Cold emails are a great way to reach out to people you might not otherwise be able to meet. They can help you land a job, secure an investor for your startup, or even get a mentor. But there’s a problem: cold emails are really hard to write.
This article will cover how to put together a cold email that gets replies. We’ll start by reviewing the best practices for writing to get hundreds of meetings with potential clients and customers.
| Takeaways |
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| Overcoming fear: The blog discusses how a particular email helped the author conquer their fear of cold emailing. |
| Effective strategy: The content likely delves into the strategy behind the email, revealing key elements that made it successful. |
| Personal growth: The experience could have led to personal growth and newfound confidence in cold emailing. |
| Valuable insights: Readers might gain insights into the psychology of successful cold emails and how to replicate their effectiveness. |
| Practical lessons: Expect practical tips that can be applied to your own cold emailing endeavors. |
Forget About Yourself And Think About The Person You’re Emailing
Figure out why that person should care, and what’s in it for them. Most important, forget about yourself and think about the person you’re emailing. The recipient of your email doesn’t take interest in you or your work; they care about what they will gain from responding to your email.
If you can convey a benefit to them, there is a much higher likelihood that they will respond. To figure out this value proposition, ask yourself: What does the recipient have?, What do I want from him or her?, And What can I offer in return?
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The Subject Of Your Email Matters A Lot
Your subject line will be one of the first things your future employer sees when they open your email. It’s also probably the only part of your email they’ll see if it doesn’t catch their attention.
So, whenever you’re tempted to start your subject line with something boring or formal like “Cover Letter and Resume” or “Application for the Journalist position,” remember that the people on the other end are getting dozens of emails a day, and you have to find a way to stand out. Emailing an editor?.
A good subject line might combine a reference to both where you’re writing from and what you write about. For example: “New York Media writer interested in freelance opportunities.” Or maybe you can reference something personal about them, like their favorite sports team or where they went to school. It’s all fair game!
The basic rule here is don’t be afraid to get creative! As long as you have something specific in mind before hitting send, chances are whatever playful language you use will at least show that you did some research on who you’re emailing which is always better than sending a generic message!
Research The Person You Are Contacting Before You Send An Email
Research. We’ve all heard the phrase, “Knowledge is power.” In this case, it’s true. If you know everything there is to know about the person you are contacting, they will be happy to say yes to your request. They will feel like they have known you their whole life.
Find out what the person has done in their career. What projects have they worked on? What accomplishments have they achieved?. Learn about the company that person works for and what kind of work they do there. Research that person’s background and interests where did he go to school? Does she travel a lot? Is he involved in any charitable organizations?
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Include Something Personal In Your Email About Your Connection With The Person
If you’re going to cold email someone, don’t use the same canned message for every person you ask for help. The recipient will be able to tell, and if he or she has a lot of requests from people like you (looking for work or advice), they’ll likely delete your message without responding.
I knew that when I was asking someone important to me (the aforementioned VC partner) for advice and time, I had to show him that our relationship was based on more than just a job opportunity.
That turned out to be easier than I thought: he’s an avid reader of Paul Graham’s essays and is also a huge fan of Andreessen Horowitz’s content strategy (he likes keeping up with the firm’s portfolio companies through their blog posts).
Since Andreessen Horowitz doesn’t have any portfolio companies in the travel space yet but given his interest in it, I decided to send him a link to my favorite essay about travel by Paul Graham. In my email, I wrote: “Here’s another example: Your recent interest in travel reminds me of Paul Graham’s essay on traveling abroad.”
Write A Customized Email
I promise it’ll make your job significantly easier. If you want to reach out to someone and ask for their advice or critique on your work, make sure you’ve done the following:
Read through the person’s content. This is an essential prerequisite before reaching out for help because if you haven’t done this, no matter how genius or original your idea is, the person can easily see why you should be contacting them.
Mention something specific that caught your attention in their work. You could also mention how much this particular piece of information has helped you grow or what it means to you personally. Be real with them as people are more likely to respond when they hear stories from like-minded people who have been in similar situations before.
Don’t use the same email template over and over again! Not only does it get very boring after a while, but it also shows that the person hasn’t taken time to think about what he/she is sending out. A good rule of thumb would be to never send out more than 5 emails per day as this will give enough time for each emailer to read over their message and make edits accordingly before sending it off!
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Find People You Can Contact Within The Business
If you’re still stuck, try to find people within the company who may be more receptive to helping you reach out to the person you want to connect with. You can search for employees via LinkedIn or your company’s website and determine whether they may be able to help you.
Then, explain in an email who you are and why you are contacting them. This will help them see a connection between your goals and their work at the organization. It will also give them a reason to relay your message (or better yet, introduce you!) to the person that can get it done for you.
I hope my cold email story was helpful for those of you struggling with fear! I would love to hear about some of your accomplishments as well as any questions or concerns around this topic. If I can help in any way, please let me know!
Keep It Short And Simple (KISS)
Usually, I avoid sending cold emails like the plague. But you’re not like me you’re confident and ready to put yourself out there. Whether you’re a job seeker, an entrepreneur or freelancer, or a marketing whiz looking to spread your company’s message around the world, there are plenty of reasons to send cold emails.
Show Them How They Will Benefit From Replying To Your Email
If you find that your mind is stuck on the concept of “selling myself,” I think a good way to get out of this mindset is to simply focus on what interested you about their work in the first place.
For example, when I sent my cold emails for the first time, I usually referred to a specific article or blog post that I had read before getting in touch. This helped me show that my interest was genuine and not just a mass-email blast.
You can also focus on something you like about them from their LinkedIn profile or any other online presence they have where they talk about themselves. For example, if someone’s bio mentions having worked for a particular company or someone who you admire as well, bringing that up might also help build rapport with them and make it easier for them to reply.
Offer To Do Something For Them
Offer to do something for them. This can be as simple as offering to help them with their content (or to write a blog post for them, if that’s your thing). You’re more likely to get a response from someone who knows you can be helpful in some way even if you think it’s too early in your relationship to ask for anything in return.
Have A Call To Action But Don’t Be Pushy
Make it easy for them to help you by being specific on what they need to do
- Don’t be pushy.
- Don’t be bossy.
- Don’t be needy.
- Don’t be overly demanding.
- Don’t be too persistent.
- Don’t sound entitled.
- Don’t try to guilt-trip people (e.g., “If you care about journalism, help me!”)
- Don’t be rude (even if the person is).
Remember, non-response doesn’t always mean no. If they don’t respond, perhaps it’s because they’re busy or not interested in your job or what you have to offer them at this point or maybe they just didn’t read your email.
They may want to work with you sometime down the line, but right now isn’t a good fit for them, and that’s OK! And if you were able to learn something new from their emails or content and how they approach things as a PR pro or journalist/editor/writer (maybe even pick up some tips on how NOT to cold email).
Then that’s something awesome and valuable that you can take away from the experience regardless of whether you got what you initially wanted from them!
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Be Patient When Waiting For Responses
Be patient when waiting for responses and don’t forget follow-ups if necessary; people are busy so time passes fast. Sometimes, it might be difficult to get a response to your email. You might have emailed the right person and followed all the best practices, but they still might not reply.
If you don’t hear back from them in a week or two, send a follow-up message especially if they are someone you know personally and you have reason to believe that they received the email. This happens all the time. Don’t get discouraged by it.
People are busy and sometimes emails get lost in the shuffle. Give them some time but don’t forget to send a follow-up if necessary.
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Final Thoughts
You’re armed with the knowledge of how to craft an email that will be read by your recipient. You also know what kind of information you need to include for that to happen.
It’s up to you now. Cold emailing is a great way to make connections, but it’s not without its risk. If done incorrectly, it can put off the very people you’re trying to reach. But if done right, it’ll open doors for you and help establish your network (which is essential in today’s business world).
Now that we’ve covered some of the basics, I know what you’re thinking: Where do I find these people? What cities should I look into targeting? How do I follow up? Stay tuned for more tips; we’ll cover all this and more.
Further Reading
Why You Should Never Use This One Line in Cold Emails: Explore the line you should avoid in cold emails and gain insights into crafting more effective outreach messages.
Mastering the Art of Cold Emailing: Enhance your cold emailing skills with this guide that offers tips and techniques to improve your success rate and engagement.
Maximizing the Impact of Cold Emails: Learn how to make the most of your cold email campaigns and build connections that convert.
People Also Ask
How Do You Write A Cold Email That Gets Responses?
A good cold email has a strong subject line, an introduction that makes the recipient want to know more about you or your product/service (this is where personalization comes in!), and a value proposition (how what you’re sending them can help them), and some options for next steps.
One last tip: if possible, have someone else read over your message before you send it out! This can help catch any errors or confusing sentences that may detract from the overall message.
How Do You Write A Cold Email For A Job Sample?
Writing samples can help when applying to jobs, but shouldn’t be sent in response to “cold emails” asking for them. That’s because sending someone your full resume along with writing samples won’t tell them anything they didn’t already know from reading your resume.
Sending someone specific pieces of content or material (such as links to work) is more helpful than sending everything at once. This way they can see what they want while saving time spent on reading through everything else.
The best way to send writing samples would be through links or attachments in an email instead of attaching large files directly within an application form; it reduces clutter on both sides of the conversation and decreases load time by not making people download all those files separately before opening them up again in their browser window.
What Are Some Tips For Writing An Effective Cold Email?
A lot of people think that if they’re not using fancy words and phrases, then their email won’t be taken seriously. But the truth is that it’s about being clear and concise. Make sure you’re saying what needs to be said without rambling and keep in mind that most people will only read the first paragraph or two before deciding whether or not they want to read the rest of your email. So don’t bury the lede start strong.
Why Do Cold Emails Work?
Cold emails work because employers are always looking for candidates who are proactive about their careers and willing to take action on their behalf (rather than waiting around for something to happen).
So if you send an employer a well-written message that shows them how much effort you’ve put into researching their company, they’ll be impressed and more likely to give you callbacks or interviews than if they had received no communication at all from applicants who hadn’t bothered reaching out at all!
What Are Some Tips For Making People Feel Comfortable When They Receive Your Email?
You want them to feel comfortable as soon as they open up your email and start reading it. Here are some tricks: 1) Use emoticons (the ones everyone knows) 2) Reply-all if you need help getting a response 3) Make sure they can easily find what they’re looking for 4) Use bullet points 5) Don’t be too formal 6) Don’t use slang.
How Do I Know If It’s A Good Time To Send An Email?
Good timing is key for cold emails. Try sending an email on a Monday morning, and then another one on Tuesday morning. If you send the same email twice in two days, you’re likely to get more replies than if you wait longer than that between emails.
What Should My Subject Line Be?
The best subject lines are short and descriptive, like “Good morning! This holiday season, give [product name] as your gift to [person or company].” You can also include a question in your subject line that asks whether they’d like to receive more information about [product name].
How Long Should My Cold Email Be? What Should It Say?
Your cold email can be as short as 1 paragraph (about 3 sentences). Start by introducing yourself, saying what you do, and why they might be interested in hearing from you. Then explain why they would benefit from receiving more information about your product or service.
I am a content writer, and I love what I do! Writing makes me feel like the words are flowing through my fingers, and then onto the keyboard, like magic. My experience as a writer has taught me that writing makes me feel good, as well as helps others to feel better too!