So you’ve convinced someone to open your cold email.
Your from name and subject line worked, and so did the preview text. Well done.
… But don’t pop the champagne yet. Now it’s time to deliver.
Which means… You’re gonna need a damn good first sentence.
Done right, the first sentence sets the tone and hooks the reader enough to keep reading your email.
We recently came across an email from Superhuman with a fantastic first line:
“Hi there 👋 Megan here from the Superhuman Customer Engagement Team! (I’m a real person, I live in the bay area, and I love being outside ⛰️).
Here’s how to make an opener like this work:
- Create a casual tone. Emojis do the trick in this case, but they may not work for every audience.
- Address the awkwardness. The line “I’m a real person” addresses one of the most common objections to cold emails and makes things personal right away.
- Relate to the reader. Creating a sense of relatability—hobbies, personality—instantly makes your cold email more enjoyable and relatable.
If you’re sending cold emails, keep these three principles in mind next time you send off a batch.
They may just help you book that call.