How to Write a Good Cold Email

You have already implemented all the off-email and on-email practices to achieve the best deliverability and consistently land in the primary inbox of your contacts, avoiding spam filters. Now it's time to take action by crafting the email that will either make your contacts interested or ignore you. This is one of the most crucial stages of the entire cold outreach process.

There is no one-size-fits-all way to write cold emails. Each case is unique, and each lead is a different world. Nevertheless, below, I have compiled the best universal practices to keep in mind when drafting a cold email:

Concise Subject Lines

The subject line is often overlooked, but if you think about it, it holds practically the same value as the entire body of the email. If your contact never opens the email, they will never be able to read what you have to say. An engaging subject line is the key to achieving a high open rate. Your cold email subject lines should be compelling and personalized but under four words. You can use a curiosity hook question that focuses on the reader’s needs or highlights the specific value you offer. The subject line of the email doesn't always have to summarize the content of the email; it should be a catchy phrase to entice the lead to open the email and start reading.

Relevant Pre-Header

The reader's attention is at its peak at the beginning of the text and gradually diminishes throughout the email. That's why the most important part is the first few lines and sometimes just the first words. Here, we should include a good hook or attention grabber. Including the lead's name is a good practice. A pre-header, also known as the preview text, is the short summary text that follows the subject line when an email is viewed in the inbox. Este suelen ser el preview de las primeras palabras del cuerpo del mail, otro motivo por el cual poner tanta dedicacion al comienzo del texto. Creating a relevant pre-header helps to incite interest and increase the chances of your email being opened. It typically gives a hint about what the email contains, supplementing the subject line, and providing a bit more information. You can use the preheader to build on the subject line intrigue. The idea is to add more context so that the reader wants to open your email. el preheater Some email providers allow you to customize the pre-header without needing it to match the first lines of the email body.

Scannable Content

No one wants to spend their precious time sifting through a long, wordy email from a stranger. The simple sight of a long text in a first visual contact often generates rejection, and it's highly likely that the reader won't even bother to start reading it. You feel lazy to read a long text from a colleague; imagine receiving one from a stranger.

Creating short and concise emails is the first rule when you start drafting.

Write concisely in short, 2-3 line paragraphs for easy scannability. Get to your main point fast. The total word count should be under 150 words if possible for the highest open and response rates.

Making Questions

One of the most classic mistakes in Cold Emailing is turning the recipient into a mere observer rather than a protagonist. The goal of Cold Emailing is, above all, to create an interpersonal relationship between the sender and the recipient. In this sense, empathy is one of the foundations of Cold Emailing. This empathy should be conveyed through signals distilled within the body of the email. Saying this, precise and well-thought-out questions are clear signs of interest in your interlocutor. These questions will allow you to initiate a conversation with your counterpart and stimulate that little bit of narcissism that we all possess. In doing so, you will create the ideal environment to generate a response and initiate an exchange that will have all the possibilities of evolving into a business discussion.

One Clear CTA

Avoid giving too many options to your contact, as people tend to choose none when they are unsure which option to take. Your cold emails should have just one clear CTA that is focused on driving the reader to the next step. It could be anything like signing up, booking a meeting, or simply replying back. Ensure that your CTA is not buried at the end of your email or hidden in a sea of text. A good practice is to place it near the end of the email but make sure it stands out in a paragraph of its own.

Personalization

The most important thing when drafting cold emails is to create a personalized email. The more personalized facts about your client you can mention, the better the effectiveness of the email will be. It's pointless to follow all the previous steps if you use a generic template. Just having different {{variables}} like their name {{first_name}} isn't enough. Any automation system can recognize their name. Nowadays, it's necessary to let them know that the email is written exclusively for the recipient. Comment on the last event they held, research their website, mention their Google reviews, talk about their latest launch, the store they opened, etc.

Email Signature

To round off a successful cold email, an essential strategy is to perfect the creation of an email signature. This seemingly insignificant element can have a significant impact on your target's perception of your professionalism, reliability, and credibility. An email signature is essentially a digital business card that is placed at the end of every email you send. It usually consists of your name, title, company, and contact information. But a well-thought-out one can do more than just list out your details. It can act as an influential tool for personal branding, company branding, or even direct marketing. For example, a good way to stand out with the signature is to add a link to your review page if you have one, as shown in the image below. Displaying your profile picture and linking to your personal social media accounts is another way to build trust with the recipient, as it shows you are legitimate to someone who doesn't know you. The information displayed should be just right; too much information overwhelms the potential client, and excess images and links also harm deliverability.

Test on Mobile Platforms

It's crucial to remember that many of your potential readers will likely be checking their emails through their mobile devices. According to research, about 61.9% of all email opens occur on mobile. With that said, So, make sure you optimize the layout, length, and CTAs for easy mobile engagement.

Conclusion

As we can see, up to this point, it was a matter of meeting all the requirements of the off-email and on-email checklist to avoid spam. But now, it's time to get creative (8-ideas to write out-of-the-box emails) and analyze the potential client you are contacting. Personalization is the strongest point in the art of email outreach redaction and is essential to achieve a good response rate.