What makes a great cold email?
Well, for starters, having it read….
That’s the point of a cold email that actually works, is having someone read the mail and think, “Hey, this sounds like something I might need, let me take a deeper look.”
If you can get a prospect to open your mail, read it and act on it, then you have won the cold email battle.
Here are 41 of our best cold email examples, all categorized WITH video teardowns.
Before we begin… What makes a GREAT cold email?
What do we mean by a “great cold email”? This would mean an email that actually gets a response rate from prospects. If you’re not getting any replies or even a good percentage of open rates, then this means that something needs to change.
You should use these tips when it comes to successful cold emails:
Know your target audience
Researching your ideal customer is incredibly important for getting higher open rates and replies. If your product/service involves selling medical equipment, you wouldn’t want to waste time sending emails to hair salon owners, for example.
Always know your target market before reaching out. This might take a bit more time, but it’s worth it in the end, as you will be reaching those who are actually interested in your offer.
So before you begin, have an email list of at least 30 ideal prospects that you have already taken the time to research. Remember, low quantity, and high-value emails are what’s going to bring in the leads.
Use a curiosity-grabbing subject line
Before anyone even opens an email, they usually have a quick look at the subject line. Interestingly though, a subject line doesn’t play a huge role according to stats on higher open rates, but you need to remember that a subject line is like a statement of what you are going to find in the email.
It’s wise to have a subject line that would be interesting, instead of something just stating “a company name,” for example.
Think of an interesting intro sentence
The purpose of your first line is for the prospect to read the second line and so forth. When writing your email, make sure that the first sentence makes the person want to keep on reading.
One of the most important tricks to master is to not sound salesy. Don’t dive into your sales pitch from the word go, as this can put people off reading any further.
Stand out with personalization.
We can’t stress this enough. Personalization is the key that will get you that reply. You can research your prospect to find out a little more. For example, were they on a recent podcast that was inspirational? Do they do any charity in the area? What is it about them that stands out?
By mentioning this in an email, it’s bound to get your prospect’s attention because you’re not just some random automation tool that spams people. You’re an actual live human behind the message, that has taken the time to reach out personally.
Keep your cold email brief.
Do not send an essay. People don’t have time to read emails all day long. Therefore keep your email super brief. A max of 3- 4 sentences is enough. Be sure to include why you are reaching out as well.
Have a good CTA
A great CTA could include asking for a meeting or a phone call. You could ask in your first email, but it’s a better idea to rather ask for one in your second or third email. In this way, the person might be more willing actually to accept a call from you.
Let’s get into the nitty-gritty of sales prospecting cold email strategies that marketers are using.
Have a look at these cold email examples that we received below. In each section, we have included teardown videos for each email. As you can see below, some people used cold email templates, some were effective cold emails (that we actually replied to), and some were really bad.
Some of the emails mention their customer’s pain points, others personalize the mails, but some are like the typical sleazy kind of salespeople you want to avoid when it comes to outreach. (This is the type of cold emailing you need to avoid when it comes to b2b sales.)
Have a look below and see what you can learn from all the examples. Be sure to take note of their opening lines, value proposition, email copy, and social proof. All of these add to great cold email outreach.
Let’s begin…
1. What Perfect Email Personalization Looks like:
Example 1
Example 2:
2. Cold emails that almost worked:
Example 3
Example 4
Example 5
4. Cold emails you wish you had written
Example 6
Example 7
Example 8
5. How to 4x your backlink request emails
Example 9
Example 10
6. Impossible to ignore cold emails
Example 11
Example 12
Example 13
7. Link-building and ripping apart a “fans” cold email
(In this tearing down email session, these emails sounded promising but made us unhappy. Have a look below)
Example 14
Example 15 : Follow-up
Example 16: Follow up 2
Example 17: Sender 2
8. Cold email tips for outsourced IT agencies
Example 18
Example 19
9. Improving outsourced IT and SaaS cold emails
Example 20
Example 21 – Follow up
Example 22
Example 23 – Follow up
Example 24 – Break up email follow up
10. SEO and technical emails
Example 25
Example 26 – Follow-up email.
Example 27
Example 28 – Follow up
11. A case study on improving personalization
Example 29
Example 30
Example 31 – Follow up
Example 32 – Break up email
12. Takeaways from Good, bad, and ugly emails
Example 33
13. Teardown on how to get a reply – (Emails below need some improvements)
Example 34
Example 35: Follow-Up
Example 36: Follow-up 2
Example 37: Follow-up 3
14. Emails that got a reply
Example 38
15. Wins, missed opportunities, and pitfalls to avoid
Example 39
Example 40
16. Cold recruitment email
Example 41
In conclusion
Hopefully, these cold email examples have given you some inspiration for lead generation and sending the right kind of emails that leads to great reply rates, which will lead to higher conversion rates.
There is no secret regarding email marketing, but getting it right does take time and effort.
Want to become a pro when it comes to cold email campaigns?
Be sure to check out our cold email masterclass.
(PS: If you would like to see what it’s like to have SalesBread in your corner, please contact us)