Cold email formula
Definition
A cold email formula is a repeatable structure for a first email: name something specific that just happened to the recipient, say what you'd do about it, and ask a question that's easy to answer.
A cold email formula is a repeatable structure for a first email: name something specific that just happened to the recipient, say what you'd do about it, and ask a question that's easy to answer.
There are a lot of formulas with acronyms, and most of them are ways of saying the same three things. The version that works for B2B fits in about 60 to 90 words.
First sentence: the thing that just happened to them. The permit, the posting, the lease, the round. Not a compliment, not a question about how their quarter is going. Second sentence or paragraph: what you'd do about it, specifically, with a number or a timeframe if you have one. Last line: a question with a yes-or-no answer. Then a name. No signature block with six logos.
An example
"Hi Tom, saw the note in last month's call about moving M-Series production out of Guangdong. If the machined housings are still being sourced, we can quote them off your current drawings, first articles in four to six weeks. We run CNC and sheet metal in Ohio, ISO 9001. Would a quote on one part help the cost model? Rachel." Their event, what we'd do, a question. Sixty-three words.
What the formula leaves out
"I hope this finds you well." Anything about the sender's company before the second sentence. Links, images, attachments. A calendar link in the first email. And any line that would make sense if it were sent to a thousand people, because the recipient can tell.
Related terms
Cold email · Cold email sequence · Subject line · Cold email follow-up
If you want this run for you, see our cold email agency, or cold email for IT resellers.
Book a 15-minute fit call
Tell us your industry and your deal size. We’ll tell you whether we’d take the account and which signals fire in your market.