Crafting a cold email is a bit of a tightrope walk.
If it comes across as generic or templated, one risks losing their audience’s attention — or it just ends up in the spam folder. If it reads as pushy or overly “sales-y,” the reader might feel off-put, regardless of how valuable a product or service could be to them or their business.
However, a perfectly formulated email might be the thing that converts a prospect into a loyal customer.
Sales professionals know there’s a science to getting a cold email just right, down to the granular details — the optimal time and day to send, the ideal word and sentence length, a compelling subject line and a call to action.
However, there is something less statistical and more personal that factors in; tailoring the messaging to what a recipient is specifically interested in grabs their attention, holds it and drives a response.
Over 347 billion emails are sent per day, but only 18 percent, on average, are opened, according to Zippia. In this environment, attention to detail and the unique needs of each potential customer can make or break a cold email.
Yash Joshi, a named account representative at NowSecure, shared what made his most successful cold emails work, the research that guides his outreach efforts and the common mistakes to avoid.
NowSecure is on a mission to keep mobile apps secure via its security testing automation platform and mobile-only tools.
Tell us about one of the most successful cold emails you’ve sent. What was the subject line? What was the response?
One of the most successful cold emails was influenced by a shock factor. The subject line was “Release Mobile Apps 30% Faster”. The subject line gave a value prop, was a bold shift related to current processes and was generic enough for both doers as well as execs. Along with a straightforward ask, I also offered an opportunity to talk with some of our customers to back up our 30 percent faster release claim.
Although no one took up the opportunity to talk with a customer, we had many positive responses looking to see how we could help leapfrog their team and processes to become an industry leader.
What is your strategy for writing cold emails? What kind of research do you do leading up to the send?
On the individual level, looking at someone’s LinkedIn profile helps qualify the person and make sure they have relevance to your solution. Usually, folks write their current initiatives and what they do. If there’s not much on the profile, finding keywords or looking at recent accomplishments throughout their profile helps paint the picture.
Recently, my approach has expanded to looking at the company and its team as well. Researching what the organization is strategically focused on, all the way down to how their team is structured, drastically changes the strategy.
Researching what the organization is strategically focused on, all the way down to how their team is structured, drastically changes the strategy.”
For example, if their team is small, there is more of a focus on how my solution can do the heavy lifting for them using automation. If the team is large and mature, empowering the team with cutting-edge technologies becomes more of a focus.
Ultimately, a cold message should align with what they’re currently doing and how you can help both the individual and their team succeed; make it mysterious enough for them to engage but simple enough for them to understand your solution.
Success often only comes after trying and failing. What are some rookie mistakes you’ve made or see others making in cold emails? How can people avoid these mistakes?
As a rookie, there is usually a desire to prove yourself and get quick results. Most rookies try to hit the ground running by sending the same email to a large list of people. Although there are ways to get past email filters, this tends to leave you in the spam folder or blocked.
Another common mistake is stating the obvious about why you want to talk with the person. Rather than pointing out the tenure or expertise the person has related to your outreach, talk about the current projects or initiatives they have and how your solution can help them. Pointing out their 20 years in managing teams has no impact and is costing space in your email.
Most importantly, instead of differentiating yourself from the competition by writing about features, write about how those features benefit and align with their organization.
