An effective cold email can provide as many (or more) new clients as
a well-planned social media strategy.
Here are several reasons you should put more thought into your cold email copywriting.
- They help build your email list
- Lead generation
- They're cost-effective
- Easy way to make a great first impression.
Some of the people receiving your cold email have had some contact with your business in the past. Because of this, you need to keep your brand voice consistent and still make the cold email copy unique.
Why Should Cold Emails Be Unique?
All of the benefits of using cold emails will go out the window if they aren't unique. Let's face it, everyone with an email address is bombarded by tens (if not hundreds) of emails every day. Unless you go the extra mile to make your email stand out it will end up in the spam folder with all of the others.The Difference Between Unique and Obnoxious.
Some cold email copywriting strategies that companies use to try and be "unique" are just annoying. In some cases, it sounds like something a scammer would say. Here are several obnoxious things you need to keep out of your emails at all costs.- Putting Everything in bold: Bold text is the written equivalent of raising your voice. When someone bolds most of the words in a cold email it's like somebody at a mall kiosk jumping out at you and yelling right in your face "Would you like to try our product?" The only thing you'll be trying is a different mall.
- Capitalizing Everything: Capitalizing everything makes your email look unprofessional. The reader's first thought will be that you accidentally hit the caps-lock key.
- Multiple Text Colors: Colors belong in your cold email's graphics, not the text. Only links and buttons should be colored.
- Offensive Language: Don't use a lot of swear words when writing your cold emails, and don't use degrading language. Your cold emails should never have phrases like "Unless you're an idiot, you won't pass up this great opportunity."
- Unrealistic Promises: Don't use phrases like "best sale you'll ever see in your entire life!" Or "$100 in your bank guaranteed, no work required!" These phrases are red flags for readers and will trigger spam detectors.
Here are two cold email copywriting examples. This first is what you should avoid…
"HELLO AMAZING, VALUED CUSTOMER! You have been chosen to receive AN INVITATION TO THE MOST AMAZING SALE EVER!
You may be tempted to think that we're out of our (redacted*) minds, but it's all true.
We've got SALES ON T-SHIRTS SALES ON BOOTS SALES ON BACKPACKS SALES ON EVERYTHING!!!
Take advantage of this UNBELIEVABLE SALE NOW!
Click HERE PS: Only someone stupid wouldn't see the amazing value of the sale.
Take advantage of it today." Not only is this email obnoxious and unprofessional, but it also doesn't have a point.
The company hasn't given their name, who their target audiences are, and they haven't even told the reader how long the sale will last.
Here's what this cold email copywriting example should sound like… "Hi, parents. We wanted to let you know we're having a sale.
But first, allow us to introduce ourselves. We're 'E School Kids': a company dedicated to providing clothing and school supplies at an affordable price.
For the first time in our history, we're having a brief 50% off sale on everything in our online store. School is about to start up again, so this is a great opportunity for you to save some money and get your kids some supplies and outfits that they'll love. T-shirts Boots Backpacks Notebooks And more. To visit our website (eschoolkids.com) click here.
PS: Because of how low we've marked everything we're only going to be able to run this sale for about a week.
Take advantage of it before it's too late." When you open this email you know exactly who it's directed at, who the company is, and what they're offering. It also adds the web address for the website. This is important because a lot of malware is hidden in links from unfamiliar email senders. If the person receiving this email is interested in the product but cautious about clicking the hyperlinks they can just Google the website.
Avoid General Templates
There are many websites out there that have free email templates you can download. These templates might save you some time, but they'll destroy most, if not all impact your cold email could have had. 100 other companies are going to be using the same email template you are. Your email reader will notice that you sound like all the other advertisements they just put into the spam folder and won't give you the time of day. If you're going to use a template, we suggest contacting one of our freelancers. Ask them for a unique email template and give them as much information as possible.
Once you see the success you have with your cold emails you may also want one of our freelancers to create your next email campaign. We have a separate blog post that talks about email marketing for freelancers. For now, let's get back to your cold email copywriting.
Creating an Effective Cold Email
For cold email copywriting to be effective, it has to have a broader focus than your other emails. If somebody is already subscribed to your email list, you can pinpoint the individual benefits your business offers in each email. The person reading your cold email doesn't care about you at all. An effective cold email will change that by providing several benefits and pointing out how they fix a specific problem.Your Cold Email's Core Idea
Each cold email needs to have a theme. To find your theme first decide who your target audience is and what tone you want your cold email to have. Is it completely formal, or does it have a bit of humor in it?
The next step is to find a core idea that will intrigue the reader. For example, if you are a market agency targeting bakeries and convection businesses, you could use cakes as your core idea. Contrast their freshly baked cakes with their stale marketing strategy.
Write Your Subject Line and Preview Text
Your subject line should be no longer than eight words. You have a bit more room with your preview text, but you need to make sure it's adding to the subject line instead of just repeating it. Using the cake example, your subject line and preview could look something like this…
"Subject Line: Fresh Cakes, Can't Fix Stale Marketing… Preview Text: You need freshly baked marketing material to bring in more business for your bakery this summer. We can help…"
Your Cold Email's Main Text and CTA
You should begin your cold email’s main text by tying it in with your subject line. From there you can point out the benefits of your service or product.
Here’s a cold email copywriting example. This is the main text sent to a bakery in need of marketing services…
"Hi, Wayne, Your bakery isn’t doing too bad, but my marketing agency (Double Donuts Marketing) does have a few suggestions. As you probably guessed by our name we get more hungry sweet lovers in contact with your bakery. Once your website, social media pages, and emails get them to set foot in your shop your baking skills will do the rest of the work. You can contact me directly through my email: ([email protected]) Or give us a call and talk with one of our team members: 800-000-000 Contact us today
PS: Visit our website to see how we've helped other bakeries in Colorado." This cold email has a strong yet gentle Call To Action. You're trying to get the bakery owner to contact you, which is less threatening than telling them to pay for your services.
Test Your Cold Email
As always, you should test your email on a dummy account before sending it out. Cold email prospects are much less forgiving when it comes to glitches than people already subscribe to your email list. If you're struggling to build your email list you should check out our blog post on how to build an email list.Hire a Cold Email Freelancer
You now have the tools necessary to create an effective cold email, but it still takes time and effort. By hiring a freelancer to create your cold emails you'll be able to focus on more pressing projects. Legit is home to some of the top cold email copywriting professionals. Here are a few of the services they offer…- Targeted Emails: Emails that target your potential customers’ needs and highlight how your product/service will fill those needs.
- Persuasive Emails: A persuasive cold email will show your potential customer why they should purchase from your company.
- Cold and Marketing Emails: Cold emails that bring in new customers.
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