How to write a top-notch cold e-mail

Unsolicited e-mails will most likely end up being deleted. So what can you do to make sure your e-mail stands out from the other hundreds in your prospect’s Inbox?

It all starts with the Subject Line.

If your subject line is 💩, your e-mail might as well delete itself.
Even if you have:
✅ a personalized ‘hook’
✅ a low-commitment call to action
✅ a value proposition that solves the prospect’s problem

If your e-mail doesn’t get opened in the first place, having all the above is totally useless. Subject lines are therefore the gateway to your cold email’s success.

Already have a cracking subject line? Follow the checklist below on how to write a solid cold e-mail that is almost certainly guaranteed to land you a reply.

✅ Keep it relatively short, no more than 100 words

✅ Keep it simple – be yourself: write how you talk, avoid “buzz words”, sales jargon and email cliches

✅ Use 2-3 sentence paragraphs – it allows the recipient to ‘scan’ the content easily, especially since most people are likely to first see new e-mails on their mobile devices. If it fits on their screen, they are more likely to read it.

✅ Use a decent Font, i.e. Arial, Calibri, Tahoma. No Comic Sans!

✅ Avoid overloading your e-mail with links and attachments. This could trigger your e-mail being inadvertently marked as spam

✅ Depending on who your recipient is, try experimenting with GIFs. You are selling to people at the end of the day and most people appreciate a good laugh 😊

✅ Proofread, Proofread, Proofread, I can’t stress this enough. Make sure you have spelt the prospect’s name correctly!

Ready to hit the send button? Hold it right there! 🛑

Work out when you are likely to get a higher open rate by A/B Testing, otherwise, your e-mail might not even see the light of day!

For more insights & tips, check out Reply.io‘s, ‘The Must-Read Guide to Cold Emailing’