Sending a cold email to a potential client might feel overwhelming. What if you don’t strike the right tone? What should you include? How can you maximize the chance that they’ll reply? What if they don’t reply at all? Take a breath. You’re not the first person to feel this way. You’re certainly not the first person to send a cold email. That’s where we can help.
This article looks in detail at why you should be cold emailing potential clients, what you should include, and what best practice looks like. We’ve even included an example template for you to steal.
- Why Should You Cold Email To Potential Clients?
- Before You Start Cold Emailing
- The Cold Email To A Potential Client Formula
- Example Template
Why Should You Cold Email To Potential Clients?
The results don’t lie when it comes to cold email. It remains one of the most effective methods of lead generation. Those that shout, “Email is dead!” from the rooftops don’t know what they’re missing. The main focus will be on generating sales and leads, but why does it work?
It’s Personal
With the right software, cold email is an opportunity to reach out in a personal way. Working on a small scale, you can write anything you like! That means a truly tailored outreach email for every prospect. This tactic is unsustainable at larger scales. Combine your prospect information with high-quality email software. Then you can use merge tags to personalize in high volumes.
Unique, personalized emails get results. They feel more like a conversation than a sales pitch or advertisement.
It’s Direct
Emails go straight to the recipient’s inbox. If you’re able to find the email address for the right person, chances are they’re going to see it. Just be sure that you follow the steps to avoid spam filters. The last thing you want is for your hard work to end up in the trash rather than the inbox.
It’s Cost Effective
The two main costs for cold email campaigns are your time and a cold email software tool. The tools aren’t going to break the bank, and your time is worth investing. Once you have the system in place, scaling is a matter of collecting more addresses to add to your mailing list.
It Gets Results Quickly
There’s the opportunity for recipients to reply as soon as they’ve received your email. That could mean results in mere moments. Your campaign’s response rate will depend on a wide range of factors. A large part will be down to the formula of the email. We’ve got that covered later in this article.
Before You Start Cold Emailing
It’s definitely tempting to get sending as soon as possible. Especially given you could get results very quickly. There are, however, some things that you need in place before you can start.
Account Warm Up
A vitally important part of cold emailing that is often completely forgotten about or ignored. Warming up accounts that are sending cold emails is a mandatory part of the process. It isn’t something that you’re going to have the time (or inclination) to do manually. You’d have to send thousands of emails manually. You then have to increase that over time until you reach a level where you’re no longer seen as a spam threat.
Thankfully, there are cold email tools that’ll warm up your email accounts for you. We’d always recommend finding a tool that includes automated, ai-powered warm-up as standard.
Templates
Writing cold emails can be quite a task, particularly when faced with an empty canvas. That's when a reliable template becomes a game-changer. There's no need to create every email from scratch. Find a template that matches your requirements and modify it.
Where can you find a template? Google will give you hundreds of options, but steer clear of the generic templates that are widely used. Always tailor it to resonate with your style and keep your brand's tone in mind. If the email doesn't seem authentic to your voice, modify it until it fits. Explore Instantly's extensive library for an enormous collection of unique and time-tested templates.
Segment
Not everyone fits into the same box. Where one email will work for one person, it won’t for another. Use audience segmentation to break down your larger audience into smaller categories. These could be by industry, location, or job title. There are almost endless options to choose from.
A segmented audience is far easier to manage. Plus, your emails are naturally more personalized when sent to a targeted group.
The Cold Email To A Potential Client Formula
Whenever you write a cold email, especially to a potential client, be sure to follow this winning formula. The same applies when you’re using a template. Not all templates are created equally. Some will need your discerning eye cast over them to bring them up to a better level.
Nail The Subject Line
The subject line is your first impression. It’s your opportunity to catch the recipient’s attention. You’ve got mere seconds to entice them to click on your email. Make sure that your subject line clearly states what the email is about. People don’t have time to play detective.
Get Personal
Wherever possible, include personalization. Simple methods include name, position, and company name. More advanced options (more difficult to implement at scale) include shared anecdotes.
Offer Value
Your recipient is offering you their time by reading your email. It’s only fair that you offer them something in exchange. This is where you need to offer value. This will help to keep the recipient engaged and will also help them to progress along your sales funnel. It might be as simple as sharing an online resource. You could give them a download link to an eBook.
There are many options to choose from. The important part is to always offer it.
Always Include A Call To Action
A strong call to action is the best way to end a cold email. If your recipient has gotten to the end of the email, chances are they’d be happy to move on to something else. You might ask them to visit a specific page on your website or sign up for a demo. Whatever you choose, ensure that it’s incredibly simple for them to complete.
Follow Up
Sending the initial email is only the first step. The follow-up email is what typically comes next. Remember that you’ll only receive a response an average of 10-20% of the time, depending on your industry. The follow-up is an effort to keep the dialogue open (even if it has only been one way so far).
The follow-up is an opportunity to take a different tact or offer something different of value. Plus, it's another chance to receive a response.
Cold Email To Potential Client Template
We’ve created an example cold email template that you might use when sending a cold email to a potential client. This is a template. You should always modify and edit it to suit your particular set of circumstances. Where you see the {{ }} brackets, this is an indication of space for personalization.
Subject: Transform {{Client's Company}} with a Unique Solution
Hi {{Client's Name}},
I'm {{Your Name}}, representing a solution that could streamline your operations and drive growth. We've helped various businesses including {{Your Clients}}, achieve significant performance boosts, and I think {{Client's Company}} could benefit, too.
How about a free demo tailored to your needs? See first-hand how our solution can integrate with your system, simplifying tasks and improving efficiency.
Book your demo here: {{demo scheduling link}}. If you have questions, just let me know.
Looking forward to your response,
{{Your Name}}
{{Your Position}}
{{Your Contact Information}}
Key Takeaways
Sending a cold email to a potential client is a great way of beginning a conversation. Build the right system around you and you’ll be able to reach out to hundreds or thousands of potential clients time and time again. Then it’s a matter of letting your sales team and your products seal the deal.
- Always personalize your cold emails.
- Don’t use templates as they come out of the box. Ensure that you’ve customized them to your requirements.
- Remember to ask the recipient to complete an action at the end of every cold email.
If you’re feeling ready to take on a cold email campaign you’ll need to be armed with a quality tool. Instantly more than adequately fits that bill and you can even get started for free.
