The Secret to Being Successful At: Writing Cold Emails

By August 5, 2021For Talent

A good cold email is engaging, short and can help you to attract new clients or land your dream new job.

On the other hand, a poorly constructed cold email is awkward, invasive and can actually make people dislike you (and your company).

Follow these simple tips if you want to perfect your cold emailing etiquette.

Get personal

There is nothing worse than getting an email that is addressed ”Dear Sir/Madam”. Show the reader that you care by taking the time to research their name (even if you’ve never met before). It’s also great if you can mention a recent LinkedIn post or news article that they shared.

Don’t send the same email to more than one person

Never send the exact same email to a large bunch of people. It’s a cop out and kind of lazy (sorry!). Instead, take the time to craft a personalised note, people can always tell the difference.

Craft a great subject line

The subject line is the first thing that your recipient will see, make sure that it piques their curiosity. A poorly written subject line may make the addressee delete your email, or worse, manually mark it as SPAM which may stop you contacting them in the future.

cold emails

Image courtesy of EduBirdie

Get to the point ASAP

According to research, the average human attention span is now only 8 seconds. When you email someone, you need to grab him or her within the first two sentences.

Never put important info at the end of your email in case they simply scan over it. Instead, excite and engage them with something witty in the first paragraph. Tell them something that will make them want to read on.

Focus on the benefits, not on the features

When you’re pitching your product to a potential client don’t harp on about how great it is. Instead, highlight the benefits your prospect might gain from it. Be specific and enthusiastic. The pitch should be worked into your email in a natural way so that it is not jarring.

End with a call to action

Finish your email with a straightforward CTA i.e. what do you want them to do next? Should they schedule a call, go to your website or reply to your email? Be clear about what you want. Make sure that you only have one call to action so that it’s simple and clear.

Follow up

Realistically, a lot of your cold emails are going to get ignored, which is why you should always follow up with your client or potential employer a week later. Don’t just ask them if they’ve had the chance to read your last email, instead send them an interesting article or stat that you have come across. Add value where you can.

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