream
• Say bye to $15 credit ? – FabFitFun
• ? Come Back & Enjoy 6 FREE Plates! – Goodfood Market
• Rejoin TODAY! ? Get The Power Chewer Picnic Box! – Bullymake
• Take a bite of 50% OFF to come back and feel amazing ? – HelloFresh
• Let’s rekindle the friendship ? – Papyrus
• ? We miss you – Subway
• ? Boo… We Miss You! – Wholesale Halloween Costumes
• {NAME}, you don’t want to miss out on these bottles ? – Winc
• Hey, we miss you! Like, a lot! So, here is a ? gift, just for you! – Zivame

Subject lines mentioning a special offer

Another strategy to both increase your open rates as well as your win-back campaign performance is to include a special offer. 

If you decide to include a special offer to incentivize customer retention, you’ll also want to mention it in your subject line. Just like the examples below have done.

• Hey, Here’s a Gift Because We Miss You! – Adorama
• Get Your Special Offer Inside! – All About Dance
• We Miss You – Open for Exclusive Offer – Allen Edmonds
• A coupon for you: 15% off one full-price item – Backcountry
• We miss you. Here’s 15% off, today only. – Baron Fig
• We Miss You | Here’s 15% OFF Friend – Brylane Home
• Come back and get 15% off. 4 days only. – Crate and Barrel
• Come back and save 20%! – Edible Arrangements
• Exclusive 25% Off Sitewide – Because we miss you! – Fairytale Brownies
• Take 40% Off Your Entire Order – We Miss You – GiftsForYouNow
• Here’s a $10 Perk because we miss you! – GrubHub
• We miss you! Here is 20% off your next order on Us! – Guinness
• We Miss You! 30% Off + Free Shipping. – Levenger
• We miss you… & here’s 20% off to prove it! – ModCloth
• Come back and get 10% off your next order. – Moosejaw
• A lot has changed! NEW Special Offer Inside. – MunchPak
• Free postage because we miss you! – Nomads Clothing
• Psst… $10 off your next order is waiting! – Primary
• Here’s 20% Off Just for You! – Scholastic

Personalized subject lines mentioning the customer’s name

Another common strategy brands use with their customer win-back subject lines is to include their customer’s name. 

Doing this personalizes your subject lines which not only makes them stand out in customers’ inboxes but has been shown to increase open rates by 17%.

• We know it’s been a while, {NAME}. Come back now for 25% off. – Baxter Of California
• WE MISS YOU, {NAME} > $15 Off Your Next Order – Chewy
• {NAME}–We miss you. Here’s something you might like.  – Death Wish Coffee Company
• Hey {NAME}! Our new menu is PERFECT for you! – Dinnerly
• Let’s stay together, {NAME}  – Dinnerly
• {NAME}, give us another chance. We’ll give you 2 weeks free! – Hulu
• {NAME}, we miss you! Take $25 off (in stores and online) – LOFT
• Hey {NAME}, it’s M&M’S. We miss you. Take 30% off now! – m&m’s
• {NAME}, we miss you! – Marley Spoon
• We’ve missed you, {NAME}! Please come back! – Marriott International
• We Miss You {NAME} – Take 20% Off Your Entire Purchase! – Midwest Supplies
• {NAME}, now is the perfect time to rejoin Netflix. – Netflix
• Happy Saturday, {NAME}! Time to come back to Netflix… – Netflix
• {NAME}, We Miss You – See Inside for Special Offer – Off Broadway Shoes
• {NAME}… Come back and SAVE 25%! – Popcornopolis
• {NAME}…we miss you! Take 10% off now – Shopbop
• {NAME}, we miss you! Here are special savings just for you. – Udacity

Subject lines phrased as a question

Asking a question is a great way to pique your subscriber’s curiosity and entice them to open your email. If you follow it up with some engaging email content, it’ll also help with improving your click-through rates.

These are some win-back email subject lines we’ve come across that contain questions.

• Do you still have too many blades? – Dollar Shave Club
• Have you been seeing someone else? – Dollar Shave Club
• Ready to get back together? – Dollar Shave Club
• Have you checked your mailbox? ? – HelloFresh
• Was It Something We Said? ? – Hunting for George
• Wanna have a catch? We miss you. – JustBallGloves
• Continue? 3… 2… 1… – Loot Crate
• Missing your coffee choices? – MistoBox
• Are you in? – SprezzaBox
• We Miss You—Have You Seen What’s New? – Theory

The rest of your win-back campaign

Now that you have plenty of subject line examples for win-back emails to get inspired by, it’s time to start coming up with your own. 

If you want to learn more about subject line best practices and ways to make them stand out in your subscribers’ inboxes even more, check out our guide on writing the best subject lines.

But keep in mind that your subject line is only a small part of your overall email campaign strategy. To get the best results you’ll want to keep win-back email best practices in mind. 

That’s why we’ve put together a guide on win-back emails that takes you through win-back email marketing strategy and provides you with plenty of examples of past campaigns.