How to write effective cold emails

Cold emailing can be a powerful tool—when done right. But when it’s done wrong? It’s a fast track to being ignored, deleted, or worse, marked as spam.

Send enough spammy emails and Google–yes, your main email domain–will kick you out. And if you just do a lousy job, a poorly crafted cold email wastes your time and theirs, damages your reputation, and burns bridges before you’ve even had a chance to cross them.

What should you expect? You should see open rates in the 25-50% range and response rates from 2-10%. Lower than that means you’re doing it wrong or it’s simply not a channel that works for what you’re selling (but, more likely, you’re doing it wrong). You can absolutely see higher numbers than that, but those would be very exceptional. I’ve seen opens as high as 80% and responses over 25%, but those were for specific campaigns done by very skilled people.

Here’s how to write cold emails that actually work:

1. Write subject lines you’d open.

Your subject line is the first impression. If it doesn’t catch attention, your email won’t get opened. Keep it intriguing yet concise. Think about what would make you curious enough to click. If your emails aren’t being opened, most of the time the problem is your subject line.

2. Keep it short.

Time is everyone’s most valuable resource. Don’t waste it by rambling. A short, clear message shows you respect your recipient’s time and increases the likelihood of them reading the entire email.

3. Keep it real—no fake personal junk.

Generic, overly familiar personalization is a killer. People can tell when it’s forced or insincere. Authenticity wins. If you don’t have a real connection, don’t fake one. Stick to meaningful, context-driven insights.

4. Look human—typos and misspellings are okay.

Perfection is overrated. A minor typo or two can actually make you seem more approachable and genuine. Just don’t mess up their name or company—that’s a dealbreaker.

Maybe you’re using templates or AI to write emails. Maybe your marketing VP or sales VP is a perfectionist. Some typos actually ehlp open rates and deliverability, and make people connect with you. You’re not a huge marketing or sales department with copywriters combing every email for typos. You’re imprfect.

5. One ask or call to action only.

Don’t overwhelm the recipient with multiple requests. Be clear and specific about what you want—whether it’s scheduling a demo, joining a webinar, or hopping on a quick call. Simplicity leads to action.

Make sure it’s reasonable, too! If you’re getting a lot of opens but not a lot of replies or meetings booked, you’re probably not asking for something reasonable. Hint: Sometimes people don’t want to talk to sales as a first step. They’d rather read a blog post or lurk on a webinar.

6. Research beats volume.

Sending 500 generic emails won’t beat sending 50 highly tailored ones. The more you know about your recipient, the better your email will resonate. Mention their challenges, their industry, or something specific to them. Precision pays off.

If your email does mention specific pains or problems (it should, usually) by naming pains they actually feel in their own words you build trust and credibility. If you’re in a big market and people experience similar pains in a similar way, you can do this at scale. E.g., “Tired of doing H-1B paperwork?” If you’re writing to anybody who has to deal with this kind of paperwork, everyone will immediately think “GOD YES PLEASE SAVE ME!” and open your email and probably reply.

Cold emailing done right

Cold emailing done right builds relationships, drives results, and creates opportunities. Follow this framework, and you’ll stand out in a sea of poorly written emails.

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