How To Write a Good Prospecting Email That Actually Gets Responses

What is a prospecting email?

Prospecting email is a type of message sent to a potential customer or client to introduce a product or service. Usually, such messages are “cold”, meaning they are sent without prior contact. The main goal of a prospecting email is to start a conversation with the prospect (and not necessarily closing the deal).

How to write a prospecting email?

Prospecting emails have typical components you need to be aware of. So here is the formula that will help you write a perfect outreach email. 

Craft a strong email subject line

The subject line is the first thing your prospects see in the inbox and how they get familiar with you. So, that line should stand out — but not too much to land you in the spam folder or spook people away. In case you do not know where to start, have a look at our guide to writing catchy email subject lines — this is your starting point. 

There are many different types of email subject lines you can use:

• A curiosity-inducing one to build intrigue (The one thing you’re missing in your [industry/field])

• An authoritative subject line to demonstrate expertise (5 insider tips from industry leaders on [topic])

• A benefit-oriented subject line to highlight how helpful your content is (Maximize your [benefit] with our exclusive tips)

Here are the examples of bad subject lines for prospecting emails that you should avoid by all means:

Think the opening through

Once your email has been opened, the first few sentences are crucial to keep the recipient’s attention. You need to make a good first impression and show that you’ve done your research on the recipient. The opening should be personalized, friendly, and focused on the prospect’s needs or pain points.

The starting point here is the personalized greeting. A personalised greeting means addressing your potential client by name (or mentioning some personal detail like a role in the company). This way, you can build trust and increase your chances of getting a reply. 

While this sounds time-consuming, modern email software and management platforms make it super easy for you — the name of a prospect in your list can be put there automatically. For example, with Selzy, personalization will take you a minute or two, and not much less would be spent on creating an email with an AI assistant (available in beta version, that you can get by writing to our support team — beta@selzy.com). If you are a small business without a big marketing department, it’s especially effective. 

Another tip — send the email from the right email address (or email addresses if you have a team). For example, an email from “Sarah from Company” will be received much better than an email from “Company”. 

Provide the reasons for reaching out

After the greeting, use the first one or two lines as a hook — something relevant to your prospects to grab their attention. What information to include in this hook depends on the industry, role, and problems your potential clients might be facing. Here are a few ideas of what you can use as a hook:

• A challenge your prospect might face
• A trend in their industry
• An insight or useful data
• A timely reminder 
• A compliment or observation

Introduce your value proposition

The hook is followed by the pitch — this is a value proposition. Describe how your product or service might help the prospect, but don’t go overboard with the details. Two or three sentences will be just enough to address the pain points that were mentioned in your hook. Make sure that you answer the main question of anyone receiving a cold email — “What’s in it for me?”

Take a look at the email template below. The introduction is quick, followed by a pain point and a value proposition. This includes mentioning the competitors and impressive results they achieved by using the sender’s services.

Finish with a CTA

End your prospecting email (or any sales email in general) with a call-to-action — a text or button that tells your reader what action to take next. Usually, CTA is a question, an invitation to chat, reply, or check something out. Make it clear, brief, and easy to follow. 

Here are CTAs as questions or suggestions that might work for your prospecting emails:

• Would you be open to a quick 10-minute call this week?
• Is this something you’re currently exploring?
• If helpful, I can send over a short case study.
• Let me know if you’d like to see a quick demo.

Tips and best practices you will find useful

Now, let’s dive deeper into some specific tips and strategies you can use to make your prospecting emails even more successful.

Personalize emails

Personalizing your prospecting emails can make a significant difference in your response rates. Generic emails that lack personalization are more likely to be ignored or even marked as spam. On the other hand, personalized emails demonstrate that you have done your research and understand the recipient’s needs.

One of the most effective ways to personalize your emails is by mentioning specific details about the recipient or their company. This could include their name, their job title, their industry, or even recent news or events related to their business. For example, you could reference a recent article the recipient published, an award their company received, or an announcement they made.

Here’s an example of a personalized prospecting email:

Promotion is a great occasion to use for a cold email. Usually, people are expected to achieve a lot in the following months, and that, of course, is a lot of pressure. Highlight how your product or service would help achieve your prospect’s goal — and you might hear back. 

Be short and clear

One common mistake that people make when writing prospecting emails is being too wordy. They might include unnecessary background information, overly formal language, or convoluted sentences that are difficult to follow. Sure, you might be writing to high-level decision-makers and management, but your message still shouldn’t sound like a thesis. The easier it is to read, the better your chances of getting a reply. With that, we should warn you that simple and friendly doesn’t mean too bold or intrusive. Stay courteous, and be cautious of using email emojis. 

Plus, keep in mind that the life expectancy of your email is… seconds. That is why your email should be precise, clear, and relatively short. Don’t forget to check how your message looks on mobile: while the desktop version seems okay, on a smaller screen it might seem much longer. By the way, in the Selzy builder, you can see how your email would look on different screens — and make sure it’s perfect. 

Provide social proof

Social proof can take many forms — customer testimonials, case studies, or statistics that demonstrate the effectiveness of your services. People copy the actions of others to display correct or accepted behavior — and that is part of the prospecting email science. For example, you could say that the prospect’s main competitor in the industry is using your services to create the fear of missing out. It’s working, and we have 13 marketing FOMO examples to prove it. 

One effective way to incorporate social proof in your prospecting emails is to reference a successful project or client that is similar to the recipient. Here’s an example of how this can be done:

The email references a successful project with a similar company in the recipient’s industry. The sender is demonstrating their expertise and success in helping businesses like the recipient’s, and building trust and credibility. Mention of the competitor is what brings it home — and gets them a reply. 

Don’t forget to follow up

Let’s face it: not a lot of people might get back to you from the start, even if they are interested in your product or software. Some check their email rarely, some might get an important call and forget to reply — there is an endless list of reasons. The important thing is to send a follow-up email and try a second outreach. 

To make things easier, you can use email automation software — this helps to streamline the process and avoid sending duplicates. Selzy’s email automation features can help you:

• Segment your email list and send targeted messages to specific groups of prospects and customers.
• Personalize your emails based on the recipient’s behavior or preferences with dynamic content.
• Create effective emails with the drag-and-drop editor.
• Improve the effectiveness of your email campaigns and increase engagement with your customers.
• Increase open and click-through rates, as well as sales and customer loyalty.

Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise, Selzy’s email automation features can make a big difference.

A/B test

A/B testing is used to compare two versions of a prospecting email to see which one performs better. 

For example, with Selzy’s built-in email analytics and testing features, you can send a campaign to small groups with different subject lines. Whichever one gets the most opens, clicks, or responses will be automatically sent to the rest of the recipients. It’s a simple but effective way to optimize your email marketing management and improve campaign results using real data and research.

Templates to use when writing a marketing email to prospects

Now that you know the basics of cold emails, let’s take a look at actual prospecting email templates. You can copy them or adjust them according to your needs.  Here are some prospecting email examples:

The referral email template

Mutual connections are perfect opportunities for prospecting emails — it helps to build trust almost immediately. Of course, it’s better to ensure you have your connection’s approval before reaching out to a prospective client. This template is written with the permission in mind.

The social proof email template

With social proof prospecting email, you can show that others like your prospect have achieved real results. It lowers resistance and sparks enough curiosity to hit the reply button. The template below highlights the wins and makes it easy for the reader to imagine similar success for themselves.

The follow-up email template

As we’ve already mentioned, a follow-up email can make or break your cold outreach campaign. Here is the template for a quick and respectful message.

Final thoughts

Cold outreach can be hard — but with the right mindset, anything is possible. So here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Follow the right structure. Killer subject line, hook with pain point, valuable pitch, and CTA — this formula always works. 
• Keep it short and clear. Don’t go overboard with your message, even if you are the best on the market. 
• Don’t give up.  Keep at it, learn from your mistakes, and try new things. With enough effort and determination, you should be able to master the art of sending sales prospecting emails in no time.

And, if we can add one more thing — choose the right tools, like Selzy. Email game shouldn’t be hard, and we know how to make it easier — with email automation, omnichannel opportunities, a friendly interface, and other cool features.