Cold email lead generation can be a game-changer for any business, especially if you struggle to generate high-quality leads consistently. For example, when reaching your ideal prospects, you may find that social media isn’t producing the desired results. On top of that, you may be getting little to no replies to your direct messages. That's frustrating enough, but it gets worse. The more time you waste on unresponsive channels, your leads will grow cold. Fortunately, warm email outreach is a proven way to help you get back on track. This article will offer valuable insights to help you reach your goals, like consistently generating high-quality leads and booking more meetings with ideal clients using cold emails that get responses.

Cold email lead generation can be made even easier with the right tools. Inframail's email infrastructure can help you achieve your cold email goals to grow your business and reach your targets steadily.

Table of Contents

• What is Cold Email Lead Generation?

• How to Generate High-Quality Leads Using Cold Email?

• Write

• Optimize

• 21 Best Cold Email Lead Generation Templates

• Start Buying Domains Now and Set Up Your Email Infrastructure Today

What is Cold Email Lead Generation?

Cold email lead generation is a B2B marketing strategy where personalized emails are sent to potential customers who haven't interacted with your business. It aims to initiate conversations, build relationships, and generate leads through value-driven content and targeted communication.

Why Should You Use Cold Emailing for Lead Generation? 

Cold emailing is crucial for businesses for numerous reasons. Here are some of the crucial reasons why you should consider cold emailing for your lead generation:

1. Email Use is Still Increasing

Email isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The number of emails sent in the next few years is predicted to multiply. 

2. Both B2B Decision-Makers and Millennials Have a Strong Preference for Email

Millennials highly favor email over phone calls, even for work-related matters. A recent study revealed that 59% of millennials access their emails via smartphones. If your email catches their attention, it will likely be noticed and opened. 

3. Cold Emailing Is a Lead Generation Machine

The most crucial reason for cold emailing is that it is highly targeted and you can generate unlimited leads. By doing so, you target individuals who have demonstrated an interest in your product or service. This allows you to contact potential customers and raise awareness of your offerings.

Related Reading

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• Seamless AI Competitors
• How Long Should a Cold Email Be
• ZoomInfo Alternative
• How to Warm Up Email Domain

How to Generate High-Quality Leads Using Cold Email?

Defining a precise target audience is critical to the success of your cold email campaign. Why create a small but targeted audience when you can send emails to a larger group and increase your chances of a response? Mass emailing people without considering their needs will be ineffective. According to a Gartner report, only 23.9% of sales emails are opened. 

The Importance of Targeted Emailing for Better Engagement

Ensure that your email is sent to the right person to improve your chances of a response. Spam filters and other measures make it more challenging to get past recipients. Sending emails to a non-targeted audience will likely result in few responses and more emails being marked as spam. By narrowing down your audience, you can create relevant and appealing emails to each person you want to connect with.  

Develop an Ideal Customer Profile

An Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) contains details of the individuals in a company who would benefit the most from your product or service. It identifies the most valuable prospects and customers most likely to purchase. To determine your ideal customer, begin by analyzing your existing customer base. Look for common characteristics and focus on two types of data subsets: quantitative and predictive data. 

Quantitative

Quantitative data involves analyzing historical customer data from CRM or sales automation software and information gathered through Sales Development Representatives (SDRs), internal stakeholders, account managers, and other sources. 

Predictive 

Predictive data is obtained by analyzing various datasets, often through a third party.
You likely have a general understanding of your current customers. After conducting research and analysis, it’s time to compile your findings. List key customer characteristics you’d like to see in your ideal customer based on the information you've gathered. This can be thought of as a behavioral profile.

Some characteristics to consider may include: 

• Location 

• Company size 

• Age range 

• Annual revenue 

• Industry 

• Technologies/software utilized 

• Department 

• Budget

After gathering all available data from your top customers, search for commonalities by comparing their profiles. Specific patterns may be readily apparent, while others may necessitate closer examination. Once you’ve identified the most prevalent patterns, it’s time to formalize your data.

Start to Find Your Prospects

In the sales world, prospecting is an essential process involving identifying new prospects through careful research, initiating a conversation with them, and ultimately providing valuable solutions to address their specific needs and problems. Prospecting typically begins with researching and analyzing the characteristics of your ideal prospects. By understanding your product and services and the type of buyers they cater to, you can focus your efforts on the right segment of the market.   

Leveraging Prospect Research for Effective Lead Identification

With proper prospect research, you can identify potential prospects from among your leads and gain valuable resources to help create a list of potential prospects. You can use various tools to help you conduct market research on your product and analyze your competitors’ ideal customer profiles. By taking advantage of these tools and employing a comprehensive prospecting strategy, you can improve your chances of success in the highly competitive sales world. The following sections will provide a detailed list of tools and techniques for effectively identifying and engaging with potential prospects. 

Set-up & Email Deliverability

Using your primary domain for cold emailing can negatively impact your domain reputation, particularly if you want to achieve a high open and response rate for your emails. In addition to this, having secondary domains and email accounts is crucial for maintaining good email deliverability. Email deliverability is the most important reason for having secondary domains and email accounts, as some email providers may flag your emails as spam if they all come from a single domain or account. This could lead to your primary domain or account getting blacklisted if too many of your emails are flagged as spam. 

The Strategic Advantage of Secondary Domains and Accounts for Email Deliverability

Having secondary domains and accounts can prevent this and increase the chances of your emails reaching their intended recipients. It also makes it easier to segment and target your emails, enabling you to tailor your messages to different groups of people and improve their effectiveness. In the future, having secondary domains and accounts can also help you increase your email sending volume without harming your domain reputation.

Here are a few things to remember while purchasing your domains and email accounts: 

• Make sure your domain is unique and stands out from your competitors 

• Look for domains that protect your data. Make sure you use trustworthy registrars that won’t misuse your data. 

• Check the email service provider’s sending limit to know if it aligns well with your needs. 

• Look for Email Service providers (ESPs) that support necessary authentications like SPF and DKIM. These protocols are essential to prove you are a genuine sender and keep your account safe from spammers. 

Warm up your Domain 

Email deliverability is a crucial aspect of cold email outreach. It’s been reported that over 20% of emails fail to reach the inbox. One of the primary reasons behind this issue is the lack of a warm-up process for new email accounts. Email warm-up establishes a reputation for a new email account and gradually increases its email-sending limit. It involves sending emails from a new email account, starting with a small number and progressively increasing the number of emails sent each day. To warm up an email account before sending a cold email, you can use two methods: 

• Manual: The manual method requires effort and time to build the reputation of the new email account gradually. 

• Automated: The automated method is the most recommended option because it’s an effortless way to warm up your email account.  

Automating the warm-up process saves time and effort and ensures your emails are delivered straight to the primary inbox. This can increase the chances of your cold email outreach being successful, resulting in more replies and conversions. 

Authentication Records (to ensure better deliverability) 

Authentication Records are an essential step when it comes to deliverability. You are mistaken if you think hitting the send button and having a valid email address will ensure your email is delivered successfully. Authentication Records is a set of steps that need to be followed to place your emails in the primary inbox of your recipients. And it includes the following: 

DKIM: What is DKIM? 

DKIM (Domain Keys Identified Mail) is a type of email authentication that allows receivers to check whether an email is indeed sent and authorized by the owner of that particular domain. This is done by assigning the email a digital signature. 

Why is DKIM important? 

It is an advanced authentication protocol that ensures ESPs that your email wasn’t modified or tampered with on its way to the sender. Without the DKIM framework, you risk having your emails tampered with or changing their content. Spam filters will not allow email content that has been tampered with into the receiver’s inbox. 

SPF: What is SPF? 

Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is an email authentication system that allows the domain owner to specify which users can send emails on behalf of their domain. A set of ‘SPF records’ is usually added to your DNS records beforehand. 

Why is SPF Important? 

SPF helps you to: 

• Identify the sender of the email. 

• Verifies the sender has the authority to send emails from that domain. 

• Acts as a possible return route. 

DMARC: What is DMARC? 

DMARC, or Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance, is a protocol that integrates SPF and DKIM. It aims to ensure an email message's authenticity by checking if your domain is authenticated against those two authentications. 

Why is DMARC essential? 

This security standard helps prevent spammers from using your domain to send emails without your permission. Spammers can forge the “From” email address so users assume the email is from your domain.

DMARC records make it easier for ESPs to prevent spam email practices such as domain spoofing, which attempts to phish recipients’ sensitive information. In sum, DMARC records allow email senders to specify how to handle messages that are not authenticated against SPF or DKIM. Senders can opt to have those emails sent to the junk folder or blocked altogether. 

MX Records: What are MX Records? 

MX records (a.k.a. Mail Exchanger records) identify which server should be used when sending emails to an address at the domain for which the records are for.

Example.com is the domain of the record. MX is the record type. 10 (or 20) is the record's priority (lower the value, higher the priority). mail1.example.com is the value of the record (this is the server's address that handles the domain's email). 3600 is the record's Time to Live (TTL) (which means, when there’s an update in the records, it will take ‘n’ time to update). 

Why are MX Records important? 

Lower-priority records are always tried first when attempting to deliver mail. If the mail server specified in the record with the lower value returns an “error” when attempting to deliver mail, the next highest priority MX record will be used.

Note: If multiple records have the same priority, then one will be chosen randomly to spread the load over multiple email servers. 

How to set up MX Records? 

Though the setup differs based on the domain service providers, you can follow these generic steps: 

• Step 1: Log in to your domain host website 

• Step 2: Locate the page where you can update your domain’s DNS records 

• Step 3: Find the MX records section 

• Step 4: Edit the records (priority, value, or destination)

Note: Updating your MX records takes time, and the time will depend on your previous MX records. 

Custom Tracking: What is Custom Tracking? 

A custom tracking domain is your own domain that you can use to track opens and clicks in your emails. 

Why is Custom Tracking Important? 

Custom tracking domains are known to preserve sender reputation, boost deliverability, and also help in improving click-through rates (of links inserted in emails) 

Write 

The subject line of your email is one of the most critical components in achieving a successful email campaign. Research has shown that over 33% of email recipients decide whether to open an email solely based on the subject line. It is crucial to take the time and effort to create a compelling and memorable subject line that entices your prospects to click on your email. Personalization is an effective way to increase your open rates. Including the recipient’s name in the subject line can boost your open rate by up to 22%. 

The Power of Personalization in Boosting Email Open Rates

However, personalization should not end there. Using information that your prospects can relate to, such as mentioning their recent blog post or something relevant to their interests, can further increase the likelihood of them opening your email. If you fail to create a connection with your prospects through your subject line, the chances are high that they will delete your email. To craft the perfect subject line, you can use the following steps: 

• Avoid using spammy language that can trigger spam filters. 

• Try to personalize the subject line as much as possible by using personal data. 

• Keep your subject line short and to the point. 

• Excite your prospects’ curiosity with an intriguing subject line, and make sure you are honest about your offers. 

• A/B testing can help you determine which subject lines are more successful in prompting email opens. This will allow you to refine your approach and improve your open rates over time. 

Personalize your Email 

When it comes to cold emailing, personalization can make all the difference. Generic, copy-pasted emails are likely to be ignored or deleted. However, personalized emails can impact and resonate with the recipient. Hyper-personalized emails get a 30.5% boost in open rates. One of the simplest ways to personalize an email is by using the recipient’s name. But there’s much more you can do to add a personal touch. For example, you can do a little research on the recipient to find out more about them and their business. 

Keep your Email Short and Sweet 

It is essential to understand that when it comes to cold emailing, the individuals on the other side of the email are often busy. As a result, it is crucial to respect their time and ensure that the email’s content is concise and to the point. Business professionals receive an average of 129 emails daily. To capture their attention and make an impact, you must ensure that your email stands out from the crowd. 

The Impact of Email Length on Response Rates in Cold Outreach

Research suggests that cold emails ranging from 50 to 125 words tend to receive the highest response rate. This is because these emails get straight to the point and capture the recipient's attention in just 15 to 20 seconds. It is critical to understand that these individuals are busy and often have limited time to read emails. As a result, the email should be short, clear, and direct. This will increase the chances of the email being read and ultimately improve the chances of a response. So, when crafting a cold email, keep it short and to the point.

Pro Tip: You can use the cold emailing templates provided in the template section below for lead generation. 

Offer Value in your Cold Email 

After capturing your recipient's attention with a strong opening line, you need to clarify why you are contacting them. Busy professionals want to know why they are being contacted, so getting straight to the point is essential. They want to know why they were contacted, so once you have a great opening line, get straight to the point and talk about:  

• Reasons for reaching out. 

• How is your organization going to add value to their life?

• The advantages of starting a professional business relationship with you. 

• Case studies showcasing how other organizations have benefited from what you are offering.

Include a Clear Call to Action 

When it comes to cold emailing, it is essential to have a clear and concise call-to-action (CTA) that encourages the recipient to take the desired action. A CTA can schedule a Zoom meeting, sign up for a free trial, or take any other appropriate action. Sticking to a single CTA is best to avoid confusion and simplify it. Your CTA should clarify the purpose of your email in a single sentence, conveying a sense of urgency and encouraging the recipient to take immediate action. A clear CTA can help to ensure that your message is not lost or overlooked and that you achieve the desired result.

Crafting Clear and Concise Calls to Action for Cold Emails

Ensuring that the CTA is short and to the point is important, leaving no room for ambiguity or confusion. Some examples of effective CTAs that can be used in cold emailing include: 

• “Can we connect this Friday to discuss this in detail?” 

• “You can sign up for our 7-day free trial here” 

• “Are you available for a quick call? Let’s connect”

By using a compelling CTA, you can increase the chances of converting prospects into leads, and ultimately growing your business. 

Follow-up 

When it comes to follow-up email sequences, you can adopt one of two strategies: 

Time-based Sequence

A time-based sequence involves consistently emailing prospects with 7 to 8 touchpoints, with timely intervals in between. This strategy ensures that each prospect on your list receives equal attention, regardless of where they are in their buyer’s journey. 

Intent-based Sequence

The intent-based sequence is more focused on prospects' interests. It targets only prospects who are in the solution-searching stage of their buyer’s journey. These prospects are identified using “intent signals” such as reply rates, link clicks, open rates, or downloads. Intent-based sequences are particularly valuable because they enable you to target the right prospects. They are also more personalized, which can help increase your conversion rate. Regardless of your chosen strategy, your follow-up emails should follow the same strategy as your primary email, as outlined above. 

Analyze 

After crafting and sending your cold emails, analyzing the results is essential. When you are using cold emailing to generate leads, you must measure the following: 

Deliverability 

Email Deliverability in cold emailing refers to the ability of your cold email(s) to reach the inbox of your ideal prospects (or recipients) and not in the spam or junk folder. One thing you should be aware of is that email deliverability does not mean email delivery! Both are different. Email deliverability will determine whether your email will land in the prospect's inbox based on factors like the sender’s reputation, the domain’s reputation, and your domain setup. Whereas email delivery means the number of emails that have been accepted into the prospect’s mailbox. So now you know what email deliverability is all about, here are a few metrics that help you decide your cold emailing deliverability: 

• A bounce rate higher than 3% can compromise your email deliverability. 

• A delivery rate of 95% (or higher) is considered good by Email Service Providers (ESPs). 

• If your spam rate (i.e. your emails marked as spam by the recipients) exceeds 0.01%, you risk losing your account. 

Click Through Rate 

What does a click-through, abbreviated CTR, mean in cold emailing? A CTR in cold email implies several people who have taken action (be it scheduling a call or signing up for a product or service, etc.) based on the goal of that cold email. According to a recent study, the average CTR for cold emailing is 2.3%. Though it may differ from industry to industry, this is an initial benchmark when starting cold emailing for lead generation. 

Unsubscribe Rate 

The unsubscribe rate tells you how many email recipients unsubscribed from your emails either by clicking an unsubscribe link or by sending you a reply asking you to stop emailing them. Every cold email campaign you send will have people unsubscribing or asking you to stop. And just to let you know, it’s pretty standard to have negative replies; however, if you’re seeing many recipients unsubscribing from my cold emails, you should be worried! So, what is an average unsubscribe rate? According to Campaign Monitor, the industry-wide average unsubscribe rate for cold emailing is 0.1%. 

Open Rate 

You can determine whether your emails are being opened or inboxed by looking at your open rate. The open rate is an important metric to keep track of to ensure your message is getting across to your readers. Now you might have a question – What is a good open rate? According to Task Drive, 25% or more is a good open rate for your cold email outreach campaign and if you hit over 37%, consider your campaign very successful. But a thing you should note is that the rate of your email open might differ from industry to industry and from campaign to campaign, and also it’s not just limited to this, other factors make a difference in an email open rate. So it’s always trying and testing based on your business. 

Reply Rate 

The reply rate refers to the percentage of emails you have sent that receive a reply. To make it easy to understand, here is an example: If you sent 1,000 emails and got 100 replies, then your cold emailing reply rate is 10%. Now you might ask, “So what is a good reply rate?” Though no such strong/accurate research or survey has been done in the past, according to some cold emailing experts, the average reply rate ranges between 10% and 20% of total emails sent. 

Optimize 

After analyzing your cold emailing results, the next step is to optimize & and make the necessary adjustments to improve your future campaigns. Here are the things you should consider for optimizing your cold emailing campaigns for lead generation: 

Timing 

One critical factor to consider when optimizing your cold email campaign is the timing of your outreach. It's important to understand what works best for your target audience and the industry you’re targeting. Emailing on Monday mornings might be the perfect timing if your target audience is tech companies. However, if I’m targeting HR professionals, afternoons may work best. It’s crucial to remember that different industries have different preferences, so it’s advisable to conduct research and test out various times before settling on what works best for you. 

Email Length 

Another crucial aspect to consider is the length of your emails. The ideal email length and the type of content within the email that work best for you may differ based on the preferences of the different industries. Research has shown that cold emails ranging between 50 and 125 words received the highest response rates. However, it’s important to test different lengths and types of content to see what works best for your audience and make necessary adjustments. 

Value 

Optimal open rates but low reply rates indicate that you must rethink your value proposition. To make your offer more relevant to your ICP, restructure it and write a new pitch or CTA. Because it’s evident that if your open rates are high but your reply rates are low, your email content is not relevant to your target, whereas it’s the thumb rule that relevance is key in any type of business, even in cold emailing! Analyzing the results of your cold email campaign and making the required adjustments can help you improve your future campaigns. By understanding your target audience’s preferences, you can optimize your timing and content, resulting in better response rates and, ultimately, more successful outreach efforts.

Related Reading

• Best Email Warm Up Tools
• How to Send an Email to a Prospective Client
• Freight Broker Email Template
• Cold Email Manifesto
• How to Warm Up an Email Address
• How to End a Cold Email
• How to Cold Email a Recruiter
• Cold Email vs Spam

21 Best Cold Email Lead Generation Templates

Certainly! Here’s the refined response based on your strict guidelines. 

1. Hey, I get it, or AIDA Cold Email Template  

Let’s start with the most common cold email template for sales – AIDA. The name of this framework stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. A letter based on the AIDA framework should feel less like a cold outreach email and more like a friendly message from one fellow professional to another.

Use the example below to write the AIDA-based message.

Subject line: Ready to [Achieve A Goal]?

Hi [Prospect’s First Name],

I know how challenging it can be to get ahead of the competitors in [Prospect’s Industry]. What if I told you there’s an easy way to do this?

Our [Your Product/Service] is specifically designed to help professionals like you take their business to the next level. We do this by by providing the following benefits to our clients:

[Benefit/Feature #1], 
[Benefit/Feature #2], 
[Benefit/Feature #3].

Our customers have experienced [Impressive Statistic/Result], and I’d love to discuss how we can do the same for you. Are you available for a quick chat this week to explore this potential?

Warm regards,

[Your Signature]

Notice how brief this message is. That’s because making your letter as short as possible increases the chances of the recipient reading it fully. Speaking of brevity, let’s check out the next short business email example.  

2. Straight to the Point

People appreciate brevity and simplicity. Don’t ask for an appointment or beat around the bush. Leave out all the unnecessary adjectives, and don’t use overly elaborate words or sentence constructions. The best cold outreach emails are usually the most personalized and shortest ones because every word has value.

Use the example below to write a short and sweet message.

Subject line: The solution to [n Issue]

Hi [Prospect’s First Name],

Are you having trouble with [An Issue]?

Let [Your Company Name] fix that for you. Our [Your Product/Service] offers [Benefit/Feature #1], [Benefit/Feature #2], [Benefit/Feature #3], and so much more. Let’s discuss it!

Warm regards,

[Your Signature]   

3. Asking for Referral

Sometimes, you’re not sure if you’re reaching out to the right person. Maybe you gathered your prospective company’s employee contacts from the website. Maybe you found them on LinkedIn or other social media.

It’s best to clarify that they are decision-makers from the outset to avoid wasting your and your recipient’s time.

Use the following cold emailing template to ask for the right person’s contact information.

Subject line: [Recipient’s First Name], could you help me?

Hi [Recipient’s First Name],

I came across your profile on [Source] and was hoping that you could help me out. I represent [Your Company Name], which serves businesses in [Prospect’s Industry]. Our clients achieve [Impressive Statistic/Result], and we would love to do the same for you.

Could you point me toward the member of your team who handles the decisions regarding [Your Product’s/Service’s Core Functionality]?

Thanks and best regards,

[Your Signature]

Pro-tip:

If you find your prospects’ contacts on social media, it’s best to interact with them right there. This way, your leads can check out your profile and verify your credibility, which increases your chances of getting a response.  

4. Building Trust or Data-heavy

B2B decision-makers often rely on data to select one product over another. This is especially true for high-priced products and companies with long decision cycles. In such cases, your message should contain data that piques your prospect’s interest.

Use the following cold email example to craft a message that proves your product’s value.

Subject line: Are you interested in [Benefit #1]?

Hi [Prospect’s First Name],

We help businesses in [Prospect’s Industry] effectively solve [A Problem]. [Your Product] already helped [Competitor #1] and [Competitor #2] gain [Benefit #1] and [Benefit #2].

To give you a better idea of what [Your Product] can do for your business, I’ve attached a case study highlighting the real results our clients have achieved [Download Link].

I’d love to discuss how we can do the same for you. Are you available for a quick chat this week to explore this potential?

Warm regards,

[Your Signature]  

5. Event Attendee

According to the PFL report, 82% of marketers consider events an effective channel for a B2B company to market their product. The best part is that event attendees can usually download a list of other participants’ emails. You can save time by feeding this data to your email automation software.

Use the following cold email sample to reach out to fellow event attendees.

Subject line: Hello from [Your Name] ([Event Name])

Hi [Prospect’s First Name],

I was hoping we’d have the chance to meet at [Event Name]. Our company has been helping clients in [Your Prospect’s Industry] to [Achieve A Goal] for a long time, and I believe we can take your business to new heights.

Our [Your Product/Service] offers

[Benefit/Feature #1],  
[Benefit/Feature #2],  
[Benefit/Feature #3],

and many other advantages to companies in your line of business. Are you available for a quick chat this week to discuss this potential?

Warm regards,

[Your Signature]  

6. Quick Question

Did you know that including a question in your subject line helps attract the recipient’s attention?

Indeed, such emails get opened more frequently. But don’t just insert a question mark into your subject line and continue with a completely unrelated text. Choose a question that’s personalized to your prospect’s goals and pain points.

Use the following cold email sample to grab your prospect’s attention by asking them an important question.

Subject line: Your thoughts on the current state of [Your Prospect’s Industry]?

Hi [Prospect’s First Name],

I represent [Your Company’s Name], an expert in [Your Prospect’s Industry].

Our [Your Product/Service] helps professionals like you to navigate any industry changes with the following methods successfully:

[Benefit/Feature #1], 
[Benefit/Feature #2], 
[Benefit/Feature #3].

I would love to discuss your thoughts on the [Your Prospect’s Industry] trends and explore how we can help your business grow in the current market conditions.

Let me know what time works best for you to have a quick chat this week.

Best regards,

[Your Signature]  

7. Additional Value

It’s possible that your prospect is already receiving a lot of sales and marketing messages. Most senders ask for something, so you can stand out by offering value instead.

Include relevant research, a case study, or a guide your recipient can download. Make your message sound like a no-strings-attached gesture to win over your lead.

Use the following mail example with a download link to build a relationship with your prospect.

Subject line: Ideas for [Your Prospect’s Company]

Hi [Prospect’s First Name],

Would you like to learn how to [Achieve A Goal] quickly?

I’m with [Your Company’s Name], a trusted partner to many companies in [Your Prospect’s Industry]. Below, I’ve attached a free guide our company developed for professionals like you. You can use it to get [Benefit/Feature #1], [Benefit/Feature #2], and [Benefit/Feature #3].

[Download Link]

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like to discuss other ways we can help your business.

Warm regards,

[Your Signature]  

8. Giving Praise 

It’s a great time to contact your leads when their company has won an award, achieved a significant milestone, or had favorable news coverage. Referencing your prospect’s achievements makes an opening line work as a hook to grab their attention. It’s essential to keep your message balanced. Highlight a real, specific, and significant achievement. Don’t overpraise, either. Point out just one or two things that make your prospect stand out to keep the human touch without sounding too salesy. 

Pro-tip: 
Prospects rarely reply to the first letter. But don’t despair—if you value your product, you should feel confident promoting it multiple times.

We recommend scheduling personalized follow-up messages to your campaign.

Use the example below to deliver a message referencing a recent announcement from your prospect’s company.

Subject line: Congrats on [Achievement]!

Hi [Prospect’s First Name],

It’s amazing to see the innovation in [Your Prospect’s Industry]. Kudos to you, and congratulations on your [Achievement].

We at [Your Company’s Name] also strive to help companies in [Your Prospect’s Industry] innovate and grow their business. We developed [Your Product/Service] specifically to enable professionals like you to achieve [Impressive Statistic/Result].

Do you have time this week to discuss the opportunities our collaboration can open for

[Your Prospect’s Industry]?

Congratulations again,

[Your Signature]  

9. Be as Direct As You Can  

Subject: 10x {{prospect company}} traction in 10 minutes

Hello {{name}},

I have an idea that I can explain in 10 minutes that can get {{company}} its next 100 best customers. I recently used this idea to help our client {{SaaS company/competitor}} almost triple their monthly run rate.

{{Name}}, let’s schedule a quick 10-minute call so I can share the idea with you. When works best for you?

This cold email template reportedly generated a 57% open rate and a 21% response rate (some excellent conversion rates!), likely because:

The email subject line highlights an attractive proposition, but leaves enough to the imagination to make the recipient want to open the email and learn more. The email body quickly describes what the sender can offer the prospect (100 new customers) and what they need from them (10 minutes of their time). It uses social proof to prove how this proposition has worked for others.  

10. Sujan’s 3-Sentence Format  

As the name implies, this template takes a less-is-more approach (to be considerate of busy prospects) and delivers an excellent reply rate. We don’t literally have to cut our message down to only three sentences—your intro, description, and ask—but we should try and keep it as close to that number as possible.

Hi {{name}},

My name is {{your name}}, and I’ll keep this quick. I’m the founder of a software tool that saves busy executives like you as many as 10 hours each and every week.

Could I have ten minutes of your time next week for a personalized demo that’ll make clear why entrepreneurs like Gary Vaynerchuk, Tim Ferriss, and Malcolm Gladwell love our product?  

11. Ask for an Introduction  

Hi {{name}},

I was looking to get introduced to {{person you’re trying to connect with}} from {{that person’s company}}, and saw you were connected to them. I’m not sure how well you’re connected to them, but if the relationship is strong, I’d really appreciate an introduction to chat about ways they can work with {{your company}}.

Please let me know if you feel comfortable doing this and I’ll forward a proper request for the introduction that you can forward to them. I don’t see this approach used often. In theory that might be a bad sign, but in this case I don’t think it is. We all know that getting a positive response from a prospect is easier if a mutual connection introduces you. This template turns this approach on its head by asking a stranger to initiate the introduction instead of a standard connection. It won’t work on everyone, but it’s not a huge ask -approach this one correctly and you might be surprised at the results.

Here’s another cold email template (from the same source) that leverages this approach well.

Hey {{Name}},

Would you be able to introduce me to {{person you want to reach}} at {{their company}}?

I wanted to connect with him because our email list targets a similar demographic with limited overlap. Seeing as our products are non-competitive, I wanted to touch base to see if he was up for brainstorming ways to leverage our existing user bases to grow both of our lists. We did this with {{competitor}} in the past, and both parties received a 15% lift in new subscribers.

Any help is much appreciated.  

12. Mention a Competitor’s Product  

Hi {{Name}} ,

Just ran across your website and noticed you were using {{Your competitor’s product}}. How are you liking it? I run a {{service}} called {{your company}}.

It’s just like {{your competitor’s product}}, only {{key differentiator}}. If you’re up for it, I would love to jump on a quick call with you and get your opinion on how we could make {{prospect’s company}} better (and see if it would make sense for us to work together).

Would {{date and time}} be a good time for you? (If not, I’m flexible, just let me know).

This approach targets prospects using a product similar to yours, which means you can safely assume they may be interested in using your product instead. All you need to do is highlight your product’s USP to show why it’s a better choice for potential prospects than the products they’re currently using.  

13. Praise-Picture-Push (PPP)  

A little sincere flattery never hurts, especially if you can use it to reinforce how much recipients could accomplish with my solution. Start with a genuine compliment about a recent achievement or accomplishment, paint a rosy picture of all they could achieve regularly with my product, and then encourage and compel them to take action.

Hi {{name}},

Congrats! I just saw that you were chosen as a speaker for the 2019 Inbound Marketing conference next month. As you prepare for your presentation, it’s natural to fall behind on other tasks. If you’re struggling to keep up, I’d love to show you how our software can help you reclaim ten hours or more per week.

Can I have ten minutes of your time next week to give you a personalized demo?  

14. Authority-Building Referral Email  

Subject Line: Want [insert metric from case study]?

Hey [first name],

I’ll get straight to the point: We help [target customer] tackle [main pain point], and [our solution, tool, service, product, team, etc] is highly effective. We've already helped companies like [3-4 current relevant customer names] reach [insert specific metrics].

Do you have 15 minutes tomorrow to chat about [#1 benefit your prospect can expect]?

[Include a link to schedule a call]

Thanks for your time,

[your name]

When to use:

Building trust is the primary objective when selling premium products or landing enterprise customers with long sales cycles. If so, try this template.  

15. Manager FWD

Subject Line: FWD [your company] + [their company]

Hey [first name],

My [executive position, maybe CEO, CFO, etc.] asked me to reach out (see below.)

Our company, [your company name], is specifically designed for [insert relevant information about the target audience and what you do.]

Our customers enjoy [quickly mention core benefits or value proposition.]

Do you have time for a 10-minute call this week or next?

[calendar link]

Thanks for your time,

[your name]

When to use:

This template should be used sparingly and only with an intimate understanding of your ideal customer and this specific prospect. It includes the FWD message from your CEO asking me to reach out so I don’t want to come across as "gimmicky."  

16. No-Ask Outreach Email  

Subject Line: Your feature on our blog

Hey [first name],

My content team over at [your company] recently published a post featuring [recipient company name] in a post about [title of the post, hyperlinked to the article].

We’re big fans of [what recipient company is uniquely doing] in the [industry] space, and we included you [how you referenced them—link to a blog post, quote, etc.]. I'd love to hear your thoughts, or if you have additional insights to add!

[your name]

When to use:

Use this template when you have a big "ask," but haven’t established a relationship with the prospect yet. It provides value, without asking for more than a response.   

17. My CEO is Excited

Subject Line: My CEO is excited about your XX% growth opportunity

Hey [first name],

My CEO, [name], over here at [your company] noticed your [growth data, for example website traffic growth from a tool like Semrush] has exploded recently and wanted me to deliver a high-five.

[add a chart or other visual]

[Your CEO's name] wants to join the party [him/herself] and chat with you about [#1 major benefit of your solution]. Is there a good time this week to schedule a call?

[calendar link]

[Your name]

When to use:

Like the FWD template, use this one sparingly—and primarily with SaaS folks.  

18.  “Can I Send You Ideas?” Cold Email  

Subject Line: Two ideas for [company]

Hey [first name],

I’m with [your company] where we [service you offer] for [target industry]. We've worked with companies like [name of 2-3 relevant past customers] to achieve [specific results, figures, etc] and I noticed [something related to your offering, ex: “that your team publishes a lot of content.” if you sell a marketing tool and the prospect publishes a lot of blog content].

Do you have a process for [solution you offer]? If not, I'd love to send over a quick, no-strings-attached video with two simple ways you can [prospect's pain point you solve]. What do you think?

[your name]

When to Use:

This email works particularly well for service-based companies with deep industry expertise, but it can be adapted to most scenarios.  

19. The "Making Connections" Cold Email Template  

Subject Line: [Industry] trends and [prospect company name]

Hey [First Name],

Have you seen much about the [specific recent shift, new trend, industry change] in our space? Specifically, [Trend 1], [Trend 2], and [Trend 3].

My team at [your company] has been diving deep into these changes with our [your solution’s #1 major benefit], and our customers like [2-3 relevant companies] are seeing some solid lift in [meaningful metric]. Are you up for chatting about how we could help your team get similar results?

[Your Name]

When to use:

Use this template with new leads and prospects. The goal is to make connections and build relationships, not hard sell straight out of the gate.  

20. Find Pain Points After an Announcement or Award  

Subject Line: [Prospect's Company] and [Your Company]: A Winning Combination?

Hey [First Name],

I just saw the news that [prospect company] was [the recipient of a specific award, scored a big mention in the news, or won a grant]. [Your company] specializes in helping teams like yours [brief sentence highlighting your #1 major benefit with a clear metric], especially when big changes are afoot.

What are some of the biggest pain points your team is currently facing? We've worked with companies like [2-3 relevant companies], and I’d love to share some insights with you. Do you have time for a quick chat on [day this week] to explore this? [calendar link]

[Your Name].

When to use:

When a lead’s company recently won an award, closed a new round of funding, or gained major news coverage, this template lets you connect and share how you can help them achieve the next meaningful goal.  

21. The Low Pressure, Data-Backed Cold Email Template  

Subject Line: [Stat and metric] for [prospect company] in 15 minutes

Example: "20% traffic growth for Close in 20 minutes."

Hey [name],

My team at [your company] has been working on [your deliverable, ex: some killer strategies, a robust tool suite, etc] to help companies like [prospect company name] to [brief #1 major benefit of your solution]. I’d love to partner up and see how we can help you overcome [biggest relevant challenge].

We've been working on [your deliverable, ex: some killer strategies, a robust tool suite, etc] to help companies like [prospect company name] to [brief #1 major benefit of your solution]. I’d love to partner up, and see how we can help you overcome [biggest relevant challenge]. Do you have 15 minutes for a quick call so I can share a few actionable insights with you?

[Your Name] 

When to use:

Use this template when you have insightful data or metrics you can leverage in the hook. It’ll pique interest and push them toward a response.

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You won’t have to deal with the annoying technical configurations that delay your email outreach efforts. Inframail also provides dedicated email servers for each user, ensuring that your outreach deliverability remains high and your messages land safely in your prospects' inboxes.

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