Cold emailing is one of the most effective ways to generate leads and make connections in business. However, crafting an email that successfully grabs attention and encourages engagement can be challenging. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore what makes for an effective cold email and provide tips and strategies for writing emails that get responses.
What is a cold email?
A cold email is an unsolicited email sent to a prospect with whom you have no prior relationship. It is “cold” because the recipient does not know you or expect to hear from you. Cold emails are sent to initiate contact, introduce yourself and your business, and encourage the prospect to learn more or take an action, like scheduling a call or viewing your products/services. The goal is to break through the noise of an overcrowded inbox and compel the recipient to engage further.
Cold emails are an essential component of sales and marketing outreach. They enable you to directly contact prospects who may be a good fit for your offerings but you lack a warm introduction to. Used strategically as part of a layered outreach campaign, cold emailing can generate significant leads and new business opportunities at a relatively low cost.
Why are cold emails effective?
There are several key reasons why cold email outreach can be highly effective when executed correctly:
- Direct access to your target prospects – You can research and identify exactly who you want to contact without needing referrals or warm introductions first.
- Scalability – Email outreach can be easily scaled to reach a large volume of prospects in a short timeframe.
- Cost effective – The only major costs are researcher time and email tools/services. No expensive travel, events, etc. needed.
- Trackable results – You can closely monitor open rates, clicks, and replies to optimize and improve emails over time.
- Flexibility – Follow up and continued outreach is straightforward compared to other sales channels.
- Personalization – Email provides space for custom, targeted messaging to each prospect.
The direct, personalized nature of cold email combined with its scalability and flexibility make it a go-to tactic for companies and sales professionals looking to connect with qualified prospects and grow the sales pipeline.
What makes a good cold email?
There are several important ingredients that combine to create an effective cold email:
Concise, compelling subject line
Since the subject line is the very first thing prospects see, it must immediately grab their attention in a crowded inbox. Compelling subject lines are:
- Short and scannable (under 50 characters)
- Relevant to the prospect’s interests and company
- Create curiosity to open – ask a thoughtful question or highlight a benefit
- Avoid spam trigger words
Personalized intro
The opening of your email needs to demonstrate you know who they are. Use key details like the prospect’s name, company, role, experience, challenges, interests, etc. This level of personalization establishes credibility and shows you did your research.
Relevance to the prospect
It should be immediately clear that this email and offer is highly relevant to this specific prospect. Include details on pain points you can solve for them or objectives you can help accomplish. Focus the message on their potential challenges, goals, and needs instead of just promoting yourself.
Strong value proposition
Highlight the core value you provide and how you can positively impact the prospect’s work and company. For example, enabling them to:
- Save money
- Save time
- Increase sales
- Improve customer satisfaction
- Access better data and insights
Logical flow and scannability
Use clear section headings, bulleted lists, and bold text to make the email easy to quickly scan. Follow a logical progression – summarize the value proposition upfront before providing more details and proof points further down.
Sincere, helpful tone
The language should be conversational but professional. Avoid aggressive salesy language. Prospects want to know you genuinely want to help them, not just make a sale.
Compelling call-to-action
Every cold email needs a specific CTA or “ask” of the recipient, like scheduling a call, visiting your website, requesting a demo, etc. Make it easy for them to take the action you want.
Relevant attachments or links
Include assets and links to back up your message, like case studies, product sheets, demo videos, etc. But only attach highly relevant materials to avoid overwhelming prospects.
Contact information and signature
Close the email by including multiple contact options – phone, email, LinkedIn profile. Add a professional signature with your name, title, company, and logo.
Cold email templates and formulas
Templates and formulas can help structure your cold emails for maximum effectiveness. Here are two recommended options:
Problem-Agitate-Solve template
This template first establishes the prospect’s problem, magnifies the pain points, then positions your solution:
- Problem – Identify prospect’s challenge
- Agitate – Show negative impacts of not solving problem
- Solve – Introduce your product/service as the ideal solution
- CTA – Call-to-action to learn more
Before – After – Bridge formula
This formula contrasts the current and future state, with your company bridging the gap:
- Before – Describe prospect’s status quo struggles
- After – Share the positive future state your solution enables
- Bridge – Position your company/offering as empowering the transition from Before to After
- CTA – Invite prospect to learn more
Tools and services for cold email
Here are some of the top tools and services to streamline and enhance your cold email outreach efforts:
Tool | Key Features |
---|---|
Mailshake | Email automation, tracking, analytics |
Hunter | Email finder, verification, analytics |
Reply | Email sequencing, templates, analytics |
Woodpecker | Email automation, Cold email templates |
Mixmax | Email templates, analytics, Gmail integration |
Lemlist | AI-powered automation, lead management |
Key cold email strategies and best practices
Follow these proven strategies and best practices to achieve the highest response rates from your cold email campaigns:
Personalize every message
No two prospects are exactly alike, so each email should be tailored with specific details and relevant points for that recipient. Avoid copy/pasting generic messages.
Focus on value, not your brand
Put the spotlight on how you can add value for prospects, not just promoting your own company or offerings. Discuss concrete ways you can help them meet objectives.
Offer something for free
Consider including a free sample, trial, consultation, guide, template, or other no-risk asset the prospect can access to lower barriers.
Keep emails concise
Get to the core message quickly. Prospects tend to scan more than read. Five concise paragraphs is often optimal.
Follow up persistently (but not aggressively)
Be patient and follow up 4-6 times with key prospects at regular intervals if you don’t get an initial response. But avoid bombarding people.
Test and refine your approach
Try different subjects, structures, offers etc. and see what resonates best with your targets. Cold emailing is an art and science.
Leverage automation for scale
Use automation tools to save time assembling, sending, and tracking personalized campaigns at scale.
Integrate with your CRM and marketing
Sync your cold emails with the rest of your systems and processes to align campaigns and continue nurturing leads.
Should you avoid cold emailing?
Some sales professionals have shifted away from cold emailing in recent years for several reasons:
- Low response rates – Less than 5% open rate on average.
- Oversaturation – Many prospects receive high volumes pitches daily.
- Spam filters – Messages increasingly get blocked or go to spam folders.
- Compliance risks – Stricter anti-spam laws (i.e. CASL, GDPR).
- Negative stigma – Some view cold messages as intrusive.
While these are valid concerns, avoiding cold email altogether means missing out on significant business opportunities. The key is to approach cold emails strategically, thoughtfully, and ethically.
Here are tips to avoid common cold email pitfalls:
- Only email relevant prospects where there is a strong fit.
- Send brief, personalized value-focused emails.
- Make opting out easy.
- Use accurate subject lines.
- Follow anti-spam laws and regulations.
- Monitor and respect opt-out requests.
- Use warms leads whenever possible in addition to cold contacts.
Conclusion
When executed effectively, cold email can be a powerful channel for cost-efficient lead generation and pipeline building. The keys are carefully researching and segmenting prospects, crafting personalized value-driven messages, demonstrating credibility, and providing relevant reasons for prospects to engage.
Leverage the cold email templates, formulas, tools, and best practices outlined above to increase open rates, get more responses, and ultimately convert prospects into customers. Test different approaches to determine what works for your industry, offer, and target audience. Maintain high ethical standards while optimizing efforts over time.
With a strategic, multi-faceted outreach plan, cold email can play an important role in growing your business.