How To Write The Perfect Cold Pitch Email

When it comes to email marketing, cold emailing sometimes gets a bad rep. Supposedly, it’s not effective enough. But the reality is that cold emailing can be quite effective for achieving its goals, especially if it’s done right. Hence, here’s everything you need to know about how to write the perfect cold pitch email.

What Is A Cold Pitch Email and Why Do You Need It?

A cold pitch email is just what it sounds like. It’s an email you send to start a business relationship with someone you haven’t connected with before. It’s a way for you to start a conversation with the other person and to explain why the relationship you want to maintain with them will be beneficial to them (and to you).

When it comes to face-to-face interactions, you usually cold pitch people by talking to them during conferences, industry events, and so on. Cold emailing is no different in this sense, except that it is completely online and you will need to put in more effort to get the person’s attention.

Sometimes, cold pitch emails are not about offering anything just yet. You might simply want to start a conversation for now and “break the ice” as you would talking to the person face-to-face. Both online and offline, the other person doesn’t know anything about you or knows very little which is why it’s important to make a good first impression.

What’s crucial to keep in mind about cold emailing is that you shouldn’t expect instant results. In most cases, cold pitch emails are only the first step and are meant to help you find that starting point for your business relationship. You will need to send a few more emails to develop that relationship.

Most cold pitch emails contain specific information, but you can also add some things on your own. Here are the basic elements your cold email should have:

• Your real name and job title
• Your contact information (website, social media profiles, phone number, etc.)
• Personalized content specifically for your recipient
• A specific request (it can be as simple as responding to the email)

Depending on your goals, you will need to send a cold email to a particular person. For example, it could be another business like yours that you would like to partner with, an influencer you would like to hire to promote your brand, and so on. Once you know who exactly your recipient is, it will be easier to write a good cold pitch email.

Remember that cold emails don’t always have to have a commercial motive as they are often simply conversation starters. Cold pitch emails are like cold calls too, though the former is less intrusive. To help you write a good cold pitch email, here are some tips to follow:

#1 Start from Your “From” Line

Though your “From” line might seem like a very small feature that doesn’t make much of a difference in the big picture, the opposite is actually true. Your “From” line can have a direct impact on the first impression you make with your cold pitch email. It shows your recipient who sent the email which leads them to decide whether or not they want to open your email. In a way, it’s related to your subject line as the subject line also determines whether the person will open your email.

When working on your “From” line, remember that your recipient doesn’t know you yet (or knows very little about you to have any kind of opinion). You are pretty much a stranger to them, and because of this, it can be hard to persuade them to give your email a read as they will be suspicious or even dismissive about it. Some people will see your email as spam or as an unnecessary promotion, so they will just delete it without even opening it.

To avoid such situations, you should pay attention to every detail, especially your “From” line. There are several ways to customize it:

• Only your first name
• Your first name and job title/company name
• Your first name and last name
• Your first, last name, and job title/company name

What you choose will depend on the context and purpose of your email. Who is your target group or who is this specific recipient? What goal do you want to accomplish with the email? How do you want to present yourself? Answer these questions and make your decision. Try to be consistent with your “From” lines and keep in mind the recipient’s perspective.

#2 Perfect Your Subject Line

As mentioned above, your “From” line and subject line are directly related to one another as they both help you make the very first impression that will determine whether the person opens your email. This is exactly why you should pay special attention to your email subject line and maybe even take more time brainstorming ideas for it. If you can make your subject line sound intriguing, fewer people will overlook it.

The first thing you should do is put yourself in your recipient’s shoes. Imagine what they would think after reading a particular subject line you came up with. Is this the kind of reaction you want? Also, keep in mind that an intriguing subject line doesn’t mean an outrageous or controversial one. The person who reads a subject line like that will probably be more likely to just delete your email instead of giving it a lookout of anger.

In most cases, your subject line needs to do one of these three things to be effective:

• Offer a way for the recipient to improve
• Offer an unexpected solution to solve their problem
• Offer something that will help them innovate or change

To truly make your subject line stand out, try to personalize it as much as possible. You need to show that you do know the person on the other end at least to some extent (but don’t look like you stalked them). Use wording that sounds human and try to tie your subject line to your email itself. Be on topic and get to the point instead of dancing around it. You can A/B test your subject lines if you are feeling uncertain about their effectiveness.

#3 Craft A Strong Introduction

All right, the person has opened your email. What do they see now? Maisie Bell, an expert from the writing services reviews site Writing Judge, says, “Right after your “From” line and the subject line comes your introduction. This is where you should continue maintaining the impression you already made before your recipient opened your email. You have made the first step and now you are expanding on it.”

What’s crucial to keep in mind when writing your introduction is that you don’t have much time to truly catch your recipient’s attention. If they read or skim through several sentences and see that there’s nothing that interests them, they will delete your email or leave it just like that. You want to get them hooked in your introduction so that they keep reading which is why this part of your email needs to be just as intriguing as your subject line.

Most marketers assume that the intro is where you talk about yourself, your company, what you do, and all that information that will most likely sound quite boring to your recipient. Remember: they don’t know you, so why should they care? This is why your introduction needs to be short and sweet (around 2-3 sentences) to get to your point as soon as possible. Instead of talking about yourself, focus on the person you are sending your email to.

Talk about them as a professional (their work, achievements, expertise) and about the company they work for. You can use some flattery here and there, but don’t overdo it. Stick to the professional field and don’t list too many details (or you might seem like a stalker). Most importantly, mention the problem they have that you could solve. Show them that you did your research and decided to contact them specifically.

#4 Offer Value in Your Pitch

After the introduction comes the bulk of your email where you have to offer the main value of your pitch. Of course, this email could just be a way for you to start a conversation with the other person, but one of the biggest email marketing mistakes you could do is assuming that they will want to talk to you just because you reached out to them. In reality, they need a reason to reply to you which is why you should offer some value, even if it isn’t a deal yet.

Throughout the body of your email or your pitch, try to avoid sounding like a salesman. It doesn’t matter whether you are writing to a potential business partner, a potential customer, or someone else – you should not sound like you are just trying to sell them something right away. You need to be more subtle with your approach and show that you are putting the recipient above all else.

Focus on what’s meaningful and valuable to them. Find out what their problem is and explain how you would like to help them solve it. Always make sure to link your pitch to the rest of your email and focus on the benefits your recipient will get rather than the deal, product, or service you are offering. Be specific and don’t lie to them. Prove that you are worth the time they are spending on reading your email and responding to it.

#5 End Your Email with a CTA

After the bulk of your email is written, you will need to wrap things up nicely. This is why ending your email with a call to action is so important. It will remind your recipient what is asked of them and will prompt them to act. This is where you persuade them to do what you want them to do (though this might just be the first small step in your business relationship).

Try to keep your CTA simple and straightforward. Don’t demand too much. Remind the person about the purpose of your email and ask them to do what you want them to do. This can include replying to your email, scheduling a meeting, and so on. You are just starting out, so there is no need to rush things.

#6 Add Your Signature

As the last step of writing your cold pitch email, add your signature. This will add a nice touch to your email and show that you are a professional. Neil Dale, an expert from the custom writing reviews site Best Writers Online, explains, “Your signature is a way for you to show that you are not just some random person from the street. You represent your company and you have an important position in it.”

Use your signature to tell who you are and what you do. In a way, it provides the “boring” information that you could have included in the introduction. Use your name, title, company name, contact information, and anything else you deem relevant. Show that you are a trustworthy figure.

Some Things to Keep in Mind

Following the step-by-step guide above will already help you a lot with your cold pitch email, but there are also some general tips you can follow to make your email even better:

• Don’t make your cold pitch email too long. Around 5 sentences or 200 words maximum. Your recipient likely doesn’t have much time, so it’s better to be brief.
• If you don’t get a response, follow up on your email. Do this several times and you might get a response in the end. If you don’t after several attempts, it’s better to drop it and move on.
• For beginners, writing cold pitch emails can be intimidating, so don’t be afraid to check examples online or even use templates. Just make sure to customize them as much as possible to truly make them your own and not just a copy.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, writing cold pitch emails is not much harder than writing other types of emails. How effective your cold emailing is will come down to your planning and how much you stick to the best practices explained above. Use the information from this article to help you get started and begin creating successful campaigns with your cold pitch emails.

Author’s Bio: Frank Hamilton is a blogger and translator from Manchester. He is a professional writing expert in such topics as blogging, digital marketing, and self-education. He also loves traveling and speaks Spanish, French, German, and English.