Why Cold Emails are Still a Worthy Consideration for Entrepreneurs

Cold emailing has a bit of a bad rap!

Often due to the plethora of poorly written marketing emails people receive. That leaves many reluctant to give it a try, but it can actually be a powerful tool in any entrepreneur’s arsenal – so long as it’s used properly (and doesn’t amount to begging).

To take advantage of what cold emailing has to offer, you have to let go of your fear.

Think about it, what’s the worst that can happen by sending a cold email? They don’t respond? In the grand scheme of things, that’s nothing, so don’t let that hold you back.

If you’re ready to take the leap, here’s what you need to know.

Mastering the Cold Email

Ultimately, a stellar cold email is based on creating a connection – and that usually means that a hard sell approach isn’t the way to go.

People get bombarded by sales emails, so being too blatant isn’t going to get their attention – instead, focus on what you can offer them, not what they can do for you. Ask them to contribute to a blog piece or offer a chance to be interviewed for a great job. Anything that shows them that they, personally, can benefit from responding will do the trick, so keep that mindset when you write the email.

You also want to make your story compelling in its own right. Make sure to highlight your (or your company’s) reputation, and add tidbits about your prior successes – anything to draw them in which demonstrates your value.

You should also make an effort to avoid phrases that can kill your credibility, such as “hopefully” or “if that makes sense,” so that you establish yourself as a confident authority on the matter.

It should also be customized to the recipient. People can spot a canned email from a mile away, and those messages suggest that you didn’t bother to take the time to learn about them first, which will hurt your response rates.

And, for a cold email to work, it really should be an email and not contact through a web form or even their social media page.

I can hear you now: “How do I send them an email if their email address isn’t publicly available?”

Luckily, most professional emails are easy to guess, especially since businesses generally use the same format, involving portions of the person’s first and last name. If you can find just one example of how the company formats their email addresses, you likely have the key to all of them.

Business Development

If you’re looking for an investor or partner for your business ventures, it’s incredibly unlikely they’re going to reach out to you – you need to do the work to get their attention.