As a small business owner, it’s highly likely you’re already familiar with cold emails.
If not, you’re probably on your way to getting acquainted.
Email marketing is very much alive and still tricky. You can waste hours of your time and effort only to be blacklisted. You want that very first email to be replied to so you can start a conversation and get the ball rolling.
You need your non-spammy subject-line email with a strong pitch; to be personalised for its recipient.
1. Personalisation is key to ‘breaking the ice’
Your email needs to address its intended recipient by name. Keep it simple, personable and thoughtful so it resonates and urges the reader to read on. The first couple of lines have to be about them and not about you.
It can be based on an interest, passion or experience you have in common. It could be that you found something they shared on social media or a podcast intriguing. Know clearly who you’re writing to, what you want them to do and why you’re reaching out.
If your intention is to send cold emails to a group of similar individuals; create a customisable email template to save time. Do your homework and personalise it to each individual and make it really sound like you.
Don’t forget to include a short and sweet CTA (call-to-action) on the next steps. It must not be the focus of your email but is important to include at the end. Before hitting send, read it through and check if you’ve given them a reason to reply to you.
2. Tease and ease your way to a pitch
How you frame your email subject line can be the deciding factor in whether your email is opened. It should be informal, short and to the point. Subject lines that start with the old-school ‘Re.’ or include capitals like an article title are a big no-no.
Research who you’re writing to and pre-qualify your prospect or lead. Transition to your pitch smoothly - maybe even tease by asking a simple yes or no question to hook them. It’s the best way to start a conversation and lead into a formal pitch in a subsequent mail.
When making your pitch, draw focus to a problem they face and how you can help them overcome it. Convey it in a way that all the attention is on them and not you. Don’t toot your own horn and rattle off a whole bunch of stats and awards.
Review your pitch a couple of times to make sure it’s solid and tight.
3. Sidestep that spam folder
The hard truth is that there will be times your carefully crafted email lands in spam.
You can reduce these chances significantly by reaching out to the right audience, with the right message at the right time.
Use a free tool to check your email and subject line for the usual spam triggers. Don’t include more than a couple of links in your email. Always hyperlink a word or phrase instead of leaving the link as is. Email one person at a time instead of doing a mass email blast.
Write as you would speak to a person. Use direct, active voice and simple language free of filler words. Always run a spelling and grammar check and double-check the recipient’s name.
While a visual cold email may aid your pitch; think twice about your heavy image files. Skip links to GIFs and videos as these get flagged as spam too.
Planning on some serious long-term cold emailing/ prospecting? It may be worth setting up a separate dedicated domain to avoid your main domain getting blacklisted.
Cold emails only work when of quality content that genuinely benefits or is relevant to its intended recipient. Otherwise, that email even if opened, is going straight to trash. Crafting that perfect email takes time and practice.
Be fun, relatable and draw the person in with your email!
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