The Definitive Guide to the Art of Writing a Cold Email
If you want to increase your business outreach, it’s crucial to learn how to write a cold email that piques the interest of the recipient and persuades them to respond to your email. If we consider the number of emails we all receive each day, it would seem that the impact of cold emails is diminishing.
Whether it’s a new business prospect, a new product promotion, a job requirement, we all have sent a cold email at some point of time and then wait with anticipation for a reply. Cold emails are a difficult form of communication mainly for two reasons- you do not know the recipient and you have no means of knowing their response in real time.
However, if you modify the approach to the cold email, it will have the desired impact and you will be able to generate a response out of the recipient.
An effective cold email take into account five crucial aspects, and these are:
Customize the message as per the recipient of the email
Before you actually send out an email, it is important to do proper research about the recipient. Most emails fail to get a response mainly because they lack ‘Personalization’.
Personalization implies that you have taken the time to try and know more about the recipient- social platforms like LinkedIn are a good place to start. This also means that you have put in the required time to research about the recipient and since you emailing them over others so they are important.
Prove your value
Since you are sending the email, you are the stranger and while you have done your part of the research, the one receiving your email still has no idea about you and your business.
It is really important for you to build your credibility and that you can be trusted. Establish your credibility with anything that could be relevant to the recipient. The sooner the recipient realizes your importance, you are more likely to get a response from them.
Offer them what they want
Since you have done your research, you will also know the actual need- a solution or a service that the recipient wants. The main part of your email should answer the following questions
- Why you are contacting them?
- How you can help them?
- The benefits of the solution or service you are offering.
- Your success stories, how you have helped others in the past.
Avoid long emails
No one likes to read really long emails so it is best to keep the email short, relevant and direct. The best way to do this is to write the way you talk, also it is a good practice to read the email before you send it. This way you can check for typos, grammatical errors and also make sure that you are not deviating from the key points. Like no one likes a one-sided conversation similarly no one likes to read excessively long emails.
Don’t forget to include your specific ‘ask’ in the email. Every email must include this as it sets the context for all future communication, however, don’t be too pushy.
Don’t use a readymade template
Since your email should be personalized, it should not be just another template. No one knows your business better than you, a template would simply not convey the same message as your own words will.
Emails that actually get read come from people, not big brands or business but someone with whom you can establish a meaningful connection. Readymade templates take away the focus from the actual content thus diluting the overall impact.
Lastly, do not put all the information in one email, some things are better left for a face to face meeting. Do not be disheartened if you don’t get revert, keep emailing until you get a response. A follow-up email is more likely to generate a response if you haven’t received one already.
The two things that will help you to get the response you want are-persistence and patience. People are always impressed by the one who takes initiative and cold emails are the best way to build a reliable network without depending on anyone.
