The team that writes this newsletter is diverse in nationality, location, and skillset.
But the one thing most of us have in common? We’ve sent our fair share of emails.
What you’re about to read are insights we shared with each other in a private company channel recently, after critiquing a cold email:
- Don’t make compliments unless they’re specific and personal. Most cold emails open with a line like, “Hey Joe, I love your content.” This is a buzzkill, because it’s so obviously generic. If you include a compliment, it should read something like, “Hey Joe, I saw the piece you wrote about copywriting. I used your framework with a client last week.”
- Lead with the ask. When someone opens your email, they should also be able to answer the question, “what’s in it for me?” in just a couple of seconds. Try leading with the ask. Don’t make them guess.
- Cut everything that isn’t absolutely essential. Keep your emails under 150 words, or 100 if you can. Shorter emails tend to perform better than long-winded emails—unless there’s a specific reason your emails need to be long-winded.
- Write in the first person. Instead of, “Hey, we’re XXX,” say, “Hey, I’m Manu, the founder of XXX.”
Want some inspiration for writing the best emails this side of the Mississippi… or, whatever major geographical landmark exists in your country?