What to Put in the Subject Line When You Email a College Coach

The subject line is the first thing a coach sees. Put it to work.

“Interested in your program” tells a coach nothing

It doesn’t say who the athlete is, what class, what position or why the athlete is writing. The coach has to open the email to find out.

Give coaches a reason to open the email

A coach should be able to see the athlete’s name, grad year, position and reason for writing without opening the email. Like this:

Jane Smith - 2028 6’1” S | Coastal 17 Blue | Upcoming Schedule + Film

A 6’1” setter gets a coach’s attention. (Jane and her club are fictitious, of course.)

Three things to get right

1. Always include the grad year. Coaches recruit by class.
2. List the position the athlete is targeting for college, even if that’s not where he or she plays right now.
3. Already emailed that coach? The reply goes in the same thread so the history travels with it.

End with the reason for the email

Name, grad year, position and club go in every subject line. The end is the part that changes, because it tells the coach what this email is. For a tournament, that change would be “Sunshine Classic Day 3 Schedule.” You can see that example in our free template, the Tournament Schedule Email.

In the Playbook

The Get Seen Playbook has 10+ email templates. Each one has a suggested subject line with name, grad year, position, club team and the reason for the email. Then tailor it for that program.