The internet is full of tips on "how to cold email" for marketers, but what about when you're marketing yourself?
When you're job hunting, plenty of tips exist to help you get noticed. Most of them don't involve submitting a standard cover letter and Word.doc resume to a generic email address.
If you've never tried cold emailing before, the process can feel awkward or even invasive, but it doesn't have to be. In fact, when done thoughtfully, sending a cold email can be *chef's kiss*.
Here are our tips on how to reach out to strangers respectfully, plus some techniques for writing subject lines that will get you noticed in their inboxes.
Table of Contents
- What Is Cold Emailing?
- Preparing to Send a Cold Email
- Drafting Your Cold Email
- 25 Cold Email Subject Line Examples
What Is Cold Emailing?
Cold emailing is when you send an email to someone whom you have no prior relationship with.
We commonly think of cold emailing as something only salespeople send to potential customers, but that's not true. Cold emailing is used anytime you're looking to get something from someone you don't know. For example, one type of cold email is when a job seeker sends a letter of interest to a recruiter about a job opening.
Without a prior relationship, many recipients of cold emails ignore them, which is why they are one of the most difficult forms of communication, and you may often feel like they aren't a good use of your time.
However, it's impossible to assume that everyone you ever email will be a personal or warm contact. Plus, some amazing career opportunities have come from a cold outreach email! So, cold email outreach is a skill worth learning—and worth learning how to do it effectively.
The "secret" is making sure your emails are personalized, relevant, and timely.
When cold emailing is done correctly, you can expect an average open rate of 20 to 25%. However, Mailchimp has found that open rates decrease to 1 to 5% without that special human touch.
Getting better results means ditching the idea of copying and pasting a general outreach template. Everybody knows (and hates) those.
Instead, take a little extra time to create a great subject line and an even better email. Here are a few more "secrets" that the email marketing pros use to increase their response rates and catch a prospect's attention:
A Few Tricks Marketers Use to Create Compelling Cold Emails:
- A personalized email that is written with one recipient in mind
- A sense of urgency (aka employer FOMO)
- Professionalism
- Addressing pain points
- Communicating a mutual connection or common interest
- Invoking curiosity
- Communicating exclusivity
And when it comes to the job hunt, contacting the right person with a short, tailored email will serve you better than applying for jobs only using their online systems. When applying to a job, we always recommend that you submit your application via their formal process. Afterwards, find a real person you can email your resume directly to.
To cold email a company contact, do some mild to moderate internet stalking of your favorite companies, find the name of someone you think will know what to do with your resume, then try reaching them by emailing a series of likely addresses:
(firstname@companyx.com, firstnamelastname@companyx.com, etc).
There are some great resources on how to get started with cold emailing (we covered it here or try here), so we'll skip straight to the rules of how to write your actual message.
Preparing to Send a Cold Email
Rule #1: Don't Skip Steps
Before cold emailing, gather your list of potential contacts through LinkedIn or website team pages. Next, make sure to check LinkedIn to see if anyone in your network is connected to the people you're trying to reach.
If you have a common connection, make sure to mention that person. You might even include the mutual contact's name in your subject line to improve your response rates (aka, get the response!).
If you have the option, it's always preferable to reach out through a mutual acquaintance because it automatically establishes a level of trust. But sometimes reaching out to someone you don't know can't be helped so...just try it out.
Rule #2: Tread Carefully
Do your research. We're talking all the research—on the company itself, the department that interests you, the role you'd like to fill, even the person you're trying to email.
If you want them to respond to your message, treat them with the deference they deserve by putting in the work. If we haven't mentioned it enough already, personalization is the key to all cold emailing.
Plus, be sure to respect your prospect's inbox by spelling the recipient's name correctly, keeping your email on topic, not sending immediate follow-up emails, and keeping your email brief and engaging.
Drafting Your Email
Rule #3: Keep It Short
One-page cover letters serve you fine when they're actually a requirement of the job application, but when you're cold-emailing, be mindful of the person's time.
Following email best practices means your email should be short and specifically tailored to the company and your contact, meaning if you're not willing to write an original message for each person, you're not ready to cold email.
Nobody wants to receive an email that says "Hello, [NAME]" or that mentions a direct competitor.
By tailoring your emails, you'll ensure that you come across as genuine, passionate, and a potential asset.
Rule #4: Time It Right
If you want your email to be opened—and not swiftly forgotten—then your timing is important. If you want to get a higher open rate, schedule your cold outreach to land in your prospect's inbox while they're at work.
Translation: Don't send your email on Friday at 3:00 pm.
According to several studies on email open rates, the best time to send emails is between 10:00 and 11:00 am on a Tuesday.
How to Write the Perfect Subject Line
Rule #5: Good Email Subject Line = Dynamic
"Possible Job Opportunity?" = Not dynamic.
"An inquiry" = Nope.
The subject line is your first impression, so it holds a lot of weight for being such a short section of your message.
The primary goal of the best cold email subject lines is to boost your chances of getting the reader to open the email. From there, it’s up to the body copy to encourage further action. Consider what action you want the recipient to take. Do you want them to look at your resume? Is this a networking connection? Are you trying to sell a specific product or service?
When you sit down to write your subject line, try these tactics:
- Don't be afraid to get personal: Have you ever heard that tip about using someone's name regularly while speaking with them? It makes us all feel special because it elicits emotions for someone to remember and use our name in conversation. It means they're paying attention and actively participating. The same applies to cold emailing. It's always smart to try working the person's name into the subject line.
- Use that research: You looked into the company before cold emailing for a reason. Now use that knowledge. Reference a specific project they've recently completed or the name of the department you're interested in. These unique details will prove you're not spam, that you care, and help you stand out in the prospect's inbox.
- Keep it short and weigh your words: Effective cold emails skip the fillers, keep the short subject line, and put the important stuff at the beginning. We all get bored, and a mobile device will already shorten the subject line. You can even add a little humor.
- Provide value: Why should they want to read your email, let alone interview or hire you? What makes you an asset? Get specific in your subject line.
25+ Cold Email Subject Line Examples
If you luck out and have common connections or referrals:
Anna, Mark Johnson recommended I reach out
Connection request from Margot Kim! | Let's talk about [topic/idea]
Paul Morgan said we should connect to chat [name an industry trend]
Reaching out from [company name]
Referral from your coworker, Amanda Jones!
When it's purely networking, and you're making the introduction
Introduction and potential collab? | Name<>Name Connect
[Company Name] Intro?[Name], great seeing you at [event name] last night!From one brand manager to another, time for an introductory call this week? Just connected on LinkedIn! | First Name Last Name
Informational Interview Request | First Name Last Name
If you don't know the contact at all, but found/follow some of their published work:
Ms. Connor, I loved your LinkedIn article on networking
[Email Recipient Name], loved your article + how I can help
Longtime podcast listener, first-time connection request!
{Prospect name}, congrats on your recent product launch at [Company]
When you're applying for a job and want to send your resume directly to a person
I'm your next marketing coordinator—here's why! | First Name Last Name
Interest in [Job Title] with [Company] | First Name Last Name
I believe I can be excited about Mondays at [Company]!
Application for writer position from experienced journalist and marketer
First Name Last Name's Application for [Job Title]
If you don't have much to go on at all, offer value:
Social Media Manager with Non-Profit Expertise Interested in Helping Your Team
Social Media Coordinator with 4 Years Experience Here to Help
Resources to help with [pain point]
If you want to use social proof to drive home your point
I grew Instagram by 30% in 3 months, and now I want to be your next social media manager
From [Current Company] to [Prospective Company], I'm your next brand manager!
When all else fails, try a question:
Any advice for someone who loves the marketing work you're doing at Company X?
Do you have 15 mins to help another alumnus?
Quick question about [project/topic], can you help?
