Cold emailing is the worst. I get it. When you’re sending out an email to someone you don’t know, there’s always that moment of panic: “What if they think I’m spam? What if they ignore this? Should I try again later or just give up now?”
In my experience, cold emails are a much more effective tool than they’re given credit for and yet, many people still dread them because they haven’t put in any effort or research into their strategy.
Doing your homework before sending an email is crucial to making sure that person opens it and reads what you have to say! So here are some tips based on all the trial-and-error work I’ve done over the years:
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Tailor Emails: Customize emails to resonate with the recipient’s needs and pain points. |
| 2. Clear Value Proposition: Clearly communicate the unique value your startup offers in the email. |
| 3. Personalization Matters: Address recipients by name and reference their industry or interests. |
| 4. Engaging Subject Lines: Craft attention-grabbing subject lines to increase email open rates. |
| 5. Call to Action: Include a specific and compelling call to action to drive desired responses. |
| 6. Follow-Up Strategy: Plan a well-paced follow-up sequence to gently remind recipients and build rapport. |
| 7. Segment Your List: Divide your email list into relevant segments for targeted messaging. |
| 8. Avoid Overloading: Keep emails concise and focused, avoiding overwhelming recipients with information. |
| 9. Provide Value: Offer insights, resources, or solutions that demonstrate your startup’s expertise. |
| 10. Test and Optimize: Continuously test different elements to refine your cold email strategy. |
Personalize Your Message But Don’t Use A Template
One of the most important things you can do, when sending an email to someone you don’t know, is to personalize it. This means that you should be talking about them and their interests, not your own.
You can also use their name in the subject line of your email and make sure that it sounds like a real person wrote it (i.e., avoid using “Hi”).
Even if you’re not sure what their full name is or how to pronounce it, try using just their first name or last name if possible it makes for a much more personal greeting than saying something like “Dear Startup Founder.”
When it comes to mastering the art of cold email outreach, there’s a lot to learn. If you’re looking to boost your response rates, our guide on A Simple Guide to Cold Emailing can provide valuable insights and help you achieve a 5x increase in your email response rate.
Don’t Ask For Too Much In One Email
Keep It Short And Sweet
If you can, try to keep your email under one page. If you need to include more content, break up the information into multiple emails or use a spreadsheet format.
This will help ensure that your message is clear and easily readable without overwhelming the reader with too much information at once.
Don’t Send Long Emails If You Don’t Have A Lot Of Time To Spend On Them
If you don’t have hours to spend crafting each email in your strategy, consider using templates as much as possible so that they aren’t too different from one another overall (e-books are great for this).
If they do differ, make sure there is enough variety so that people won’t get bored by seeing the same thing over and over again!
Crafting effective cold emails can be challenging. Take advantage of our collection of Cold Email Templates that Convert to make your startup’s outreach more impactful.
Send Your Emails On The Weekend Or At Night
- When you send your cold email, you want to make sure that the timing is right.
When Should You Send It?
There are two ways to look at this. One way is to think about how much time people have available in their day, and when they’re most likely to be checking their email.
If you’re trying to find the best time of day for sending emails, I recommend looking at data from your inbox if you have access (or ask someone who does).
You can also use an analytics tool like Buzzsumo or Ahrefs which will tell you when people tend to share content online based on social shares and links pointing back to a particular website/blog post.
The second way is by looking at historical trends: over time we’ve seen that people are more likely to respond with questions or comments during off-hours like weekends, evenings, and early mornings than during regular business hours.
Unlock the full potential of cold email outreach with insights from our comprehensive resource: The Ultimate Guide to Cold E-mail Outreach. Startups can benefit from its actionable strategies.
Break Your Email Into Shorter Paragraphs So You’re Not Overwhelming The Reader At Once
When you’re writing an email, break it up into short paragraphs that are easy for the reader to digest.
Shorter paragraphs are better than thicker ones because readers can easily see where one paragraph ends and another begins. It also makes it easier for them to skim through your message.
If you have a lot of information in one paragraph, break it up with subheadings or bullet points so that each point is its section of text on its line (this is a good way to organize your content). This makes reading more enjoyable and helps people understand what they’re reading faster.
Try using as much white space as possible; this includes adding images, gifs, and other visuals throughout your emails so they’re not just text but have something visual that breaks things up visually as well!
Use Gifs To Show Off Your Personality And Break Up The Text In Your Email
GIFs are a great way to show off your personality and break up the text in your email, whether you’re using them to illustrate a point or just want to break up the monotony of paragraphs. GIFs are also easy to find on Google Images, which makes it even easier for you!
One final thing: If you’re going to use GIFs in your emails, remember that they’ll be read by people with different backgrounds and interests than yours. This means it’s important that only appropriate GIFs make their way into your emails (no matter how funny they seem).
Be Direct And Succinct With What You Want From The Recipient
Being direct and succinct is key to making sure your cold emails are taken seriously. You want to avoid being too vague or too demanding, but you also don’t want to be meek about it.
Remember that this is an inbound marketing strategy we’re trying to get people interested in our product or service without having met them before.
A good rule of thumb is that if you feel like your email sounds pushy or aggressive, it probably will come off as such (which no one likes). So be concise with what you need from the recipient, but don’t sound overly aggressive either!
Enhance the effectiveness of your cold email campaigns using our 10 Tips for Sending Cold Emails. Startups can utilize these practical suggestions to increase engagement.
Suggest A Time For A Meeting Or Call In The Email So It’s Ready When They Reply
When you suggest a meeting time in your email, it’s important to remember that you want the recipient to be able to answer the message.
You don’t want them picking up their phone and seeing that they have three unanswered messages waiting for them at work. So pick an appropriate time – one when they are most likely available, or at least when they will have time later on.
It may seem obvious, but some people forget that this is important and suggest a meeting time in their cold emails anyway – leading recipients to get frustrated because they can’t respond right away.
- Keep the subject line short but catchy.
Personalize Your Subject Line To The Recipient
This is a must-do when writing any mass email, but it’s especially important here because shortening your subject line is one of the best ways to cut through the noise and get someone’s attention.
If there’s anything you can do to make your campaign stand out from all the other emails in that inbox, this is it!
Use this tactic sparingly (and only once), but when you do, use it well: make sure that what you’re asking for isn’t unreasonable or obvious.
For example, don’t ask them to “sign up” if they’re already signed up and/or don’t ask them if they want an invite code when their account has been active for weeks or months there are better things you could ask them about.
If possible, try sending these emails on weekends and after work hours so that people have time to think about whether or not they want something from you before responding.
Break up long paragraphs into shorter ones so as not to overwhelm readers with too much information at once; also keep paragraphs relatively short so as not to lose readers’ attention due to being overwhelmed by content (especially if they aren’t familiar with what your business does).
Write Like You Normally Talk, But Keep It Professional And Grammatically Correct
Write like you normally talk. Don’t sound robotic, or like you’re reading from a script. It’s easy to fall into this trap when writing an email we’re so used to having our words read by a computer that we forget how it sounds to someone else!
Just write as if you were talking face-to-face with a friend.
Be clear and concise. This is especially important in the subject line of your email (which should be short and sweet). Make sure that whoever reads your subject line knows exactly what you’re offering them without having to open up the email itself!
Also don’t overdo it with long paragraphs; keep things simple when possible, while still making sure everything is well-written and easy for people to understand at first glance.
Use correct grammar and spelling (and then check again). We all make mistakes sometimes everyone does!
But remember: typos make you look unprofessional (even if no one else does), so double check before sending out any communication that’s going out into the world on behalf of your startup business enterprise venture!”
Don’t Ignore Responses To Forwarded Emails Unless You Have Permission To Do So From The Recipient
You can’t ignore responses to forwarded emails unless you have the recipient’s permission. The reason is that the person who received your email may not necessarily remember their original conversation with you or be aware of why they were sent this message.
That said, if you do have permission to ignore such responses, go for it! It’s up to each company’s discretion as to how much effort they want to put into responding to these automated messages from potential customers.
If there are any other questions about cold emailing startups and getting started with cold emails in general, please feel free to ask us here!
Reuse Relevant Content From Follow-up Emails If There’s A Chance You Might Get A Response That Needs To Be Answered
If you’re following up on a cold email, reuse the same subject line, introduction, and first paragraph. This way you can answer any questions the recipient might have about your previous message.
For example:
- Reuse the same subject line: “Your recent job listing”
- Reuse the same introduction and first paragraph: “I’m writing because I saw your recent job listing posted online and I think my skill set would be an asset to your company…”
- Reuse the call-to-action (CTA): “Would love to hear back from you when it works best for you! Best regards, [name]”
Want to elevate your cold email game? Dive into our detailed guide: A 14-Step Cold Email Marketing Strategy designed to boost conversion rates for startups.
Conclusion
These tips are just a starting point for your email outreach. The best part about email outreach is that it will never go out of style it’s still the most effective way to reach out to potential customers, partners, and investors.
Make sure you’re using the right tools for your needs (like templates and scheduling) so that you can focus on the content itself. Once you master these things, there’s no limit to how far your startup can go!
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources to further enhance your understanding of cold email strategies for startups:
The Ultimate Guide to Cold Emailing for Startups
Learn the ins and outs of cold emailing tailored specifically for startups. Explore actionable tips and strategies to make your outreach effective.
Mastering Cold Email Outreach for Startups
Dive into this comprehensive guide to discover how cold email outreach can drive growth for startups. Uncover best practices and real-world examples.
Lessons from Sending Over 300K Cold Emails for 108 Startups
Gain insights from a wealth of cold email experience. This article delves into lessons learned from sending a substantial volume of cold emails for startups.
FAQs
How can cold email strategies benefit startups?
Cold email strategies can benefit startups by providing a cost-effective way to reach potential customers, partners, and investors. When executed strategically, cold emails can generate leads, build relationships, and drive business growth.
What should I include in a cold email for my startup?
A successful cold email for a startup should include a personalized introduction, a clear value proposition, and a call to action. Highlight how your product or service can solve the recipient’s pain points or challenges.
How can I improve my cold email open and response rates?
To improve open and response rates, focus on crafting compelling subject lines that grab attention. Additionally, segment your email list to target the right audience and tailor your messaging to their needs and interests.
How can I avoid cold email spamming and negative perceptions?
To avoid being labeled as spam, ensure that your cold emails are relevant, personalized, and provide genuine value. Respect opt-out requests and follow email marketing regulations to maintain a positive reputation.
What’s the ideal follow-up strategy after sending a cold email?
A thoughtful follow-up strategy involves sending a series of follow-up emails to recipients who haven’t responded. Each follow-up should provide additional value or information, gently reminding the recipient of your initial outreach without being overly persistent.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.