Email Outreach – The Art Of The First Message

Email outreach is a powerful way to reach out to your prospective customers and build relationships with influencers. 

But if you don’t follow these steps, your emails can come off as spammy or overly aggressive, turning off the recipient from engaging with you or even reporting you.

That’s why we put together this email outreach guide – a list of 11 steps (and one bonus!) that will help make sure your messages get opened and read by the right people at the right time, so that they’re more likely to reply and become customers of yours!

Takeaways
1. Crafting the perfect first message is crucial in email outreach.
2. Mastering the art of the first email can enhance outreach success.
3. Cold email strategies can captivate recipients and drive results.
4. Personalization and engaging subject lines are key to success.
5. The first message sets the tone for the entire outreach campaign.

Step 1: Just Say ‘hello’

For the sake of the article, let’s assume that you’re a journalist who wants to write about your company. 

The first thing you’d do is send an email with a pitch that explains why this person should care about your story and attaches some past work samples. (If you’re not familiar with email outreach, check out this post.)

That’s all well and good but what if it doesn’t go well? What if they don’t respond or ignore your message altogether? 

That can be disheartening, especially because it makes it harder for people like us to get responses from their target contacts in future outreach efforts. So how do we move on after getting rejected by someone once already?

Crafting the perfect first message is crucial in email outreach. Learn how to master this skill in our guide on The Art of the First Message, where we delve into strategies that can captivate your recipients and enhance your outreach success.

Step 2: Drop The Sales Pitch

The second step is to drop the sales pitch. You’ve already got a pretty good idea of what you want to write about, so there’s no point in trying to force it down their throats. Let your personality shine through instead of trying to shove a script down their throats!

It’s okay if they don’t know who you are (yet) they will soon enough! However, when they do find out more about your company and what it does.

They should be able to make an informed decision as opposed to being forced into one based on some canned spiel that doesn’t apply directly to them or their business needs.

Step 3: Avoid Being Spammy

So, you’ve sent your first email. What now? Here are some simple tips to keep in mind when it comes to crafting the best follow-up message possible:

Avoid sending long paragraphs of text. If the prospect has to scroll past a lengthy introduction in order to get to your call-to-action (CTA), they might not make it that far before clicking away from your message. 

Keep things short and sweet with a clear initial statement about why you’re reaching out and what information you need from them then include an actionable CTA at the end of your email so prospects know exactly where they should go next.

Don’t use exclamation points every other word! Your emails shouldn’t come across as spammy you want prospects who receive them to recognize them as professional correspondence. Avoid using excessive punctuation; just be yourself instead!

Don’t use capital letters when writing someone’s name or title within an introduction sentence; this is considered rude by most people nowadays (and won’t help convey professionalism). Also, avoid writing entire sentences in capital letters because that’s just awkward and unnecessary

Achieving success in cold email campaigns requires those “aha” moments that make a difference. Discover 10 insightful “aha” moments in 10 Cold Email Aha Moments that will transform the way you approach your email outreach efforts.

Step 4: Always Add Value

But before you send your email, always add value to the conversation. Don’t just ask for something, don’t just give information, and don’t just ask for a link, share, or like.

You should also avoid asking for comments in the first message as this can come across as spammy and could get your email marked as spam by Gmail filters (more on that below).

It’s important to remember that most people will ignore anything that is sent unsolicited unless it offers something of real value – so always think about what content or offer you could include in your message which would be useful to them.

Step 5: Grab Their Attention With Your Subject Line

Pick a subject line that’s relevant to your recipient. If you have a personal connection, use their name or nickname in the subject line.

Use the words from their article in your subject line. This will show them that you’ve done research on them and are interested in what they do, and it will also help ensure that your email ends up in their inbox instead of spam filters.

Don’t be afraid to be funny (but don’t make fun). If you can manage it without being obnoxious or coming across like a serial killer (or both), try injecting some humor into the email and see how they respond. Humor can go a long way if used correctly!

Crafting an effective cold email campaign requires a mix of strategy and creativity. To make your next cold email campaign stand out, consider incorporating the 14 actionable tips outlined in our comprehensive guide: 14 Tips for Your Next Cold Email Campaign.

Step 6) Get To The Point Quickly

Here’s a tip: don’t waste their time.

Let your recipients know that you understand how valuable their time is and let them know what you want from them in the first message. Don’t be too long-winded, or they will be less likely to read your email. 

You want your recipient to see what value you can provide for them without having to go through too much hassle just to get there (or worse, never getting there at all).

For this approach to work, it must make sense for both parties – if only one person is invested in making things work out then that isn’t going anywhere good!

Step 7) Focus On One Goal At A Time (Avoiding Scope Creep)

Focus on one goal at a time. When you’re reaching out to an influencer, there’s no need to try to sell them on anything else or get them to do something for you. 

If they don’t want more than what you’re offering, then that’s fine but it also means that any additional requests are likely going to be ignored or turned down.

Don’t try to talk too much about yourself. The best way of getting someone’s attention is by making them interested in learning more about the thing that interests them (e.g., your business). 

A common mistake I see is people talking about themselves or their products when they should be focusing on what their audience would like/need from them instead and this makes it harder for people who might otherwise be interested in helping promote your content!

Step 8) Be Direct, But Not Pushy

Now that you’ve built a solid relationship with your contact, it’s time to ask for what you want. Be direct but not pushy. This is where I find most people get hung up on the process of email outreach. 

They don’t want to ask for something because they are afraid of being rejected or potentially coming off as rude or aggressive in their messaging. But no one wants to feel like they are being taken advantage of either!

The key here is balance: don’t be afraid to ask for what you need/want and don’t hesitate when asking for more if needed (i.e., asking if there’s any way that their company may be able to help or support your business). 

When it comes down to it you’re doing this because there’s value in both parties’ businesses working together so don’t be shy about making sure everyone wins!

Step 9) Use A Friendly And Professional Tone

You want to come off as friendly and professional, so avoid being too informal. If you’re reaching out to a stranger, don’t say things like “hi bro” or “what up, dude.” Likewise, you don’t want to sound too formal either. 

Don’t use words like “greetings” or “it is my pleasure”. Avoid being aggressive and passive at the same time by making sure your message isn’t overly self-promotional or passive-aggressive (i.e., saying something vague that could be interpreted as passive-aggressive).

Gaining real results from cold email requires leveraging effective strategies. In our article, How I Leverage Cold Email to Get Real Fruit in the Basket, you’ll find personal insights that illustrate the practical application of these strategies and their impact.

Step 10) Provide A Way Out And Make It Easy For Them To Reply

Make it easy for the contact to get in touch with you, and provide an option to reply via email, phone or even text message (if you’re communicating in their native language).

Set up a contact form that can be filled out by your potential customer while they are on your website – this will allow them to provide all of their details so that the next time they need some help with X product or service, they will remember who provided great service before!

Step 11) Show Some Genuine Interest And Prove You’ve Done Your Homework

Show some genuine interest and prove you’ve done your homework.

This is the personal touch that makes all the difference. If a prospect can see in an email that you care about what they do, it’s much more likely that they’ll respond to your outreach and start a conversation with you. 

But how do you show that? First of all, show that you’ve done your research by understanding the person’s background, what problem they’re trying to solve and what their company does:

• What industry do they work in?
• What companies have they worked at before? Are there any commonalities between them? Is there anything unique about their experience or expertise?
• How long have they been working on this project/product/in this company or industry?

12) Don’t Forget To Follow Up And Test New Messages!

You don’t want to be spammy, but you do want them to know that you have done your homework to prove that your message is not just a “one-and-done” email.

Make sure it is easy for them to reply by including links or details about how they can get in touch with you.

If there are multiple people on the team, then consider sending it one at a time so each person has an opportunity to respond before moving on to the next person. The last thing you want is for someone else’s response letter sitting in their inbox while they wait on yours!

Crafting a successful cold email marketing campaign demands careful planning. Uncover 17 valuable tips in 17 Tips for Creating a Strategic Cold Email Marketing Campaign to enhance your campaign’s effectiveness and boost your outreach outcomes.

Conclusion

Remember, email outreach is an art and there are no hard rules. If you can follow these simple guidelines, you’ll be well on your way to crafting the perfect first message. It’s amazing how much of an impact this has on how successful your campaigns will be!

Further Reading

If you’re interested in delving deeper into the world of email outreach and improving your skills, here are some additional resources that you might find valuable:

Anatomy of Cold Outreach Email: Explore the components that make up an effective cold outreach email and gain insights into crafting compelling messages.

How to Write Outreach Email: Learn actionable tips and techniques for writing impactful outreach emails that resonate with your recipients.

The Art of Crafting Outreach Emails for Link Building: Discover strategies specifically tailored to crafting outreach emails for link building, helping you achieve better results in your campaigns.

FAQs

How do I improve the open rates of my cold outreach emails?

To enhance open rates, ensure your subject lines are concise, intriguing, and relevant to the recipient’s interests. Personalization and addressing pain points can also grab attention.

What’s the key to writing a compelling outreach email?

A compelling outreach email should have a clear value proposition, be concise, and demonstrate genuine interest in the recipient’s needs or content.

How do I stand out in a recipient’s inbox?

Craft a unique and engaging email subject line that sparks curiosity. Make sure your message is relevant to the recipient and offers a clear benefit.

How can I make my outreach emails more personalized?

Segment your outreach list and customize your emails based on the recipient’s interests, industry, or previous interactions. Mention specific details that show you’ve done your research.

What’s the role of follow-ups in cold email outreach?

Follow-ups are essential for reminding recipients about your initial email and encouraging a response. Craft polite and concise follow-up emails, emphasizing the value you can provide.