People assume cold emails are dead — but that’s most likely because those people are writing cold emails that never have a chance to live.
There are a few simple things you can do to avoid writing a bad email and how to get the most out of your cold email campaigns.
First things first: Writing an effective cold email
Here’s how to write an effective cold email
Write a short and intriguing subject line
If a professional gets an email from someone they don’t know (you) and the subject line isn’t short and intriguing, that email is going in the trash.
That’s why you need to make the title just a few words and make it something they’d want to open. Make the email feel as if it’s from a colleague. A great subject line is “Quick question.”
Keep it simple
Like the subject line, keep the email short and to the point. Don’t use multiple fonts or colors and don’t include links (spam filters will flag it).
You want them to reply, so email them the way you’d email your colleague.
Personalize the opening line
Using a person’s name in your email will dramatically increase the chances of them opening it. And that means they’re more likely to reply.
Also, try to mention specific accomplishments they’ve reached or content they’ve shared on social media. It shows you’ve done your research.
3 Reasons Why Cold Emails Are Still Alive
The numbers support cold emailing
It’s hard to ignore numbers, especially when they’re yelling at you. And the statistics to support cold emailing are quite loud.
Jon Youshaei (EveryVowel) and Shane Snow (Contently) tested the effectiveness of cold emails. They emailed 707 of their 1,000 emails arrived successfully. Of those, 45.5% were opened.
That’s double the open rate of an average mass email to business people, according stats compiled by ConstantContact and MailChimp.
The numbers don’t lie. Cold emails work.
Personalization works
One thing you can’t offer in a mass email is personalization. With cold emails, you can personalize every single message.
And that’s actually the reason why Snow and Youshaei’s cold email test worked so well. They wrote each email to the specific person.
“Tactics for optimizing sales emails are well and good,” Snow writes. “But they’re not as important as personalized research and sender/sendee fit.”
And it’s more than just using the person’s name. It’s about researching each lead to make sure you know who they are and why they could use what you’re selling. Mention their notable achievements and anything else specific to their profession.
You’re able to use targeted leads
Even if you personalize every email, they still won’t work unless you’re contacting the right people. That’s why you need to use targeted leads.
But how do you find the people who want what you’re offering?
The best tool available is LinkedIn Sales Navigator, a premium account that lets you find and reach out to professionals at scale.
With Sales Navigator, you can use Advanced Search, which allows you to search LinkedIn profiles by:
- Industry
- Location
- Professional and work history
- Seniority level
- Keywords
In a few minutes, you can see hundreds of profiles. You can then put all of these profiles on a leads list within LinkedIn.
In order to start cold emailing these people, you need to export their email addresses using a LinkedIn email finder.
And once you have those email addresses, you’ll be ready to start your (very not-dead) cold emailing campaign.
