5 B2B cold email templates to fill your pipeline

Introduction

Cold email is a marketing tactic that allows anyone to contact and connect with a prospective client, customer, or employer. Reach out to people at a specific company, get their attention, and then deliver your message. Sounds simple, right? If you're wondering how to cold email, it's easier than you think, and the guide below will show you just that.

How to write a cold email?

Keep it short and simple! Long, boring introductions turn people away. Show off your expertise, not just your passion, and remind them of the first time they saw you. 

For example, if you're a dog groomer, instead of saying "I'm a dog groomer," you could say, "For my friend's dog Barney, I gave him a backwash shave that he'll grow out in a few months."

‍

Why are B2B sales emails important?

Cold emailing is the practice of sending an unsolicited, original written communication to one or more recipients to create new business. While the exact definitions differ, it generally refers to an email that is not a response to a recently received communication or request. 

They do not always use a similar form, but they all share the common purpose of inviting potential customers to engage with you and your organization by requesting some action. The tone and style should convey confidence and professionalism and explain why they should take action straight away.

Cold Emailing Tips and Takeaways

• Be relevant
• Send follow-up emails
• Write sales email copy that follows the cold email strategy
• Test and set goals for your cold email campaign

The best B2B email templates for your business

We have listed the top five cold email templates categorized by need. All of these templates have been tried and tested in actual outreach campaigns.

In this list, you will find sales email templates for cold outreach with subject lines for the following use cases,

• Link building
• Collaboration
• Content promotion
• Influencer outreach
• Sales and marketing

1. The AIDA formula email

AIDA is a century-old copywriting framework that a person can use to improve reply rates. Attention - Secure the lead's attention. Interest - Talk about their interests to keep them engaged. Desire - Show how they can benefit from your offer. Action - Suggest them to click, reply, or purchase. The goal is to secure a response.

Here's an example of AIDA being used in an email copy from Vimeo.

‍

It effectively distills the sales process, explaining the journey of getting someone's attention, all the way to getting them to take action. Almost every cold email, ad, or landing page you view follows the AIDA formula.

Template:

Hi [First Name],

If you are like most [lead's role], you might know how hard it can be to [the problem your company will solve].

Our [product or service] reduces the stress and enhances this by [one-sentence pitch]. Here's what [a customer] has said about us:

[any customer feedback about the product]

Would you also like to have [the benefit of your product/service]? If yes, can you email me the best time to give you a quick call next week?

2. The BAB formula email

Before - Explain the current issue or problem a company is facing. After - Show how the situation looks like if the problem is removed or the situation improves. Bridge - Show how your proposal will resolve their problem and better their lives.

What motivates you here?

Capital, success, or maybe the fear of failure? Research shows that our motivations derive from two primal drives,

• Seeking pleasure
• Avoiding pain

The before-after-bridge (BAB) formula harnesses the power of motivation to generate compelling B2B cold emails that trigger a reply.

Here's an example of a cold outreach using the BAB formula email.

‍

It highlights your product as the means to the "pleasure" that is to be "sought."

Template:

Hi [First Name],

What would you [or the target company] do with [the benefit of your product or service]? 

Does that seem unworkable? Well, it had happened to more than a few of our B2B customers?

Including [your customer] who [insert benefit or customer success stories] when they used [your product or service].

As you might have noticed, both the companies are similar in size and industry to [the target company].

I am confident [your company] might get you better results. 

Would you have some free time for a personalized demo next week?

3. The PAS formula email

Problem - Clearly highlight an issue that is causing the pain. Agitate - Agitate it and explain the consequences of it happening. Solution - Provide a solution to resolve the issue caused.

While the BAB formula has a more positive approach, the PAS is quite the opposite. It depends on the "avoidance of pain" to provoke a response.

Here is an example of the PAS used in outreach from the business executives.

‍

Template:

Hi [First Name],

Does your [target company] suffer from [the problem]? It's a challenging issue to overcome, and something most [other companies in your target's industry] suffers from. And it may cost [stats or research to agitate the problem].

Our [product or service] helps you resolve this with [benefit or one-sentence pitch]. I would love to show you more. Are you open to a quick call tomorrow?

‍

4. The SAS formula email

Star - Talk about the star of your story. That could be you, a person, or another business or customer. Arch - Explain the star's journey, who had a similar problem to your target. Success - Reveal how the star succeeds in the end or is better off (linking back to your cold product or service).

People love stories. We thrive on them, use them to teach, learn, caution, and entertain. When we are involved in a story, the parts of the brain responsible for touch, smell, sight, and sound boost up. We feel the words and empathize with those who we read about.

The SAS formula builds a story that strengthens your B2B email. It works particularly well with case studies, success stories, and personal experiences.

Template:

Hi [First Name],

In the latter half of 2019, the future looked bleak for [the star person or a company]. With [cause of the issue] [the star] needed to [get result related to your product or service].

An arduous task, considering [cause of the issue]. So how did [the star] win? [Short description of the star's triumph that relates to your product or service].

[Your company] specializes in [product or service that helped your star win]. We have also helped [company 1] and [company 2] do this. I have a personalized email template to help you [benefit]. Can I send it to you?

5. The gatekeeper/wrong person bypass email

Cold emails that request "the right contact" are often deleted and ignored. To avoid that, show you have done your research and have spoken to other colleagues your target might know.

Why does this have a better chance of working?

Because instead of seeming like you are selfishly searching for a target to pitch, you mention familiar names and provide a valid reason as to why you're contacting them specifically.

Template:

Hi [First Name],

I am [your name], and I [your role] at [your company].

I know you are busy, and you probably receive plenty of emails asking for the right person to speak to, but I believe we can help [lead's company]. We specialize in [a one-sentence pitch of what your product does].

Based on your profile at [mention profile or link], it seems that you might be the appropriate person to speak to or at least point me to the right person about [problem that your product solves].

If that is you, are you open to joining me for a quick 10-minute call on [time and date] to discuss how we might support your business? If it is not you, will you kindly direct me to the right person?

P.S. I have reached out to [relevant person 1] and [appropriate person 2]. We have also helped companies like [your customers] to [positive result you have helped them achieve], and I would love to help [target company] do the same.

SmartWriter

SmartWriter is the perfect AI tool to generate your B2B email templates that you can use for a cold email campaign. Email Personalization is the secret sauce for your successful sales email outreach. To create effective sales emails, do the steps below,

Step 1 - Sign in to your SmartWriter account or Sign up to create one.

Step 2 - Create a project using the create project available on the tool.

Step 3 - Select Compose Copy and choose the category as Cold Email Outreach.

Step 4 - Choose the Email Outreach category you want from the available categories.

Step 5 - Enter the details and the prospect URL to generate the cold email you may use.

Step 6 - You can select the best cold sales email copy from the templates for your outreach.

Step 7 - You can also edit the details and generate a new set of templates by clicking on the Edit Prompt & Try Again.

Conclusion

The templates are great, and, in some cases, they can be quite effective, but email personalization will help improve response rate and conversion rates.

Always research your prospects' background, business goals, and pain points to get the most out of your cold email outreach campaigns. If you are to get started with cold emailing, make sure to give SmartWriter a try.