How To Make The Most Of Cold Emailing

Cold emailing can be challenging, primarily because you’ve never communicated with the person on the receiving end. To them, you’re just a stranger, so why should they give you their time? Most cold emails fail because of this exact reason. 

That doesn’t mean that cold emails are dead, it simply means that most people are doing something wrong. There is plenty of evidence that cold emails do work and all you need to do is apply certain principles that can make a significant difference. You can send as many cold emails as you can and not get a single response, but if you apply these principles, you are bound to see results.

Tailor Your Cold Email to Them 

It is important research the prospect before you reach out to them with your cold email. The information you gather will help you write an email directed at them. 

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Personalization is simply taking the time to add details about the recipient to your message. Whether it’s their name, company name, or location, adding these details helps them feel like they are getting an email that is meant for them. It adds trust and makes the recipient feel like you put in a lot of effort to get to know them and understand their needs.

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Effectively Introduce Yourself 

Always remember that you are a stranger to the recipient. You did your research on them so you might feel like you know them, but for them your cold email will probably be the first time they hear about you. 

To make them feel like they can trust you, mention any direct connections you have, if any. A strong form of social proof is knowing someone in common. It makes you feel closer to them if you share a mutual connection. 

However, not every recipient will be someone you have direct connections with, and that’s when you can briefly show off any big clients they might recognize. You can keep this down to a sentence or two. If you don’t have any real status, you can still find some commonality between yourself and the recipient. People love to feel like they belong, so use this to your advantage.

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Offer Them Something They Want

When composing your cold email, make sure you answer the question, “What’s in it for them?” 

You’ve done your research on the recipient, so you should be able to identify a major pain point and offer to relieve it for them. That means you need to offer them something that they want. For example, if you specialize in Search Engine Optimization, and you are aware that the recipient’s website is not ranking high on search engine result pages, you mention their pain point in the message and offer them a solution. 

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Keep Your Message Short and Straight to the Point 

How many times have you opened an email and immediately closed it once you saw its length? Probably too many times to count. No one wants to read an essay when they check their emails, that is why short emails are more likely to be read.

Be clear and direct, but also keep a friendly tone; don’t make your email sound like a sales pitch. When you move the prospect towards taking action, make it easy for them. Don’t overcomplicate because they will likely not respond; make it as easy as ‘click a button to confirm.’

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Show Appreciation 

Express your thanks to them to show them that you’re a decent person who they can trust to solve their problem. You expect them to do a ‘favor’ for you by buying what you’re selling, so giving the recipient a little appreciation won’t hurt. You can also slightly stroke their ego by reminding them that you specifically approached them as opposed to anyone else. 

If you find cold emailing difficult, you can include these principles to ensure that your cold emails are effective and generate responses from the recipients.

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