16 Cold Email Templates You Should Know If You're In Sales

Introduction

Cold emails are sales emails that target an individual or company that has not yet had contact with the business. A cold email is used to initiate contact and to begin the process of building a relationship. Cold emails are a primary tool of online companies that sell services or products. Sales through cold emails occur at a rate of 5% to 7% of total sales.

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Why are B2B sales emails important?

Cold email is a great strategy for B2B sales because it allows you to reach decision-makers directly. In a world where business is done over the phone and emails, the importance of cold email cannot be understated. 

However, cold emailing is the only strategy that is often adversely ignored or given less attention than it deserves, even though it is the most effective business strategy if used correctly.

According to Salesforce, sales reps who use cold email generate up to 53% more leads than those who don't.

Cold Emailing Tips and Takeaways

• Be relevant and precise in the cold outreach email.
• Send follow-up emails when you do not get a response from the prospective customer for your previous email.
• Write personalized sales email copy that follows the cold email strategy.
• Also, test and set goals for your cold email marketing campaign

How to write a cold email?

Here are some of the top tips and tricks to create successful sales emails that will attract your prospects and get you a response,

The 3 Keys to successful prospecting emails

You can create an effective email that will generate leads and improve sales. To do so, keep in mind to follow the best strategies mentioned in this article.

1. A strong email subject line

Always start your cold emails with a good subject line if you want to grab your readers' attention! "Subject line is king" – and it's no different when it comes to cold emailing. Cold emailing can be a slow process, so you must make your subject line as catchy and enticing as possible!

Sound like a real person. If an email subject line sounds like spam, it will be treated as spam. Never use these words or phrases that often trigger a spam filter.

• Click Here
• Best Price
• Winner
• Money Making
• Double Your
• Why Pay More?

A great way to show that you are not a robot is to use a conversational tone in your email. But don't overdo it.

Example 

"Hey! Any time to talk about […]?" makes for a friendlier subject line than "Requesting time to discuss […]."

An analysis by Leadium stated that subject lines with no more than four words performed best. Although not every subject line can be this brief, it is helpful to have this benchmark as a rough target. A perfect subject line should be personalized, friendly, authentic, and as short as possible.

2. An engaging email body

The body of a prospecting email is where you want to connect with potential customers. Make sure to keep track of the length of your message and make it all about the customer and not about you. Usually, prospects reply best to emails that are much shorter than the average blog but longer than the average tweet.

A strong subject line is vital to boost your open rates. But making a prospect read your email and complete the call to action needs high-performing, strategic messaging efforts.

• Make it personalized.
• Tell the prospect what's in it for me (the prospect company).
• Make sure of the word count in the email.

3. A way to measure success

Identify the email strategy that works best for you by tracking the performance of your cold emails with software and testing.

Users who use a CRM system like Zendesk or similar can monitor the performance of their messages through the tool.  You can also check when and how many times an email was opened or clicked on.

Here is the best example of a cold email that will not work and why a spam filter will filter this to a spam folder,

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Here is the perfect example of an effective cold email that will attract prospects,

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Can you find the difference?

The above cold email does three things,

• It addresses the prospect directly.
• It has highly specific and relevant content.
• And it mentions a mutual or common contact.

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The best B2B email templates for your business

Here is a list of the top 16 best cold sales email templates for your next email outreach campaign that will improve open rate, reply rate, and conversion rates.

In this list, you will find B2B email templates for cold outreach with email subject lines for the following use cases,

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

1. Tie your email to a recent event

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Subject line: Congrats!

Template

Hi (First name),

I just saw the news about the (trigger event). Congrats (First name)!

Usually, when this happens, (insert value property) becomes a priority. Therefore, I thought you might be interested in finding out how we helped (competitor company) (the product benefit).

I understand things at (target company name) must be crazy now, but let's set up a quick call if you would like to know more.

How does (a specific day and time) look on your calendar? Also, here's a link to my calendar, or please feel free to send me yours. 

This email approach is a winner because it shows you are not sending out a mass cold email campaign to every company that might have a slight chance of being interested in your product or service. Instead, you have noticed something that they have specifically achieved and have matched that to your product or service.

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2. AIDA

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AIDA is a classic copywriting formula that you can apply for cold email outreach. AIDA stands for Attention Interest Desire Action, and it describes the steps to include in your email body. Grab the lead's attention, talk about why it should interest them, build desire, show them how to take action, and get the benefit you have outlined.

Here is an example of AIDA being used in cold email copy from Vimeo.

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Subject line: Time Saving Software

Template

Hi (First name),

What would you do with an added 10 hours each week?

I question because top clients like yourself have seen savings like these – if not more – after adding our product to their tech stacks.

You can ask experts like Tim Ferriss, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Malcolm Gladwell, who we were happy to count as satisfied customers.

I would like to set up a quick meet to walk you through a personalized demo on how it may help you. Would you have any free time next week to connect?

3. Be as direct as you can

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This template reportedly made a 57% open rate and a 21% response rate, mainly because:

• The email subject line highlights a winning proposition that makes the recipient want to open the email and learn more.
• It quickly outlines what the sender (your company) can offer the prospect (the benefit) and what they need from them (a 10-minute call).

It had used social proof as evidence of how this proposition has worked for its customers.

Subject line: 10x (target company’s) traction in 10 minutes

Template

Hi (First name),

I hope you’re doing good! I have an idea that I can explain to you in 10 minutes to get (target company) its next 100 best customers (target company).

I recently used this strategy to help our client (your client company) almost triple their monthly run rate.

(First name), let's schedule a quick 10-minute call so I can share the idea with you. When works best for you?

4. Sujan’s 3-Sentence Format Email

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As the name implies, this email template takes a more-is-less approach, and it delivers outstanding results. You don’t literally have to cut short your message to just three sentences – your intro, description, your ask – but you must try and keep it as close to that number as possible.

Template

Hi (First name),

I am (your name), and I will keep this quick.

I am the founder of a software tool (name of the product) that saves busy executives like you as many as 10 hours every week.

Could I have 10 minutes of your time next week for a personalized demo that will make clear why entrepreneurs like Tim Ferriss, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Malcolm Gladwell love our product?

5. Before-After-Bridge (BAB)

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The Before-After-Bridge formula helps you create compelling B2B cold emails that will get a response. It is simple but effective. Before - Show the current issue or problem the prospect company is facing. After - Show how the situation looks like if the problem is removed. Bridge - Show how your product solves the problem.

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Template

Hi (First name),

If you are like most executives, you know how frustrating it can be to have your time wasted.

Our software tool changes that, freeing up as many as 10 hours every week for clients like Tim Ferriss, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Malcolm Gladwell.

If you would be willing to give me just 10 minutes of your time, I can show you how you could achieve the same with our innovative platform. What is the best time to connect next week for a personalized demo?

6. Mention a competitor’s product

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Template

Hi (First name),

I just came across your website and noticed that you were using (Your competitor’s product). How do you like it? I run a (service) called (your company name).

It is just like (your competitor’s product), only (the key difference). If you are up for it, I would like to jump on a quick call with you and get your view on how we could make (target company name) better (and see if it will make sense for us to work together).

Would (specific date and time) be a good time for you? (If not, I am flexible, just let me know).

This approach targets the potential prospects using a product similar to yours, which means you can safely assume they might be interested in using your product instead. All you need to do is highlight your product’s Unique Selling Proposition (USP) to show why it is a better choice for the prospect than the product they are currently using.

7. Problem-Agitate-Solve (PAS)

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Obstacles and challenges are irritating, frustrating, annoying, and often expensive. This sales email template leverages that by throwing a spotlight on your prospect’s pain points. Problem - Clearly highlight an issue that causes pain or frustration in the target company. Agitate - Agitate it and explain the consequences of it happening. Solution - Offer a solution to remove or avoid the pain caused by the said problem.

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Template

Hi (First name),

When was the last time you completed everything on your daily to-do list?

If you are like most busy executives, you are constantly struggling to stay on top of everything, let alone be the effective leader you need to be.

Our product helps motivated entrepreneurs like Tim Ferriss, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Malcolm Gladwell save as much as 10 hours every week that can be directed back at your top priorities.

I would love to give you a personalized demo. When are you free next week for a quick meet?

8. When you are not sure if you are emailing the right person

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Template

Hi (First name),

I am (your name), and I lead the business development efforts of (your company name). We've recently launched a new product that (one-sentence pitch of what your product does).

Based on your online profile (mention the prospect's profile link URL), it seems that you might be the best person, or at least point me to the right person to talk to about (benefit of your product).

I would like to talk to someone from (target company) responsible for (the key decision required to use or buy your product).

If it is you, would you be open to a 10-minute call on (specific time and date) to discuss how (your product) can help your business? If it is not you, can you please direct me to the right person?

Thank you for the help!

Like me, I am guessing that you must also receive lots of emails that ask you to point them in the right direction. Also, I can bet that you never respond.

That is because these sorts of emails rarely give you a proper reason to help the sender out. But the example above bucks this trend. It shows that you have done quite a research into who you are contacting and whether your product suits their business model – you are just not 100% sure if the person you are reaching out to is the best person to deal with in the company.

9. Praise-Picture-Push (PPP)

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A little sincere praise never hurts, especially if you can use it to reinforce how much recipients could achieve with your product. Enter PPP. Start with a genuine compliment about their recent achievement, show what they could achieve with your product, and then encourage them to take action.

Template

Hi (First name),

I hope you're doing good. Congrats! I just saw that you were chosen as a speaker for the 2014 Inbound Marketing conference next month.

As you are preparing for your presentation, it is common to fall behind on other tasks. If you are struggling to keep up, I would love to show you how our product can help you reclaim 10 hours or more every week.

If you are interested to know more, Can I have 10 minutes of your time next week to give you a personalized demo?

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10. When you know someone has been on your website

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Template

Hi (First Name),

I hope you're doing good. You recently visited our (company name and website link) and (action taken).

If you are interested in (the content topic) then I can recommend the following additional resources:

(relevant resources)

Our company also offers (a product/service) which could help you (achieve the specific result or statistics).

Are you available for a quick call tomorrow at (give two possible times) to discuss this further?

This one is not targeted towards an entirely cold lead since the target has completed an action on your website resulting in you capturing their email address. However, since there is no indication that the target is interested in talking to or buying the product from you, it is close enough to a cold lead.

It is also something you should be leveraging when the opportunity arises. Do not add prospects who visit your website to a mass email list but send them a personalized email that acknowledges the actions they have taken on your website, as shown in the template above.

11. Share a Valuable Resource

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Template

The primary thing a sender would want is to be seen as an asset to your recipients. You have to provide value to them every time they chose to open your emails. The quickest way to do that is to share a valuable and highly helpful resource with them.

Subject line: I thought you might like this article or blog post

Hi (First name),

Your latest article on (content topic) got me thinking that you would be interested in the (subject).

I found this piece of content on (article title) that may benefit you and your team.

Here is the link to check it out – (link)

I hope you find it helpful. Keep up the great work.

12. Rock the Boat

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We might get so busy with the familiar routines that sometimes we may not look for or explore fresh and potentially unique ways of doing things that may provide better results.

A well-planned challenge to the status quo can produce significant results. The catch is, no one has the time to stay on top of the trends, tools, strategies, developments, and tricks in their industry. So do that for them. Look for a new tool or product the Business Development Associate may not have known about yet, and share it with them.

Template

Hi (First name),

I am (your name) with (your company name).

We help busy Business Development Executives free up time for higher priorities.

I wanted to learn what productivity tools you are currently using and show you what we are working on.

Are you free for a quick call next week?

13. & 14. Ask for an introduction.
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Template

Hi (First name),

I was looking to get introduced to (First name of the person you are trying to connect with) from (his/her company name) and saw you were connected to them. I am not sure how well you are connected to them, but I would appreciate an introduction to discuss ways they can work with (your company name) if the relationship is strong.

Please let me know if you are comfortable doing this. If so, I will send a proper introductory request that you can forward to them.

But this approach is not used often. In theory, the formula may seem not so good, but in this case, I do not think it is. We know that getting a positive response from a prospect is easier if a mutual connection or common connection introduces you. This template has a different approach where the sender asks a stranger to initiate the introduction. It might not work for everyone, but it is not a huge ask also – if you approach this one in the right way, you might be surprised at the results.

Here, you can find a better alternative cold email strategy to the same.

Hey (First name),

I was hoping that you might introduce me to (the person you want to connect with) at (their company name)?

I wanted to connect with him/her because our email list targets a similar demographic with limited overlap. Since our products are non-competitive, I want to get in touch to see if he could brainstorm ways to leverage our existing customer bases to grow both of our lists.

We did this with (competitor name) in the past, and both companies received a 15% increase in new subscribers.

Any help is much appreciated. Thank you!

15. Influencer Outreach - The “We want you to promote our brand” cold email.

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After finding the right person – who may be the best influencer in your niche, for example – to reach out to, you have to send them a great personalized email that might interest them to promote your brand and work with you.

Subject line: (first name) + (your company name) = collaboration?

Use case:  You are running an influencer outreach campaign to find influencers in your niche to promote your brand. 

Template

Hi (first name),

Happy (day of a week)!

I am (your name), and I work with (your company name).

I've been following your (social media accounts, channel, or blog) for some time now. I love how you (a reference to their content)!

I am reaching out to you because I wanted to see if we could work together on (Product name). As we (explain what you do and why it would be attractive to their audience).

Is this something you would be interested in? Please let us know so that we could set up a quick call sometime.

Have a great day,

(First name)

16. The “Product promotion via a video review” outreach email

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You have just launched a new unique product or service that can benefit several companies and individuals in your niche.

Your next step will be to promote the product, starting with your online profiles, like LinkedIn, Twitter, and social media accounts.

Also, you should make good use of your target email list and PR outreach tools that can help find your prospect’s valid email address and reach out to them.

Subject line:  Regarding your (YouTube video review)

Use case:  You reach out to someone creating fantastic YouTube video reviews for products in your industry.

Template

Hey (first name),

I hope you are having a great (day of week) :)

I watched a few review videos on YouTube about (company name), and I came across your one: (include video URL).

I keep thinking about how engaging, fun, and rigorous your video review was.

I appreciated your deep dive into the unique features and benefits of (company or product name) and how it differentiates from the competition.

I wanted to reach out and let you know that our team just released a new (your niche product) called (product name) that helped us (the product benefit).

It has been our secret sauce so far, but we decided to share the love :)

Since you are familiar with (niche), I would love to set you up with a premium account in return for an engaging and honest video review – no strings attached!

Please let me know what you think, and I can send over some additional information.

Cheers,

(First name)

SmartWriter

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SmartWriter is a game changing AI tool to create personalized B2B email messages using customer data, that bring customers 80% open rates and 40% reply rates. With SmartWriter, you can generate cold emails any number of times with just one click.

Cold emailing is made easy and simple with this AI-powered tool where you can do more than just sending out cold emails that improve your conversion rates.

To generate effective sales emails, do the steps as below,

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

Step 2 - Create a project or select an existing project using the create project available on the tool.

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

Step 4 - Choose the Intention 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

Templates are a great tool, and in some cases, they can be quite effective, but email personalization will absolutely increase response rates and conversion rates.

When sending cold emails to your prospects, consider researching their companies' background, business goals, and pain points. If you want to send out mass cold emails or cold outreach campaigns, SmartWriter is a great product to get you started.