Are you wanting to send out a cold email but are worried it will be ignored as spam, or worse, reported? There are several ways to make sure that your legitimate cold email isn’t brushed aside but instead grabs the reader and makes an authentic connection. Make sure to read the entirety of this article in order to best equipped yourself to write the perfect cold email.
Spam V. Cold Email
Spam emails do not leave contact information, they only talk about themselves, and they are impersonal. A good cold email will make it clear that it’s been written for the receiver by using their name, talking about something personal to them, and leaving a way for them to check up on the sender’s legitimacy. You can use a mail merge template, such as GMass, to keep the general tone and feel of your email while still making it personal to each receiver.
How to Write a Cold Email
Use Their Name
Everyone has opened spam and seen an introduction such as, “Hello!” with no name attached. Or even, “Hello, Mrs. Smith!” Both of these raise red flags and will more likely than not be ignored or reported. Instead, it should use their first name. This creates the feeling of receiving an email from a friend and will be more likely to be read.
Make a Connection
Find something that you both have in common and comment on it. It could be anything from a mutual friend, to the same career field, to their blog that you’ve read. The key is to highlight them, not yourself. People like to hear about themselves, not a stranger, so find something you both share and go to town!
State Your Intentions
Before you ask them to do something for you, make sure to put an emphasis on how they will benefit from responding to you. This has to be appealing to them. And then, explain why you are reaching out to them. This should be brief and to the point, but also be informative. Maybe you’re looking for a book editor, or you think they may be interested in your plumbing expertise. Whatever you’re wanting from them, state it clearly.
Call to Action
End with some form of a call to action. Only leave one, otherwise, it will be overwhelming and most likely none will be done. You could leave a way to contact you, your website, or suggest meeting for coffee. To go a step even further, leave a vague timeframe of when you would like to catch up with them. This will show that you are serious but not pushy. You could even suggest a phone call or in-person meet up. Then sign the email and send it off.
Now you should be all set to draft your cold email. While you don’t need to over-stress yourself about looking like spam, you still need to keep in mind those few tips to make sure you stand out from the numerous emails they receive every day. Just remember to keep it personal, talk about them, and to give a form of contact information.
Interesting related article: “What is email marketing?“