The power of Cold Emailing

How your email can stand out from a flooded inbox

The inboxes of people whom you’d want to cold email most likely wake up to dozens of emails in their inbox every morning, both legitimate and spam.

Cold emailing can seem daunting in that your email would probably end up in the deep abyss of the recipient’s inbox, and though that may be true a lot of the time, it is still a very effective and underrated method for generating leads, building relationships and potentially unlocking a world of opportunities for you.

If you’ve always had doubts about cold emailing, here’s all you need to know about its power.

1. What is Cold Emailing?

At a basic level, cold emailing is the concept of reaching out to individuals or businesses who have had no prior interaction with you or your company. It requires writing a well-crafted email that is tailor-fit to the individual or business you’re emailing, with the intent being to catch their attention and initiate a conversation.

When it’s done right, its advantages include but are not limited to:

1. Being able to reach a wide audience without any limitations of a geographical audience
2. Targeted outreach with how emails are tailored to specific industries, job roles, demographics and the niche the individual you may be emailing is in
3. The ability to demonstrate to the recipient that you understand all their needs and specific dilemmas they may find themselves in currently

2. The Psychology Behind Cold Emailing

To begin to truly appreciate the power of cold emailing, it is important to understand the psychological factors that are at play:

1. All human beings are curious creatures. You probably increase the volume of the radio when you hear a news headline that piques your curiosity. even if you’re not necessarily familiar with the topic. Applying that same principle to cold emailing, a compelling subject line can pique the interest of the recipient, prompting them to open your email.
2. People tend to feel obliged to reciprocate when someone does something meaningful for them. The principle of reciprocity, is if your email has content that clicks with the recipient, they’ll have no choice but to respond.
3. In an email outreach, it's crucial to build trust. Using any testimonials and social proof you may have is an excellent way to establish your credibility on the subject.
4. If your cold email is oriented around solving the problem you know a recipient is going through, showing the ability to be able to solve the recipient’s specific problems and pain points has a high likelihood of them getting back to you.

3. The Best Practices for Cold Emailing

So now you’re probably wondering what are the best ways to practice cold e-mailing. Here are some starting ideas:

1. Segment the audience of your email based on criteria such as industry, job title, or specific location. Once again, tailor your email content to each segment’s specific needs
2. Again, craft engaging subject lines, as the subject line is the first thing your recipient will see before anything else. An eye-catching subject line is the one that most compels them to open the email.
3. Once more, personalize each individual cold email by referencing their specific needs, challenges, or interests that demonstrate you know what you’re doing and aren’t just filling their inbox further.
4. Show the ability to provide value in whatever way you can, whether through insights, advice, and problem-solving.
5. The recipients you’d want to cold email are most likely very occupied on a daily basis. Keep your cold email concise and straight to the point, focusing on what’s most important as quickly as possible
6. Conduct A/B Testing of different elements of your cold emails, such as subject lines, clear calls to action (CTAs), and content to better gauge what’s working and what isn’t.

4. Overcoming the Fears of Cold Emailing

As mentioned at the beginning of the article, cold emailing can seem daunting. More specifically, they are fears or stigmas attached to cold emailing considering most people will have a low response rate.

However, it is important to understand that it is a part of the process:

1. Understand that unless you already have a vast array of connections, not only your first cold email, but even your first 100 cold emails could fail. Rejection is a part of this game, stay focused on refining your approach.
2. Optimize your email copy and subject lines to identify what works best with A/B Testing.
3. Engage in follow-ups with recipients you’re especially interested in but are non-responsive. It never hurts to send a second email about a week or two after the initial email.

Just like in the name, cold emailing can and will initially send cold shivers down your spine with how long it generally takes to get that first follow-up. But if you really want to stand out from people you’re competing with, you have to trust the process, and fall in love with the ins and outs of it.