This step-by-step guide will study a cold email for an internship, as well as consult with an expert recruiter to uncover the most effective subject line tips. By the end of the article, you will know how to approach internship cold emailing and increase your response rate.
Internship possibilities decreased by 30.6% in 2024 compared to 2023. It is like a utopian world where an email for an internship has one chance to stand out with nothing but a subject line. So, how do you win recruiters over in such competitive conditions?
About cold emails for internships
A cold email for an internship is a message you send to the hiring team without establishing any prior connections or having a dialogue. Compared with the standard application process that goes through public channels, cold emailing targets applications that have yet to be published.
A proper initial cold email with a strong subject line can get you a positive response by showing initiative, genuine interest, and relevant qualifications before your competitors even see the posting.
Features of a compelling subject line
Around 64% of recipients, including recruiters, decide whether to open an email based on the subject line alone. A vague subject can cost an internship candidate their first job opportunity. So, what is the difference between generic subject lines and good ones?
Your internship email subject line should be relevant, easy to read, and aligned with the company’s style. Creativity is encouraged, but it must always be balanced with a professional manner.
Valeriia Samoilova,
While the informal tone is becoming popular, you should consider the industry and company type when writing cold emails. What makes your offer stand out in one case may negatively affect your chances in another.
A casual tone is perfect if you are applying for design, marketing, or startup positions. It demonstrates your creativity and adaptability. However, in finance, law, and medicine, it is best to stick to a formal or neutral-official tone.
Valeriia Samoilova,
Before you implement all the recent trends in your cold email subject lines, study your potential employer and the niche. This way, even without hands-on experience, you strengthen the initial message but align it with the company culture.
Approaches to cold emailing for an internship
My best tip is to research the company and its values to customize your subject line. Study an existing or past internship opportunity to analyze the focus and writing style.
Valeriia Samoilova,
Since industries heavily affect how you write an email and a catchy subject line, we will review both variants: formal and informal.
Formal internship subject line tips
If you are applying to a conservative company or the industry requires a restrained tone of voice, use the subject line tips below as guidance:
- follow requirements: If any previous internship position specifies a subject line format (e.g., "Intern_YourName_PositionName"), stick to the rules to ensure relevant filters see you;
- check spelling and grammar: Even a single error can create a negative impression in the business world. Double-check for typos;
- research and adapt: Study the company’s style and values, and tailor your subject line to highlight personal interest.
Informal internship subject line tips
Creative industries call for unconventional approaches, so below, we will study how to cold email if you apply for a role in marketing, design, or a startup:
- humor: It can add a human touch to your cold email template. However, you still need to maintain professionalism and avoid being extra;
- inspiration or quotes: A few inspirational quotes in your subject line can create a positive impression;
- emotional appeal: You may stand out by adding an emotion to your line to draw more attention;
- intriguing questions: A question in your subject encourages the recruiter to open the email.
These approaches are better suited for creative internship positions, but according to our expert, you may still use the standard tips.
How to cold email recruiters for an internship
The cold emailing process can be intimidating, especially if you target large companies. However, it is still an effective way to withstand the competition in the professional world.
Let us explore the step-by-step process of writing a successful cold email to help you pass the hiring process.
Define your tone of voice
The tone of voice of your subject is critical to making a good impression on the hiring manager. So, what can influence tone choice besides the industry?
In countries such as the United States or the Netherlands, an informal tone of voice is better received than countries with stricter corporate traditions, such as Germany or Japan.
Valeriia Samoilova,
Since remote internships and roles are still popular, students should consider the country's rules, as industry peculiarities may vary. Study the LinkedIn profile of the company and check how communication goes.
Choose a proper length
Avoid telling your whole life story to prove that you are the right person for the role, and focus on keywords linked to the internship opportunity instead.
The key to a good subject line is to keep it informative but short so that it can be displayed even on mobile devices. Use 5-7 words, and do not add vague phrases such as “Candidate resume" or "Summer internships.”
Valeriia Samoilova,
You have a good chance to stand out during high-volume hiring seasons and increased recruiters’ workloads. You may include the internship program you are interested in, your role, and your hard skills.
Avoid slang words
An informal company style does not mean that using slang is a good idea, although it can add a touch of lightness at first glance. However, overly informal phrases should be avoided to maintain your professional touch.
Let’s compare a few internship subjects:
- variant A: Recruiters often implement relevant filters to find potential candidates for their internship program. Using slang instead of keywords could harm your chances and lose the email among the competition;
- variant B: This internship example line is shorter and includes a relevant skill, position, and department. It is easy to scan and detect.
While the first variant is longer, it is less informative and less optimized for the inbox filters. Regardless of the tone of voice you use in your subject, include only relevant information.
Add the company name and skills
There is no need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to personalization, as it appears that static variables still work.
Mentioning the company name in your subject still works. It plays on a reflex — when recruiters see their company’s name, they are more likely to open the email.
Valeriia Samoilova,
Include the position name and a relevant skill or achievement to show that you are a good match. If you want more customization, try LinkedIn search operators to set up search conditions and company-related details. The professional network offers more than a person’s email address, so use it to the fullest.
Ways to optimize internship subject lines
Before you find your style, pick the best length or elements of personalization, you will need to experiment. Different capitalization, keywords, and best-fitting skills could be the starting points.
Stripo’s AI subject line generator will ensure that you never face writer’s block by suggesting different variants for your lines. Here is how you may use it:
- Visit the AI generator page.
- Enter your prompt into the text field.
- Set up the styling, capitalization, emoji use, and language options.
- Hit “Enter”.
The AI generator will suggest multiple variants in different tones and structures. All you have to do is copy the best variant.
Challenges of cold emailing for an internship
With little or no hands-on experience, it is hard to impress the hiring manager, but this is not the only concern. Let’s review the common problems people face before landing the first job.
Higher competition for internship roles
October 2024 brought 3817 internship positions compared to 5500 opportunities 12 months before. Interestingly, this problem appears common only in IT, finance, or the legal industry, as defense and engineering saw a spike in roles for an internship opportunity.
As a concerning example, a success rate of 0.8% is the reality for those who try to land their first jobs in finance.
Increased recruiter workload
Besides the difficulties for a student seeking an internship, recruiters’ workloads have also changed. A recent talent report shows that applications per hire have increased 3X since 2021.
To study this dynamic, I suggest that we review the changes in most interviewed applications per hire:
- finance: On average, recruiters interview 13.7 candidates;
- marketing: Here, the value goes up to 15.7 applications;
- legal: 10.4 candidates make it to the interview round;
- engineering: This industry has 17.5 interviewed applications per hire.
(Source: Ashby)
20 examples of internship subject lines for cold emailing
Now that you know all the tips, how about we discuss the most unconventional internship lines and see polar formal variants?
10 informal subject line examples
The first catchy line I remember was for a Java developer intern position: Java Dreams, Solid Streams — Let’s Code Together. It was quite unconventional, especially for a technical role, and it stood out among everything else.
Valeriia Samoilova,
This is an excellent example of when an informal tone works for a technical role. The key factor here is the internal company style; and in our case, it worked.
If you are a sales intern, we have a specific tip for you.
It was an application for a sales intern position, and the email subject went: A Resume Doesn’t Sell, But I Do. It definitely caught my eye and made me want to check their resume.
Valeriia Samoilova,
For those ready to risk the keywords to try and be remembered, here are more subject lines for your inspiration:
- “Full stack and fully read | Your next intern.”
- “Ready for a sales internship to master cold outreach.”
- “Design intern with pixels, patterns, and passion.”
- “SMM intern ninja. Skilled and eager to start.”
- “QA intern to make developers cry.”
- “An intern to save you from chaos.”
- “From intern to team lead, let me show how.”
- “Content intern. Let’s grow traffic together.”
- “Your Future Cybersecurity Intern.”
- “Finance Intern Who Simplifies Complex Data.”
10 formal subject line examples
Formal subject lines not only use another tone of voice but also stick to the keywords and your skills. The point is to highlight relevant information for the recruiter and the inbox filters.
Let us have a look at more formal variants:
- “Email marketing intern with HTML skills.”
- “Email design intern skilled at HTML and CSS.”
- “Finance intern with Excel modeling expertise.”
- “SEO intern | Strong copywriting skills.”
- “Accounting intern with QuickBooks expertise.”
- “Web dev intern | Proficient in React and Node.js.”
- "Looking for a web dev intern? Proficient in front-end & back-end."
- “Copywriting intern with blog writing expertise.”
- “Cybersecurity intern experienced in penetration testing.”
- “SMM intern | Deep SEO knowledge.”
Wrapping up
It is challenging to withstand high competition when looking for an internship, but the right approach can help. Your subject line for cold internship emails is the key to showing value, even if you do not have experience.
We hope this article and the tips from the recruiting team have helped you gain more confidence and that the next email you send will bring you closer to an offer. Good luck!
