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Very few in business enjoy either sending, or receiving cold emails. In our line of work, they’re kind of essential, since Snitcher’s main service is giving you insight into website visitors that would otherwise be anonymous. So, since it’s one of the best ways to turn marginally interested people into qualified leads, and from there into lucrative customers, what is the best way to do it? Well, that’s a question that marketers have been trying to answer pretty much since the invention of email. While no one can guarantee you perfect results, here are some tips for cold email campaigns and 5 templates you can use to send emails that will get results starting today.

 

 

Get delivered

The first issue you’ll have is bounce rates. In many cases a large percentage of the emails you send will not even reach the right inbox. There are some things you can do to reduce this, but it’s impossible to eliminate it, since, a part of the problem is the filters the recipients themselves set.

• Stay up to date on what spam filters are looking for. Certain words in subject lines such as “free” or “special deal” nearly always get caught in a spam filter.
• Avoid too many images or links in the body of your email, especially on cold emails. It’s best to keep it simple.
• Research your addresses, if you can, to confirm they’re correct before you send. Avoid generic addresses such as [email protected]

Your email service provider likely has suggestions that are specific to their system as well. Stay up to date on their recommendations to reduce bounce and deliver more emails.

 

 

Get personal

This can be tricky, depending on the number of cold emails you intend to send, but the more personalized your message is, the better. People hate receiving generic messages that feel like Spam. If, on the other hand, you took the time to get to know something about them before messaging, you’ll have a better shot of getting it opened.

• Use your recipient’s name whenever possible. Even this can be tricky as some people never use legal names and may ignore mail sent to that name.
• Tailor your subject line as specifically as possible. If it’s a large group, write a subject line for each subset, for example, one subject line for sales directors, another for executives.
• Avoid generic language in the subject line. Write it as if you were talking to the recipient.

The more narrowly targeted your subject line, the more likely it will catch their attention. If it is addressed to them and offers to solve a pressing problem they face, you’ll have the best chance of getting them to open it.

 

 

Get to the point

You don’t have much room to pique their interest, so make it good. 5 to 7 words is optimum. It should give you enough room to tell them the benefit of opening your email without making them feel like there’s nothing left to say.

• Make a promise of what you are going to deliver, but make sure the message lives up to it. Always deliver on what you promise.
• Make them curious about your message. If you raise a question in the reader’s mind, or offer to teach or share something they want, it gets harder to delete it without opening it.
• Remember, all you want to do here is get them to open your email. You don’t have to sell them in the subject line, just start a conversation.

The best email subjects hit home because it’s something the recipient actually thinks about, faces as a challenge, would like to learn, etc. They need to believe that opening that email will lead them a step closer to solving that problem, or answering that question.

 

These 4 cold subject lines typically have open rates of more than 30%

1. Introduce yourself “Hi, Bob (add your message)” or “Hi, I’m John with ABC, (add your message)
2. Ask for a favor “Hi Bob, I have a quick request”
3. Making a connection “Hi, Bob, just trying to make a connection”
4. Simple, curiosity approach “Recipient company name”  (this one is simple, but it works, they don’t want to miss anything for their company)

Let’s get to the templates

Now that we’ve covered some basics about cold emails, here are some templates you can use to build your emails around. You can just fill in the blanks,  but once you get comfortable, you’ll probably have your own ideas for how to build these messages.

• Keep track of which subject lines and messages work for you.
• Experiment to see if you can get a better response.
• Ultimately, the right answer is the one that works for you.

These templates are based on lots of practice, studying the research and just plain trial and error. We’ve seen them work in the past, and they may very well be exactly what you need. Every business is different, so don’t be afraid to mix and match and try new things. Once you find a formula that delivers, stick with it! Even if it doesn’t fit anyone’s pattern, what works is what matters.

 

Most cold emails fall into one of two categories

1. Referral: You’re messaging a manager, or executive in a company, asking them to refer you to the right department or person
2. Call to action: Messaging the decision maker directly, asking for a sale, sign up or to schedule an appointment to discuss business.

Referral template subject line top secret!

Here is the single best subject line for any referral email, ever. You can add a name, or your name, but we find sending this on its own is very potent, are you ready?

“Can you please point me in the right direction?”

This single line appeals to the expertise of the recipient and makes them feel like you are asking for their help. You’ve recognized that you need that help to make a connection. It’s subtle, but it works!

Referral email template version one (long form)

(Recipients first name),

I’m (your name) and I work in (your department or function for your company). We recently launched a new (product or service followed by a single sentence sales pitch)

I was looking at your profile and it seemed you might be the right person to connect with on this, if not, maybe you could put me in touch with whoever handles that.

I’m looking to talk with a decision maker from (company) responsible for (something relevant to your product or service)

If you are the one making those decisions, great! Can we talk for about fifteen minutes on (date and time) so I can show you how (your company name) can help your company? If that’s not you, who would I contact there? I don’t want to waste anyone’s time.

Thanks in advance

Signature

Referral email template version two (short form)

(greeting and recipient’s first name),

I know this may be catching you at a busy time, so I’ll be brief. I am looking for the person that makes decisions about (something related to your product). Could you tell me how to get in touch with them?

Thanks for taking a minute to read this,

Signature

Referral email template version three (offer to help)

Hi (recipient’s first name),I’m (your name) and I work with (company name) serving organizations like yours. We’d like to help (recipient’s company name) with (your one sentence sales pitch).

(add a one sentence statement of the benefit of using your product or service)

I’d like to see if we would be a good fit for (recipient’s company name). Can you tell me who makes decisions about that kind of thing there and the best way to contact them?

Thanks for your help,

Signature

Call to action email template version one

Hi (recipient’s first name),

I hope I’m catching you at a good time. (explain how you got their contact information, especially if you have a name to drop) and I just wanted to touch base.

(Name of your company) Has a great tool that I think could help ( your team at name of recipient’s company)with (single sentence sales pitch) it (single sentence benefits statement of product or service)

Here’s what we can offer:

• Unique product benefit 1
• Unique product benefit 2
• Unique product benefit 3

I think this is a great fit for (name of recipient’s company) and I’d like to sit down and find out. Can you do that (day and time) ?

Thanks for your time,

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Call to action email template version two

Hey (first name of recipient),

I hope your day is going as great as mine! I’m (your name, position and company) I got your name from (person or place you found their name, explain connection) and I wanted to touch base to get your take on a new tool (your company name) just brought online.

I know (recipient’s company name) does a lot of work in (something related to product or service) and your input would be invaluable. In fact, we’ve got some features I think you’ll like.

• Feature number one
• Feature number two

I’ve got some time (date and time) and I wondered if you would take a look and just give me some honest feedback?

Thanks for your time,

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