Cold emailing is the best way to reach out to potential customers, as it has an ROI of 3800%!
However, have you ever submitted a cold email to a potential customer and wondered whether or not they received it well?
You’re not alone. We’ve all been there. You may be trying to get in touch with a business owner who you think may be interested in your product or service or someone you think would be a perfect fit for your solution.
You don’t want to send out the same old email all the time, but, at the same time, you don’t want to waste too many hours crafting exclusive messages, either. So, you think of copy-pasting an existing template. But that won’t do because using the exact words, the same structure, and the same style you’ve used to woo other professionals can land you in hot water.
To help you with cold email outreach, we have curated a list of cold email copywriting tips that work like a charm. It’s time to take a look at them for yourself. But first, let’s see what a cold email exactly is.
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What Is A Cold Email?
In sales, an email you send to a person who does not already know about your business is called a cold email. The recipient, in this case, doesn’t even expect to receive mail from you. A sales cold email aims to close a deal by building a relationship with the recipient.
Basically, the idea behind a cold email is to gain access to or to influence another individual or company without any previous relationship. But why would someone want to do that? The answer is simple – To achieve some perceived benefit, usually related to monetary gains, such as securing a future business deal or asking for a favor.
Read about the Email Marketing Funnel.
Components Of A Cold Email
Let’s now look at the different components of a good cold email:
1. From line
2. Subject line
3. Email body
4. CTA
The from line has the sender’s name, which is quite important and has to be that of a human because no one likes to receive automated messages from a bot. Followed by the sender’s name is the subject line of the email. That has to be click-worthy to get a good email open rate. Next comes the email body, which must convey your message clearly. Last but not the least is the CTA or call to action that aims at getting the recipient to take action. Here you mist flex your copywriting skills.
So, this was a quick look at what a cold email consists of. Let’s now head straight to what email copywriting is & look at a few cold email copywriting tips.
What Is Email Copywriting?
Email copywriting involves writing email content to persuade the reader to take a specific action, such as clicking a link, signing up for a service, or making a purchase.
Email copywriting differs from other types of writing because it must be direct, concise, and persuasive. As email copywriting aims to get the reader to take action, the best way out is to write clear and concise emails that offer value and are relevant to the reader.
Learn all about copywriting in our blog post.
Practical Cold Email Copywriting Tips
Here’s what you should bear in mind while creating copies for your cold email campaigns,
1. Segment your list
Target cold email recipients by dividing your email list into segments (e.g., industry segment, job function or seniority level) so that you can send relevant emails to each group and eliminate the “myth of one size fits all.” Segmenting your list is often the first step to writing cold emails. This means that you won’t blast the same message to a hundred people in one go and will, therefore, ensure that recipients are interested in what you have to say.
2. Keep it short and sweet
The most important rule of thumb when it comes to cold email copywriting is to keep it short and sweet. This means that you should get to the point quickly and avoid adding unnecessary fluff or fillers.
While the key to making an effective cold email is to keep it concise, don’t hesitate to offer additional information in the form of links to supporting documents or websites. You can also use bullets to make your points clear. The shorter the email, the more likely the recipient is to open it and act upon it. Think of the great emails you’ve received in your lifetime; chances are you remember them because they were concise and to the point. So, keep that in mind as you write your next email campaign.
3. Personalize
Another crucial tip for sales email copywriting is to personalize your email. This means you should address the recipient by name and include other personal touches, such as mentioning something you have in common or how you found their contact information. Ideally, take a few minutes to craft a compelling subject line that will make your email stand out among the others. Replace the “Dear Sir/ Madam” with a personalized salutation like “Hi Mr./Ms. XYZ” or “Hello [first name], [last name]” to establish your credibility as a business person who is addressing a fellow human being.
4. Be specific
When pitching a product or service, it’s essential to be specific about what you’re talking about. Using specific terms, they’re more likely to understand would be best. In the same way, it would be best to avoid using words with several different meanings – that way, there’s no risk of misunderstanding.
For example, if you’re selling tickets to see a concert and you use the term ‘front row’ – they might assume you mean something different than what you meant. However, if you used the phrase ‘economy seating’, it would be much clearer that you meant ‘front row’.
Take a look at more copywriting examples.
5. Offer value
One of the best ways to make your cold email stand out is to offer value, as it helps establish your credibility. Therefore, when you contact someone for the first time, your email should include a free offer or something the recipient will find helpful and relevant. Also, ensure that your offering influences the recipient’s decision. This can be in the form of a discount, a free trial, or simply valuable content that the recipient will find useful.
You can make this offer more personal by mentioning something your recipient said to you or is interested in. That shows you know your audience and have done your homework.
You can use copywriting formulas for better results.
6. Build a rapport
Another important tip for cold emailing is to build a rapport. This means you should establish a connection with the recipient by showing them that you understand their needs and concerns.
You can do this by using a friendly tone, avoiding any hard sell tactics and finding common ground that is non-business related. It would help if you let your potential client know that you’re not trying to sell and you intend to make a connection. You can use personal anecdotes to connect with different people. If your potential client is impressed with your approach, they’re more likely to allow you to prove yourself. It is worth noting that relationship building in cold outreach is quite different from email marketing.
Learn more about effective copywriting.
7. Make it about them
A great way to keep your cold email focused and make it about the recipient is to use the word “you” as much as possible. This means that you should avoid using “I” or “we” and instead focus on how the recipient will benefit from what you’re offering. By writing for the person you’re emailing, you can succeed tremendously with your campaign.
You can research your target audience to determine the kind of information and/or product your readers want. By understanding and prioritizing the information your readers want, you’ll make your email more effective and, hopefully, result in warmer reception and more opportunities to develop business relationships.
8. Use an enticing subject line
Since cold emailing relies heavily on getting recipients actually to open your email, it’s essential to have a strong subject line. This means that your subject line should be attention-grabbing and clear as to what the email is about. To make great subject lines, you have to know that most recipients have the attention span of a goldfish. They will only read the first few words of an email subject line. Therefore, you must keep it punchy and concise by staying within 5 words. Do not drag your point just to have a long cold email subject line.
9. Focus on the problem, not the solution
A good cold email must focus on the problem, not the solution. When you’re pitching a potential customer, what do you want them to do? You want them to reply, right? So, you have to ensure that your email contains only the necessary information for them to take the desired action. The less you bombard them with information, the more inclined they are to read and engage with your email.
For a while, focusing on the problem was sufficient. But today’s customers expect to be provided with relevant, useful information as soon as possible. So, if you’re sending out a cold email asking them to consider purchasing a product, make sure that you include a compelling reason why they should agree to purchase that particular product.
10. Use active voice
Another way to ensure your email gets read is by using an active voice. Instead of saying, “Productivity can be improved to a great extent with this product”, try saying something like this “Our product improves productivity to a great extent”. They both mean the same thing, but the second one looks more direct and clear. It seems like you’re doing something instead of just reporting information.
11. Use a clear call to action
Finally, make sure to include a call to action in your email. A call to action (CTA) encourages someone to respond to your email. It tells them what you want them to do, whether it is clicking on a link, downloading a white paper, or simply taking your offer. Make sure that it is clear and concise. Also, don’t add more than one CTA in an email, or you will confuse the recipient resulting in no action from their end.
We hope that you now know how to write cold emails!
If you are looking for cold email templates, here’s some help.
Get Ready To Excel At Writing Cold Email Copies
So, we went through a collection of proven cold email copywriting secrets that will help you craft compelling emails that will stand out from the crowd. Writing copies for cold emails can’t get easier when you bear the above points in mind.
Right from keeping the subject line intriguing to adding a clear CTA at the end, the tips can help you nail each cold email your write and increase the chances of a reply from the recipient. Apart from sales, cold emails find their use in link-building activities, guest posting outreach and even recruitment. Most of the tips above will work for these other use cases as well.
Do check out our copywriting guide before leaving.
FAQs
Cold email copywriting is a skill used to improve the response rate of your emails. When done correctly, it can help you outshine the crowd, build relationships with potential customers, and close deals faster.
Writing shorter emails, personalizing them, offering value, making the email about recipients, using a catchy subject line, and focusing on the problem instead of the solutions are some of the best strategies for cold email copywriting.
The intent of both types of emails is different. Marketing emails build brand awareness & keep customers updated. However, cold emails introduce your business to new customers & build relationships with them. So, we can’t say which is better.