Cold emailing has been a staple of the marketing world for years. And, to be honest, it can feel like the most impersonal way to market yourself. But when done right, cold emails can be an incredibly effective tool for generating leads and getting new clients.
Let’s look at some of the best practices for cold emailing through real examples from my own business:
| Takeaways |
|---|
| Personalize your cold emails for better engagement. |
| Craft compelling subject lines to capture recipients’ attention. |
| Provide value by addressing recipients’ pain points. |
| Keep your emails concise and focused on the recipient’s needs. |
| Follow up strategically to increase response rates. |
| Test different approaches to optimize your email campaigns. |
Use Your Subject Line To Your Advantage
Make it catchy. People are busy, and they don’t have time to read long words or descriptions. Keep it short and sweet by stating the obvious in your subject line.
If you’re selling a product that decreases customer churn, include the word “churn” in the subject line of your email since then customers will know what you’re talking about right off the bat.
Keep it to the point: tell them exactly what’s in it for them! If you can explain what benefit your product/service has for them in one sentence (preferably less), do so!
Get straight to the point and let people know why they should be interested in reading more from you rather than wasting their time like all those other companies who send out vague emails with no real value behind them whatsoever…
You might even want use numbers like “$10” instead of “$10 off”–it works wonders!
Use symbols & exclamation points: They get attention immediately because most people don’t use these often enough when communicating via text or email which makes this type of communication stand out even more than usual since most people would probably ignore something without any punctuation at all.”
Cold emailing can be a powerful tool when done right. If you’re looking for templates that can boost your response rates, check out our collection of Cold Email Templates That Convert. These templates are designed to grab attention and engage your prospects effectively.
Don’t Forget The Personal Touch
The last thing you want is to sound like a robot. You need to make sure that your client knows that you are a real person and not some spammer trying to get them on board with the latest diet fad.
Here are some ways that you can add personal touches:
- Use your name instead of “Mr./Ms./Mrs.” in the salutation
- Use an email address that contains your name or initials (e.g., firstname@emailaddressprovider.com)
- Include a photo of yourself in your signature block at the end of all emails (a great way to include this would be by including a link to your website in this area)
Use An Email Signature
The most important thing to remember when creating an email signature is that it should be short and sweet. You don’t want to bore your reader with a lot of text, but you do want them to have all the necessary information about you and your business at their disposal.
One good way to get in touch with new clients is by using an email signature that includes your contact details, website URL, social media links, and more!
Include:
- Your email address – This is pretty self-explanatory. Your email address should be the first thing listed in the signature so people can easily find it when they need it!
- Phone number – Make sure this phone number is easy to see so potential clients can call you directly if they have any questions or concerns regarding their project(s) with you.
- Website URL – If someone wants more information about what it means for them as a potential client then give them access through this link (or links).
- Social media handles – Include any relevant social media handles here so people can follow along with what’s going on in between projects too!
Are you ready to master the art of cold email outreach? Our comprehensive guide, The Ultimate Guide to Cold E-mail Outreach, covers everything you need to know about crafting compelling cold emails, building relationships, and generating positive responses from your recipients.
Tell Them What You’re Going To Say
In a recent study, it was found that the average reader spends just 6 seconds on an email. That’s not much time for your message to get through. So, make sure you tell them what you are going to say before you say it.
You can do this in several ways:
- Give a brief overview of the email (like this one)
- Set the stage for what is about to come by describing what kind of information or tools they will learn about in the email
- Preview any key points that will be covered later in the email (such as “I’ll show you how to…”)
Get Straight To The Point
You can make your emails more effective by getting straight to the point. This will help your reader understand what you’re offering, and the benefits they’ll get from it.
To do this, use bullet points instead of long paragraphs, use numbers, and keep sentences and paragraphs short. You should also aim for short em, ails in general, the shorter they are the better!
If you have a lot of information to convey in an email then try using numbered lists or bullet points (for example: “Here are three reasons why we recommend X program for your business…”).
This will make it easier for them to skim through the content quickly and find what they need fast without having to take too much time on each paragraph.
How To Write A Cold Email When You’re Following Up
First, be brief. There are a lot of people who read their emails on mobile devices, and they don’t want to sit through a long email. If you can’t get your point across in one sentence or less, it’s probably not worth sending the email.
Second, be polite but to the point. In an age when people are receiving hundreds of emails each day (and have limited time), there’s no reason to waste theirs with lengthy introductions or small talk!
Third, make yourself specific about what you do and how you can help them but also make sure that your pitch is personal!
People want more than just generic offers from strangers; they want someone who understands their business needs personally as well as professionally (i.e., not just “I’m great at X” but instead “I’ve helped several companies like yours solve problems just like this”).
Fourthly., show some confidence by clearly stating why hiring YOU will benefit THEM more than anyone else out there doing similar work/hiring someone from Craigslist who doesn’t know what they’re doing.”
Save time and effort with our curated selection of 13 Cold Email Templates You Can Use Today. These templates are proven to initiate meaningful conversations with potential clients, increasing your chances of turning leads into customers.
Be Honest
This is one of those things that sounds obvious, but it’s so important, to be honest about all of the above.
And yes, there are situations where you might want to hide some things from a client (like price), but I am talking about being as honest as possible without being malicious or deceptive.
Your skills, experience, and expertise: If you don’t know something then say so! A client should know up front than have them discover later on that they hired someone who couldn’t do what was needed because they didn’t know how.
Your intentions: Be clear with your clients about what it is that you want from them, why they should pay attention to you in particular and how much time/effort/money etc., will go into whatever project/service they hire you for.
This helps both sides avoid any misunderstandings down the line when deadlines aren’t met or communication becomes difficult due lack of clarity upfront.
Your pricing: Clients need good reasons why their budget should stretch further than usual just because someone sent an email saying “this” is great value for money compared with other providers who may offer similar services at higher prices.
Without explaining why theirs would provide better value overall through greater efficiency gained through cutting edge technology used by experienced professionals such as myself (and many others).
Make It Clear Why They Should Work With You
You should be clear about why you’re contacting them. What makes you different from other people? Why should your client work with you, rather than someone else?
What are your strengths and weaknesses? How long have you been in business, and what is your track record of successful projects like theirs (if applicable)?
It’s also important to let the prospect know how they can contact you this will help them decide whether or not they want to move forward with a sales call, email, or meeting request.
How To End A Cold Email In A Positive Way
Remember, you don’t want to come across as too salesy. You must keep your emails professional and friendly at all times.
It will be helpful if you send your emails on a positive note so that the reader will be more likely to respond favorably if they are interested in what you have to offer.
Here’s an example of how I would end my cold email:
Thank you again for taking the time to read my email! If I haven’t covered something or if any other questions aren’t answered here, please don’t hesitate to get back in touch with me through this number/email address below.
If this sounds like it could be a good fit for your company then I’d love to hear from you soon! Best regards, [Name]
[Link] www.[companyname].com/free-trial[/link]“`
Crafting a successful cold email strategy requires careful planning. Discover effective techniques in our article, Cold Email Strategy: What Do I Send? How Do I Make Them Care?, and learn how to create impactful emails that resonate with your target audience and compel them to take action.
Give Them A Reason For Replying
When sending out an email, it’s important to give the recipient a reason for replying. Make sure your message is personal and relevant by including a story or experience that they can connect with.
You want them to feel like they already know you, so share something about yourself and show why you are the best person for this job.
If they have time in their schedule or have a need that matches what you do, they will be more likely to respond than if all you did was send them an automated email asking if they are interested in working together.
Give them a reason to trust you by sharing information about yourself such as examples of past work (portfolios), testimonials from previous clients, and any other information that shows how qualified and trustworthy you are as a professional
Identify Their Problems And Solve Them!
To be successful with cold emailing, you need to make sure that each message is personalized and relevant. You can do this by identifying their problems and solving them!
But how do you identify the problems that your potential clients need to be solved? Well, first of all: ask them! That’s right you could contact them directly via social media or email and ask them what their biggest challenges are.
Or maybe they have an online survey where they’re asking people about their needs/wants/concerns etc. Maybe they’ve even already created a list of what these concerns are on their website!
If not, don’t worry: there are still ways for you to figure out what issues might be bothering your potential clients before reaching out with an introduction email in mind (see below).
Provide Testimonials Or Case Studies From Previous Clients
A testimonial or case study is a great way to prove that you have experience in your field. You can use this information to demonstrate how you are qualified or capable of doing the work that needs to be done.
A good testimonial should be honest and show what kind of results the client received from working with you. It should also be easy to read and should highlight any important milestones that were reached during the process.
If you don’t have a lot of past clients, provide some examples of your work instead. Include screenshots or links so that they can see what kind of websites, apps, or other projects you have worked on before (and whether they are similar to theirs).
Be Concise
You’re not writing an essay, so keep it short and simple. This will allow your reader to focus on the information you’re trying to communicate, rather than getting bogged down by long paragraphs that require constant reading and re-reading.
Also, make sure the sentences are short and sweet. You don’t need to explain every detail in great length; simply tell them what they need to know in a few quick sentences. And lastly…
Use simple language (a dictionary is fine), but avoid jargon whenever possible as this will only confuse readers who aren’t familiar with your industry’s lingo!
Use Professional Level Grammar And Spelling
Use professional-level grammar and spelling. Make sure you’re using the right words, and that they’re in the right place.
Use correct punctuation. Don’t forget to use periods, commas, semicolons, colons (when needed), exclamation points (!), question marks (?), hyphens (), dashes (-), and apostrophes (‘).
If you don’t know what these are called or how to use them correctly, research them! They’re your friend when it comes to writing emails that clients want to open up.
Use correct capitalization. This is critical don’t forget it! Always capitalize proper nouns like company names or titles if they’re being used as such; otherwise leave them uncapitalized without any added emphasis on their first letter (e.,g., I went to Walmart yesterday).
Also always capitalize at least one word in each sentence; there’s no reason why “I” needs a lowercase i while “we” get an uppercase W all by itself down below on line 2 of this paragraph…
Unless maybe we’re talking about something else entirely but still related somehow? Either way: make sure all caps show up somewhere within each sentence so readers know exactly where they should look next 🙂
You’ll find this works well with headers too: just put all caps at both ends so it looks like there’s only one word even though there are many more underneath those characters
Keep It Simple, Stupid!
To make your email more effective, you need to keep it simple. It’s a good idea to write your emails in plain English and avoid using jargon or industry-specific terms unless they are necessary for the reader to understand what you mean.
You should also keep sentences short, avoid long sentences and paragraphs, don’t use too many words (i.e., use shorter sentences), don’t include unnecessary adjectives or adverbs, and avoid metaphorical language and pointless similes when possible!
Boost your cold email conversion rates with these practical tips from our post, 12 Cold Email Tactics That Double My Conversion Rate. From crafting attention-grabbing subject lines to personalizing your messages, these tactics can help you achieve better results in your outreach efforts.
Use Clear CTAs (Calls To Action)
Calls to action are a way of telling the reader what you want them to do. If you want your email recipients to click on a link, call you or buy something, then you need a clear CTA (call to action).
So what exactly is a call-to-action and how can it be used?
A call-to-action is an instruction that tells the reader what you want them to do next: click on any link within the email message, call you at this number, buy this product/service, etc. A clear and concise message with an actionable CTA will help increase conversions and sales.
Stick To One Topic At A Time
It’s a common mistake for people to try to cram too much into one email. You want the reader to be able to easily find the information they’re looking for, and if you have too many points in your first contact email, it can be difficult for them to digest everything.
Instead of trying to get across every single thing that might make your business stand out at once, narrow it down and focus on one topic per message.
Then choose your best angle based on what kind of information they’re asking for or looking at in their inboxes so that you’re providing them with relevant content without overwhelming them with options.
Conclusion
We hope that this post has given you some ideas for how to make your cold emailing campaign more effective. Remember that the key to good cold emailing is being authentic and honest, so don’t forget about those tips when writing your next pitch!
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources to help you dive deeper into the world of effective cold email strategies:
How to Cold Email a Potential Client: Learn the step-by-step process of crafting compelling cold emails that resonate with potential clients and improve your response rates.
How to Get More Responses to Your Cold Emails: Discover proven techniques for increasing the engagement and response rates of your cold email campaigns, leading to more meaningful interactions.
How to Write a Cold Email That Actually Works: Six-Step Tutorial: Follow a comprehensive tutorial that breaks down the process of writing effective cold emails into six actionable steps, ensuring your emails are persuasive and yield results.
FAQs
How can I improve the effectiveness of my cold emails?
Improving cold email effectiveness involves personalization, crafting compelling subject lines, and focusing on value-driven content that addresses the recipient’s pain points.
What are some best practices for cold email outreach?
Best practices for cold email outreach include segmenting your audience, using concise and clear language, incorporating social proof, and following up strategically.
How can I increase response rates for my cold email campaigns?
Increasing response rates can be achieved by optimizing your email timing, offering valuable insights or resources, and creating a sense of urgency in your emails.
What are common mistakes to avoid in cold emailing?
Common mistakes to avoid in cold emailing include sending generic, salesy messages, neglecting personalization, and not respecting unsubscribe requests.
How do I balance frequency and persistence in cold email follow-ups?
Balancing frequency and persistence involves spacing out follow-ups, providing value with each contact, and respecting the recipient’s preferences for communication.
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.