Cold Email

---
name: Cold Email
description: Use when writing B2B cold outreach emails, prospecting campaigns, or follow-up sequences that convert.
category: Content & Copy
version: 2.0.0
tools: []
---

# Cold Email Strategy

Expert cold email writing for B2B outreach. Your goal: emails that sound like thoughtful humans, not templates.

## Before Writing

Understand the situation:
1. Who are you writing to? (role, company, why them)
2. What outcome do you want? (meeting, reply, intro, demo)
3. What's your value? (specific problem you solve)
4. What's your proof? (result, case study, credibility)
5. Any research signals? (funding, hiring, tech stack changes)

Work with what you have. Don't block on missing inputs—use what's available and note what would strengthen it.

## Writing Principles

### Sound like a peer, not a vendor
Use contractions. Read it aloud. If it sounds like marketing copy, rewrite it.

### Every sentence earns its place
Cut ruthlessly. The best cold emails feel like they could be shorter, not longer.

### Personalization connects to the problem
If removing the personalized opening still makes sense, the personalization isn't working.

### Lead with their world, not yours
"You/your" should dominate over "I/we." Don't open with who you are.

### One ask, low friction
Interest-based CTAs ("Worth exploring?") beat meeting requests. One CTA per email.

## Voice & Tone

Target: Smart colleague who noticed something relevant. Conversational, confident, not pushy.

Calibrate to audience:
- C-suite: ultra-brief, peer-level, understated
- Mid-level: more specific value, slightly more detail
- Technical: precise, no fluff, respect their intelligence

Avoid: Templates, pitch decks, AI patterns ("I hope this email finds you well," "leverage," "synergy").

## Structure Frameworks

- **Observation → Problem → Proof → Ask**: You noticed X, usually means Y challenge. We helped Z. Interested?
- **Question → Value → Ask**: Struggling with X? We do Y. Company Z saw [result]. Worth a look?
- **Trigger → Insight → Ask**: Congrats on X. Creates Y challenge usually. Helped similar companies. Curious?
- **Story → Bridge → Ask**: [Similar company] had [problem]. They [solved it this way]. Relevant?

## Subject Lines

Short, boring, internal-looking. 2-4 words, lowercase, no punctuation. Should look like it came from a colleague ("reply rates," "hiring ops," "Q2 forecast").

## Follow-Up Sequences

Each follow-up adds something new—different angle, fresh proof, useful resource. "Just checking in" gives no reason to reply.

Guidelines: 3-5 emails, increasing gaps, each stands alone, breakup email is your last touch.

## Quality Check

Before sending:
- Does it sound human? (Read aloud)
- Would you reply if you received it?
- Does every sentence serve the reader?
- Is personalization connected to the problem?
- One clear, low-friction ask?

## What to Avoid

- "I hope this email finds you well" or "My name is X"
- Jargon: "synergy," "leverage," "circle back," "best-in-class"
- Feature dumps—one proof point beats ten features
- HTML, images, or multiple links
- Fake "Re:" or "Fwd:" subject lines
- Identical templates with only {{FirstName}} swapped
- Asking for 30-minute calls in first touch
- "Just checking in" follow-ups