Want to know how to create a cold email that will be really efficient and impress your target audience? Then, review the suggestions in our article.
There are two main reasons why sending a cold email is so challenging. You can't adjust your strategy on the fly since you haven't built any rapport with your audience yet, and you're just getting feedback via words. Therefore, the majority of “cold” emails are useless.
However, they have the potential to be effective. Using just cold emails, some people have founded successful businesses and established themselves as industry leaders. You can even adjust your strategy and use top-notch services in a way that your target audience doesn’t realize that it’s your cold emailing campaign. You can click to see more on how to send emails to multiple recipients without them knowing it.
Not much research has been done on cold emails, but Shane Snow did an interesting experiment in his book Smartcuts. He sent over a thousand “cold” emails to top-level executives but received hardly any replies. As a result, he tried again with a subset of the original group and saw improved results by applying some great advice from people like Wharton psychology professor Adam Grant and entrepreneurs Tim Ferriss and Heather Morgan.
How to write a successful cold email?
There are five objectives of a productive cold email. As such, it should follow certain rules and avoid things that make the reader click the ‘Spam’ button or not read the message.
Address the right person
You need to conduct your research. Of course, there are appropriate and inappropriate methods. To tailor your message to a specific individual, you must first create a “theory of mind” about them by considering their background, worldview, interests, and desired outcomes. It demonstrates your sincere interest in getting to know them.
You explain exactly why it is that you are contacting them and not someone else. It has been shown through studies that individuals are more likely to assist others if they believe they have special skills that may benefit those in need. You may make the story more comprehensible to them if you explain their role in the bigger picture.
Why talk to you?
Second, prove your own worth. Whenever we come into contact with a new individual, whether in person or over email, we naturally become curious about that person. Keep it in mind the next time you're a foreigner. Despite your extensive background study, the recipients of your email will still know very little about you. You have to prove your worthiness and earn their confidence.
The most convincing type of social evidence is a shared connection with a third party. Bring up any personal ties you may have to the subject at hand. As soon as you discover you have a common buddy, you may no longer consider yourselves to be strangers. Without that, immediately (a line or two) explain any authority, credibility, or social position you have that is relevant to this individual and your request. If you're an “important” person, you're more likely to obtain a reply.
It's okay if you don't have any official positions. Get on the same page. Being in a group, particularly a close-knit one, is fundamentally appealing to humans. Keep an eye out for odd commonalities, such as shared hometowns or interests. The goal is to make the transition from “stranger” to “friend” in the eyes of the receiver.
Find a hook
Third, make the reader's life easier or more satisfying in some way. Exactly what is it in your email that makes the receiver want to read it? Why should this busy person bother to reply? What's the point?
Keep in mind that preventing suffering is more motivating than getting pleasure. Emphasize the fact that you understand the recipient's issue and can provide a solution. When everything else fails, give the people what they want. To stand out, offer to introduce them to someone you know they would get along with; nearly no one does this unless they are specifically asked to. However, as a present from a complete stranger, it must seem fitting.
Keep it brief
Fourth, remember to keep it simple and to the point. Many individuals find great satisfaction in being able to provide for the needs of others; for others, this satisfaction may rise to the level of a “desire.” You may boost their self-esteem by asking for assistance. However, simplify things for them.
As you probably already know, shorter emails are more likely to be read and replied to. And the number of people who respond to emails that ask for a clear, specific action is much higher. The worst kind of cold emails are the long, verbose ones that say nothing of value.
To keep things brief and to the point, it helps to write the way you would speak. You wouldn't approach this individual at a party and immediately start selling to them. You'd start out with an introduction, some pleasant words, a common friend or hobby, and a reasonable request. I would suggest reading your email out loud before you send it. It will read well if it sounds natural.
Your “ask” will be more effective if you do as much as possible to facilitate its implementation by your audience. “Let me know if you want to meet up” is a bad opener. Because of this, someone else has to put in the mental effort to make a choice for the two of you, and they also have to deal with the accompanying details. It's brief, but it's neither simple nor straightforward.
To provide another example, consider: “I can meet on Wednesday or Thursday between 10 a.m. and 12 a.m.” Say, “If that doesn't work, tell me what does, and I'll make it happen.” As a result, they have a simple, straightforward next step with well-defined, limited options. However, there is more to a successful “ask” than just stating what you want. Exactly how you break the news makes a big difference.
Demonstrate your gratitude
Five, show a modicum of openness. I would even go so far as to suggest you should be little subservient. Not that you should treat your listeners like they're some kind of medieval lord or something. You are making an unfamiliar request for a stranger. You make them feel like a decent person if they choose to assist you because you show appreciation and some vulnerability. By contacting them, you also offer them a temporary boost in their own sense of authority.
As a consequence, this works. “Thank you!” is a simple way to express gratitude. Response rates are doubled when you add “I am truly appreciative” to a request. And if they say they're too busy, tell them it's okay. When you provide an exit strategy, people are more inclined to want to help you out. Again, this advice may seem like common sense, but few people really follow it.
Follow a model
Simply searching “cold email template” on Google will yield several results. While I did discover some that worked well for sales, I was unable to locate a single that would work well as the basis for a one-on-one cold email.
Which is reasonable. The very notion of “personalized” rules out the use of a pre-existing model. That’s why this post outlines concepts but has no scripts.
