How To Write A Cold Email To A Potential Client To Get More Leads

Sending a cold email to a potential client that would be noticed, opened, and read sometimes might feel like performing a magic trick, especially if you’re a first-timer or just need some new ideas.

Here at Snov.io, we’ve peeked behind the curtain to unveil the secrets of writing cold emails, saving you the trouble of extensive research. Just grab our guide on cold emailing a potential client and implement these tips and tricks in your next cold email campaign.

Ready to become a cold email wizard with zero hassle? 

Off we go!

Does cold emailing work?

Cold outreach can be a powerful tactic for promoting business growth and connecting with a wider audience. Plus, it doesn’t require a huge budget, so you can start small.

As per research conducted by RAIN Group, 8 out of 10 customers would like to be contacted by email. And that’s not a surprise. If you compare this outreach strategy with cold calling, prospecting by email may feel less intrusive.

The benefits of cold email outreach: Cost-effectiveness Better engagement Brand awareness Value proposition and credibility of your business

Cost-effectiveness

Unlike traditional client acquisition methods, a simple cold email lets you initiate contact and kickstart the sales process without much investment. This approach also allows you to connect with a large number of potential customers at once, making it easier to manage your budget costs.

As reported by Smartlead.ai, emailing provides a considerably higher ROI, which can be up to 4400%. By comparison, social media marketing generates 28% of ROI. Impressive, right?

💡Pro-tip! We recommend implementing email automation into your routine to scale your sales strategy.  For example, with the Snov.io Email Drip Campaigns, you can streamline your outreach by setting up automated sequences with customized email copy and connecting with leads even when your computer is switched off. By delegating mundane tasks to us, you can focus on more important projects and grow your customer database with minimum effort.

Better engagement

A high-quality cold email should include a direct call to action, guiding the recipient toward the next step: for example, booking a quick call or signing up for a free trial. This streamlines the decision-making process for the recipient.

Additionally, adding a call to action helps you measure the impact of your email campaign by monitoring response rates, clicks, and conversions.

Brand awareness

Cold emails act as an introduction to your business, providing your prospects with a first look at your company, services, and competitive advantage.

Make sure you put your best foot forward by highlighting your strengths and offering a clear benefit for your potential clients right from the start.

Opportunities for targeted outreach

Cold emailing lets you connect with an audience that perfectly fits your ideal customer profile. This means your message goes to someone who’s likely to be interested in your product or service and eager to cultivate a meaningful business relationship with you.

The result? Better conversion rates and more growth opportunities!

💡Pro-tip! Looking for email contacts from across the web could take days. But there’s no need to do it manually! Build your targeted email lists with Snov.io Email Finder, which can find email addresses by domain, prospects’ names, or company.

Value proposition and credibility of your business

Cold emails allow you to show the unique value your solution brings to your prospects. When you can clearly articulate the benefits and importance of your offer, you automatically gain a competitive advantage.

For added impact, consider including a link to your testimonials webpage in your first email. This will help you showcase your value and highlight your expertise.

How to write a cold email to a potential client

Cold prospecting can be a powerful tool to make a great first impression on potential clients, but only with a strategic approach. So, let’s identify common pitfalls and explore solutions to ensure successful outreach.

1. Use cold email software

Email automation is essential for automating tasks, warming up your email account, and gaining valuable insights to optimize your cold email campaigns for maximum effectiveness.

🗝️Solution: Snov.io, a sales engagement and automation platform, will help you with all these tasks and even more.

💡Pro-tip! Here’s how Snov.io can help you with your cold outreach: Warm-up Properly warmed-up email accounts provide a strong foundation for a successful cold email campaign. The warm-up improves your sender reputation and helps your emails land in the Inbox instead of the Spam folder or Promotions. With Snov.io Email Deliverability Check, you can achieve 100% email placement results. Automated Email Drip Campaigns This tool will help you create customized campaigns with unlimited follow-ups to grow conversion rates and scale your business. Plus, you can schedule your emails and use tons of free templates if you need more inspiration for your email copy. Email tracking Monitor recipient activity within Gmail/Google Workspace, track opens and clicks, and adjust your cold marketing strategy accordingly.

2. Segment your email list

Research shows that 89% of marketers make the same unfortunate mistake: they don’t segment their email lists and treat all their prospects as one entity. They send the same content to their whole customer base, which can lead to poor deliverability rates, low engagement, and increased unsubscribe rates.

🗝️ Solution: divide your contact list into smaller, more targeted groups based on specific criteria. For example:

• Industry
• Company size
• Demographics
• Job title

3. Personalize and adjust

This is the next step in preparing for your cold outreach. Crafting customized cold emails involves more than just including the prospects’ names; it’s about understanding their unique needs and challenges.

🗝️Solution: Leverage the data you’ve gathered while segmenting your email list and tailor email copy accordingly

💡Pro-tip! Creating personalized emails to attract customers can be time-consuming. But there’s good news for all you hardworking architects of cold email campaigns. We created AI Email Writer as your trusted assistant in creating personalized cold email templates, subject lines, follow-up email templates, and much more! Whether it’s sales pitches, follow-ups, promos, upsells, demo offers, or any other concept you have in mind, this tool will fully customize your first cold email campaign. Moreover, you can add more variations using Spintax and randomize various sections in your emails: introduction, offer, call to action (CTA), or sign-off.

4. Make your emails short and include a CTA

It’s highly unlikely that your prospects would read a lengthy email without any blocks, images, or headings. Such emails are boring and fail to make a good first impression, unfortunately.

🗝️Solution: Keep your cold emails short, sweet, and concise. Share how your solution can make a positive impact on your potential customers’ needs or goals. Make it easy for them to understand how they would benefit from your services, and add a CTA at the end to encourage your recipients to take the next step.

📜 How to optimize your call-to-action: Coordinate it with your pitch: A high-quality cold email should address at least one prospect’s pain point. Ensure your CTA aligns with the text and encourages your recipients to take a specific action that helps alleviate that pain point. Include a calendar link: If you offer a meeting, make it easy for your prospects to connect with you. Limit yourself to one CTA: There’s no need to confuse your potential customers with multiple action requests. Make your CTA visible: Ensure it stands out and grabs attention.

5. Don’t be too salesy

Steer clear of being too pushy—it can only avert a prospect from your offering. 

🗝️Solution: Focus more on a client’s needs rather than pitching your product or services.

📜 How can you improve your emails? To make your cold emails more professional and simultaneously friendly, beware of these phrases: Revolutionary product: You better add substance to your email to ensure your point comes across, but it may be better to avoid this one altogether. Guaranteed success: this one can sound too good to be true and might make people doubt what you’re saying. Best in the industry: Use this one only if you have credible awards that can support this statement. We’re the experts: Once again, it’s better to show your credibility via positive feedback from your client or industry awards your company has acquired. Otherwise, it may sound a little pompous.

6. Be creative with your subject lines

A cold email subject line plays a crucial role in your outreach. When written correctly, it can grab your recipients’ attention and encourage them to open an email, which is a big first step.

🗝️Solution: Ensure the subject line draws attention and incentivizes your recipients to learn more about your offer.

📜 How to write a perfect subject line? Personalize We’ve already detailed the importance of customizing your copy so that we won’t repeat it here. Just keep in mind that personalized subject lines double email open rates. Choose your words wisely Watch out for spam traps—avoid trigger words like  ‘free’ or ‘discount’ for optimal email deliverability. Use numbers Research shows that cold email subject lines with numbers bring an impressive 20% open rate.

7. Mind the right timing

Scheduling emails helps you reach recipients when they are most likely to see and open your emails, increasing open rates and improving engagement.

🗝️Solution: According to Hubspot, the best time to send emails is between 9 a.m. and noon and 3 p.m.

8. Remember to add your contact details

Crafting an email signature is crucial—it serves as a virtual business card, etching a memorable impression in the recipient’s mind.

🗝️Solution: Incorporate the company’s name, logo, or social media accounts to make it easier for recipients to connect with you.

If you want to learn more copywriting techniques, check out our video on how to create an email copy that converts more leads and boosts engagement:

Cold email templates for different purposes

Feel free to pick the cold email template that suits your audience, their needs, or your outreach style the best.

Prospecting cold email template

Subject line: More opportunities for business growth  Hi [Prospect’s name], I’m [Your name], and I’ve been captivated by the impact [Prospect’s company] is making in the [Industry] space. In my role as [Your role] at [Your company], I specialize in empowering companies like yours with cutting-edge [Your service/value proposition]. Noticing [Highlight a specific problem or pain point], I see an exciting opportunity to collaborate. I’m confident our [Service/value proposition] can seamlessly integrate with [Prospect’s company]. Ready to amplify your [Prospect’s company] journey? Click the link to book a quick call. Best, [Your full name] [Your position] [Your company, if applicable] [Your contact information]

What makes this template stand out?

It shows that you researched the prospect’s company and are aware of their achievements and pain points. The call to action is clear and invites collaboration, making it likely to prompt a response.

Networking cold email template

Subject: Let’s combine forces! Hi [Recipient’s name], I’m [Your name], and your [Impressive work/achievement] in [Industry/field] has caught my attention. Would you like to connect and exchange thoughts on [Specific topic/project/initiative]? I am sure we could generate ideas on achieving [Your mutual goals]. Let’s schedule a brief [Coffee/Zoom] next week. Looking forward to your response. Best, [Your full name] [Your position] [Your company, if applicable] [Your contact information]

What makes this template stand out?

In addition to acknowledging the recipient’s expertise, it also highlights the mutual benefits of possible collaboration.

Event invitation cold email template

Subject: Exclusive [Product/Service] sneak peek! Hi [Recipient’s name], I’m [Your name] from [Your company], and I’m excited to invite you to [Event Name], which will be held on [Date] at [Time] [Location/Online Platform]. Imagine a glimpse into the future of [Specific industry or sector of interest to your recipient], where innovation meets tradition. We’ll dive deep into [Brief description of what attendees can expect] with [Highlight a speaker or activity]. Why you should attend: Futuristic tech: Be the first to witness the magic of our [Product/service] Brainpower unleashed: Dive deep with our experts, unraveling tailored solutions that fit your unique workflow. Networking: Connect with the top professionals in the [Your field]. Click here to register: [Registration Link] P.S. Early bird discounts are available until [Date]! Cheers, [Your full name] [Your position] [Your contact information] [Your company name] [Your company website]

What makes this template stand out?

It provides a well-structured and informative approach to inviting people to an event. The template offers a value proposition, clear calls to action, and customization for your target audience.

AIDA cold email template

Subject: Need help with [Pain point]? Hi [Name], My name is [Your Name] from [Your Company]. I found your work on [Platform/Achievement] captivating, especially [Specific detail]. At [Your company], we help businesses like yours [Solution to pain point]. We recently helped [Client name] achieve [Result] by [Action taken]. I’d love to chat more about how we can help [Their Company] achieve similar results. Are you available for a quick call next week? Thanks for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you! Kind regards, [Your full name] [Your position] [Your contact information] [Your company name] [Your company website]

What makes this template stand out?

It uses the AIDA framework (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action). The subject line draws attention, the introduction creates interest, the main body generates desire, and the closing promotes action.

💡 Keep in mind While a friendly tone is generally well-received, it’s important to adapt your email to fit the situation. For example, if you are reaching out to a college professor, writing your copy in a formal style may be better. Researching your prospect allows you to understand their communication style, interests, and professional background, enabling you to craft emails that resonate with them on a deeper level.

Wrapping up

We hope that our tips and tricks will help you achieve the desired results from your cold email outreach. Start by setting clear goals, then conduct thorough research and craft personalized copies.

And remember that Snov.io is always there to help you with lead generation, sales optimization, and more. We’ve got you covered!