Emailing can be intimidating since it involves sending a written message out into the world with no way of knowing will it be read at all.
When it comes to initiating contact with potential customers, though, an email can be a strong and cost-effective tool.
If you are interested to learn all about cold emailing and start applying it today, keep reading this fast guide to cold emailing that I’ve prepared for you. Let’s get started!
What Is a Cold Email?
A cold email is an outreach message sent to someone with whom you have never communicated before.
It is similar to cold calling in that it involves calling potential customers to check whether they’re interested in a product or service. The distinction is that, unlike cold calls, cold emails are less intrusive, and the well-written ones don’t try to sell you something.
Cold emails, when sent effectively, engage your ideal consumer and provide them with the information they need to respond.
They can be used for networking, link building, recruiting, and purposes other than sales.
The important thing to remember here is that you should only message someone if you have a valid reason for it.
Is Cold Email a Spam?
Most likely, the first question that pops in your head is whether a cold email is the same as spam, and in that case, is it actually legal to send it?
Spam is something we’ve all had to deal with. Companies have contacted you with dozens (if not hundreds) of messages claiming to have the things you want at absurdly low costs or attempting to stimulate you into visiting their website.
Most of us consider this to be spam. It’s inconvenient, ineffective, and just serves to make us discard emails in disgust.
These messages might all be classified as “cold emails” from a technical standpoint. After all, they’re firms’ haphazard attempts to reach out to an unknown prospect.
This is why it is important to distinguish cold emailing from spam. This is a semantic issue, but I like to think about it like this: spam is thoughtless, whereas cold emailing is strategic.
Ethical cold emails are preferable to spam for the following reasons:
✅ They are targeted
Cold emailers who are successful know exactly who they’re contacting. Spammers will send emails to anyone who will open them.
✅ They are valuable
The finest cold emailers make an effort to provide value to their receivers in the form of information, data, advice, or unique offers. Spammers are attempting to deceive you into purchasing their products.
✅ They are reasonable
Ethical cold emails are only sent on rare occasions, and the language and offers differ. Spammers will inundate you with ineffective communication.
Is Cold Emailing Illegal?
If you’ve done any research on cold emailing, you’ve definitely come across some legal subtleties that have made you wonder if your cold email marketing may break any laws by accident.
Cold emailing is perfectly lawful as long as you follow the rules set forth by applicable regulations. The CAN-SPAM act, which established criteria for sending commercial emails in the United States, was one of the first of its kind.
When to Use Cold Emails
Cold emails can be used for a variety of purposes, including:
- Creating Leads
- Marketing with Influencers
- Recruiting
Let’s look at how cold emails can be used in each of these scenarios:
Creating leads
Lead generation by a salesperson is the most prevalent use case for cold emailing.
To introduce your product or service, you send an email to a possible consumer. You discuss the advantages of what you’re selling and how the cold prospect might profit from it.
Influencer marketing
Influencer marketing is a type of digital marketing in which a marketer uses celebrities to promote a product or service to a big, targeted audience.
Here, you reach out to major opinion leaders, bloggers, podcast hosts, YouTubers, and celebrities in your desired niche.
Recruiting
Recruiters frequently discover that the finest applicants are “passive candidates,” or persons who are not actively hunting for work right now.
Cold outreach emails are ideal for this since they allow the recruiter to approach a large number of passive candidates without being obtrusive.
How do you write a cold email?
An effective cold email requires several stages. Here are some important cold email rules to remember:
Make a captivating subject line
Make sure your subject line is perfect because it is the first thing your recipient sees.
It should be short and engaging, capturing your prospect’s attention instantly. Make it compassionate rather than forceful.
Most importantly, never use a deceptive subject line in a cold email to convince a recipient or potential client to open it. Using a clickbait subject line might damage your credibility and undermine their faith in you. Furthermore, they will very certainly mark your message as spam.
Here’s a code email example with effective subject lines:
- “A fast idea for improving [the prospect’s area of interest]”
- “Save [amount in dollars/percentage] on [business expenditures]”
- Did you know that [competitor] has a higher ranking for ‘[keyword]’ than you? This is the reason.”
Personalize the content of your cold email
Every day, your prospect’s inbox is inundated with hundreds of emails.
That’s why you need to show that you’re not a spammer that sends emails to hundreds of people about whom you have no information.
B2B marketers must conduct extensive research in order to develop effective tailored emails. Examine the recipient’s organization, determine what matters to a certain potential client, identify a shared interest, and consider how you might assist them in furthering their purpose.
Create tailored outreach emails that match your recipient’s demands after doing enough research, emphasizing how only you can provide them with what they desire.
You can make customised emails even if you have dozens or hundreds of emails to send. Personalize the name, company name, company data, and other fields you obtained during the prospecting research phase.
Establish Your Trustworthiness
Remember that your recipients have no prior knowledge of you.
That’s why it’s critical to describe who you are (for example, a sales manager, sales rep, or customer relationship executive) and why you’re the best person to talk to about their needs in your cold email.
Explain your credentials — what you represent, whether you have a mutual connection or a common interest, and why you’re reaching out to them.
Your Recipient’s Pain Points Should Be Highlighted
Always try to identify a pain issue that your recipient may be experiencing during your study and incorporate it in your cold emails.
It demonstrates that:
- You did your homework on them.
- You have a mutual interest in advancing their mission and assisting them in achieving their goals.
Here are a few methods for identifying a pain issue that your prospects are experiencing:
- Look up press releases and news coverage for the company.
- Follow them on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms.
- Examine their digital marketing campaigns.
- Examine their website to see what software they employ.
- Speak with people who are familiar with the business.
Specify What You Can Offer
The most important component of any cold email message is defining your value proposition. It’s why you’re emailing a potential client in the first place.
Make sure your cold sales emails communicate what you can do for a cold prospect through your value proposition after introducing who you are and what the receiver might be struggling with.
It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to sell them something or merely guiding them on certain topics in order to establish a long-term relationship.
Describe how you can provide value to their lives and why they should spend time reading this cold email.
End Your Email with a Call-to-Action
Let’s pretend your receiver was wowed by your outreach email and is interested in doing business with you.
So, what’s next?
You’ll need to direct them to the following step (what you want them to do), which is where a call-to-action comes in.
The idea is to make it easier for qualified leads to continue the discussion without having to think too hard about what you want them to do.
Use a Well-Constructed Signature
The cherry on top of a well-crafted cold email is a great email signature.
It tells your receiver who you are, what company you work for, what function you play, and alternative ways to contact you.
Final word
Effective cold emails can help you start conversations with potential clients which could benefit your company immensely.
Remember to personalize cold emails, establish your reputation, and discuss how you can assist the receiver while sending them.
While juggling all of these responsibilities on your own can be difficult, it doesn’t have to be if you apply the above-described methods. Good luck!