Cold email outreach is an incredible way to connect with potential clients and customers. It increases brand awareness and boosts overall sales. Statistics reveal that roughly 89% of marketers use cold emails as their primary channel for lead generation.
If you also want to master the art of creating compelling cold emails, this article is for you. We have also discussed the process of verifying email addresses using the Snovio email verifier to stay ahead of your competitors and secure a high response rate. So, let's begin!
What is a Cold Email Outreach in B2B?
Cold email outreach is a strategy in which a business sends highly personalized emails to retailers and other businesses with no prior relationships. The goal is to introduce your products and services to potential clients to grab their interest so they turn into your customers. It's a cheap and quite effective way to capture leads and increase your business revenue.
What Makes a Good Cold Email?
Cold email outreach doesn't just mean sending random emails to clients; it requires careful planning and execution.
Here are a few factors that make your cold email stand out:
- Appropriate Length: The length of the cold email greatly impacts the overall response rate. Yes, it's true! An email that is too long can bore the recipient, especially when it's from a stranger, and they may stop midway without taking action. Therefore, it's suggested that you keep your cold email to around 2 to 5 sentences and not more than 200 words. Even 50 to 125 words are optimal to play around and spark someone's interest.
- Personalization: A common mistake that many marketers make in cold email outreach is failing to personalize the email for the recipient. However, you shouldn't repeat the same thing. Study the business of your client in detail, and in the email, mention their name, focus on their services and achievements to show them that you've properly done your homework and are eager to establish B2B relationships with them.
- Clear Value Proposition: A good cold email clearly highlights what's in it for the recipient. You should mention how your products and services address the business pain points. This surely grabs attention and gives the business a reason to respond to your email.
- Authenticity: Authenticity goes a long way. Therefore, to make your cold email outreach stand out, you should be as authentic as possible. Don't use overly promising or difficult language that appears as a hard sell or too good to be true. Instead, write in a natural tone and be upfront about your intentions so it feels like the words are coming from an honest and natural person.
How to Create Effective Email Structures for B2B Cold Outreach?
Now that you are well aware of the key points that make a good cold email, here are a few tips on how to structure your email for B2B cold outreach:
Your Email Tone
The tone of your email sets the stage for the interaction with the reader. It should be professional yet conversational and not overly formal or robotic. Avoid using overly complex language or jargon that may put off the recipient. Most importantly, don't forget to be empathetic and understanding throughout the email.
For instance, don't write, “We offer advanced solutions to address your operational inefficiencies.” Instead, say something like, “I understand how difficult it can be to streamline all your operations while keeping costs under control. That's why I want to share a solution that saves time and money and also improves the efficiency of your team.”
Your Subject Line
The subject line is the first thing that your readers will see when they receive the email. Therefore, it should be attention-grabbing and properly optimized. Otherwise, the recipient may not open the email, or worse, they can manually mark you as spam.
According to Zippia, 47% of recipients open cold emails based on the subject line. About 69% of email recipients report spam based on the subject line. Don't stress out; follow the given tips to create effective subject lines for cold email outreach:
- Keep the subject line short, generally around 6 to 10 words
- Personalize the subject line by adding the name of the recipient and their interests. Statistics show that emails with tailored subject lines have a 29% higher open rate than those without.
- Use powerful words that evoke emotions like “Limited,” “Urgent Offer,” and “Exclusive.”
Here's a good example of B2B cold email outreach:
“Struggling with [Specific Challenge]? Let's Fix That!”
Your Greeting
Start your cold email with a greeting to establish a friendly yet professional tone. It's a good idea to avoid generic phrases like “Hi” and use the business or client's name in the greeting. For instance, you should say “Hi Alex Corporates….” Or “Hey Eloisa Clothing, I hope you are doing well.”
Your Intro Line
Your cold email outreach intro should immediately capture the recipient's attention. It should make the reader feel that the email is specifically sent to them and has value in it. Mention their name, achievements, and work industry to break the barrier and build a connection. Here are a few examples of intro lines:
“I came across Greenfield Construction's recent eco-friendly project in Springfield. It's impressive to see your commitment to sustainable practices.”
Your Middle Section or "Story"
Once you have hooked the recipient with your subject line and greeting, ensure your middle section is powerful enough to make them stay. So, instead of indulging in random conversation, directly tell what you bring to the table.
Tell the client how your products and services can help them in their project; if possible, give some examples of your previous clients to build trust. For instance,
“At Julie Tech Solutions, we helped different companies streamline their lead generation process, increasing conversion rate by 30%. We believe we can bring the same results for you by [offer solution here].”
Your Call-to-Action or Email Ending
Call-to-action is an important element of your cold email outreach structure. Statistics show that a fully customized CTA can increase click-through rates by 30% to 35%.
That's why you should write a short yet impactful CTA that guides the reader toward the next step, whether it's scheduling a call or booking a consultation.
The tone should be professional and not too pushy, as it can appear suspicious. Also, it's suggested to incorporate a single CTA in the email as it can enhance clicks by over 371% and sales by around 1617%. Here's an example:
“Call us anytime to discuss how our [solution] can help you with [problem].”
Your Signature
Add a signature at the end of the email. The signature usually contains your company name, job title, and contact details. For instance,
Best Regards,
[Name]
[Designation]
[Business Name]
[Phone No.]
Best Practices for Sending Cold Emails
The following are the some best practices for cold email outreach that can increase response rate:
- Send Follow-Up: It's quite rare for clients to respond to the first cold email, as only 2% of sales are made during the first point of contact. This is because they don't know you, so don't hesitate to send a follow-up email as a reminder that you are serious about connecting.
- Be Mindful of Time: Timing is very important for B2B cold email outreach. So aim to send emails during peak business hours, typically between 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM or 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM, to maximize your chances of clicks and responses.
- Ensure Impeccable Grammar: Poorly written emails with multiple grammatical errors can greatly dent your business reputation and make the email look suspicious. To avoid this, you should proofread the email and rectify all grammatical and punctuation errors.
You should also use an email verifier tool like the Snovio email verifier to identify which business emails are active and valid. It's free and lets you keep a clean email list. It also reduces overall bouncebacks from invalid addresses that may harm your business reputation.
Cold Email Templates and Sales Email Templates for B2B
Here are a few cold email templates that help you understand the structure better:
Cold Email Template for Free Offer
Subject Line: [Recipient's Company Name] Achieve [Specific Goal]
Hi, [Name],
I noticed that [Recipient's Company Name] has been focusing on a [Project or Goal], and I wanted to share a free resource that could help with that. We recently created a [Free tool or Guide] that can help solve your [Problem]. It's totally free and can bring great value to your team.
Let me know if you'd like to check it out!
Best Regards,
Your [Business Name]
Your Contact Info
Wrap Up
Cold email outreach is quite effective for making B2B connections. However, to ensure maximum response and click-through rates, personalize the email, be honest, offer clear value, and send it at the right time.