Cold emails sound like a plan waiting to fail. After all, you’re reaching out to an audience you absolutely have zero previous exchanges. In addition to that, you are offering them your products or services. For entrepreneurs, the gains should always be worth the risk. Otherwise, it’s purely a waste of time. Getting to the point, do cold emails work? The answer to that is simple. Yes, it does. However, you have to do it properly for it to do so.
Here are some tips on how to better that cold email.
Find the balance between formal and casual
Remember, you are emailing somebody you have no prior interaction. To make it worse, the receiving end of your email is a possible client, boss, or connection. As they say, first impressions last. Your recipient is not your childhood friend or your cousin in the province, so an opener like “My dude!” or “HAVE YOU HEARD…” definitely won’t work. Think of something along the lines of “Hello Mark.” Casual, but classy.
You want to keep your email engaging. You want to “talk” about what you can offer. In order to do that, make sure to use the correct terminology. Don’t make it too technical to the point of boring your recipient, but you also don’t want to make it too casual to make them lose interest.
Put all necessary information
In order to convince anybody, you have to make sure that you clearly state your motive. Don’t leave the recipient guessing, because they definitely won’t. While doing that, make sure to also back up your claims with credibility. Tell them about your qualifications, send them your portfolio, past experiences, or achievements. Make them go wow and keep them intrigued. However, don’t start your email about you. Just lay it down then proceed.
Even if it seems like a newbie mistake, make sure to include your full name and title. Nobody trusts someone without a last name.
Here’s a rundown of what should be included in your mail.
- Your full name and title
- Contact information
- Proof of credibility (previous works, achievements, etc.)
- Your reason for emailing your recipient
Personalize your message
Nobody likes reading a template. You don’t have to use their first names. But if you do, that will give a better sense of familiarity. Make sure that each cold email you send has some degree of personalization. Make sure that the email is more about them and less about you. Remember, you’re trying to gain their favor and not the other way around. Make them feel like you know them. Make them comfortable enough to let you, a stranger, have a piece of their time.
You know what else everybody loves? Compliments. Your leads will probably not outrightly show their appreciation, but they do like it. In addition to that, it shows them how much you’ve researched about them. How much effort you’ve spent to know who they are. Don’t keep pointing out what they lack, then tell them you can help them be better. Instead, tell them how great they are doing, then offer to help them do it better.
A bit of personalization will make your cold emails better.
