A cold email gets answered when it is short, plainly written for one person, and asks for one small thing. Say why you are writing to them in particular, who you are in a clause, what you are asking for, and make it easy to say no. Aim for under 120 words.
Nearly all of the work happens before you write. A cold email fails when it could have been sent to anyone, and the reader can tell that in the first line.
Before you write
- Find the right person. The one who can say yes, or who does the thing you are asking about. An email to a general address is an email to nobody.
- Find one true thing about them. Something they wrote, built, said or announced that is the reason you are writing to them and not to someone else. Ten minutes of reading is enough.
- Decide the one ask. Make it small: a question they can answer in two lines, fifteen minutes on a call, permission to send something. "Can I have a job" and "will you buy this" are too big for a first email.
The five parts
- Subject line. Plain and specific, the way you would title a note to a colleague: "Question about your Tilbury depot". The subject line generator can give you a few.
- Why them. The first line is about the reader, not about you.
- Who you are. One clause or one sentence. Your full history can wait until they ask.
- The ask. One thing, with the reason it might be worth their time.
- An easy way out. A line that makes it fine to say no, or not to reply at all. It takes the pressure off.
Examples
The people and details are invented.
For a job that has not been advertised
Subject: Transport planning at your Tilbury depot
Dear Ms Alvarez,
I saw that Harlow Freight is opening a second depot at Tilbury in the spring. I have planned routes out of Tilbury for four years at a smaller haulier and know the port's booking system well.
I am not writing about an advertised role. If you expect to need planners for the new site, may I send you my CV?
Kind regards,
Kofi Mensah
He does not ask for a job. He asks whether he may send a CV, which is easy to say yes to.
Selling a service
Subject: Card payments at the Saturday market
Hi Hana,
I bought bread from your stall on Saturday and saw the card reader drop its signal twice while people queued.
I set up card readers for market traders in Norwich, using one that works without signal. Fourteen stalls on your market have it.
Would it help if I brought one to your stall this Saturday for you to try, at no charge? If it is not for you, no problem at all.
Stefan Koch
The first line proves he was there. The offer is a trial, not a contract.
Asking for advice
Subject: One question about moving from teaching to UX
Hi Beatriz,
I watched your talk from the Leeds design meetup, where you described leaving teaching for UX research. I have taught maths for six years and am trying to make the same move.
Could I ask you one question by email: looking back, what was the first piece of work that got you an interview?
I know you did not ask for this email, so please ignore it if you are busy.
Thank you,
Leon Fischer
One question, answerable in two lines, from someone who has plainly done the reading.
Pitching a story to a journalist
Subject: Story idea: the repair café on Mill Road
Hi Amara,
You wrote last month about shops closing on Mill Road. One place that has opened there is ours: a repair café run by volunteers, where people bring broken toasters, lamps and bikes on the first Sunday of the month.
Would a short piece on it interest you? I can send photos and put you in touch with two of the regulars.
Thanks,
Wei Chen
It ties the idea to something she already covered and says what he can supply.
Following up
Silence usually means busy, not no. Send one follow-up about a week later, in the same thread, and add something that makes it easier to answer than the first time.
Hi Hana, one more try on the card reader. I'm at the market this Saturday and can bring it to your stall at 8 if you would like to see it. If not, I'll leave you in peace.
A second follow-up is the last one. After that, stop. There is more on timing and wording in how to write a follow-up email.
What to avoid
- Praise that fits anyone. "I love what your company is doing" is a sign of a mass email. Name the thing.
- Your life story. Two sentences about you is the limit in a first email.
- More than one ask. A call, a referral and feedback on your CV in one email gets none of them.
- Attachments. People are wary of files from strangers. Offer to send it.
- Tricks in the subject line. A fake "Re:", "Quick question" or a first name on its own gets opened once and resented.
- "I know you're busy, but". Show it by being brief.
- Pressure. "I'll call your office on Tuesday" is for people who already know you.
- Copy and paste slips. The wrong name or company ends it at once. Read each one before it goes.
If you are sending sales email to many people, the rules on unsolicited marketing differ by country. Check the ones that apply where your readers are, say clearly who you are, and stop when someone asks you to.
Writing one with Hemmingway
The cold email generator writes the email from your notes. Give it who the person is, the one true thing you found about them, who you are, and the one thing you are asking for. It uses only what you give it, so it will not invent a compliment or a mutual contact, and if you give it nothing specific about the person the email will sound generic. The research is still yours to do.
Read the draft, cut any line you would not say to their face, and send it yourself. Hemmingway-1, the model behind it, came first on sounding like a person in our own blind test, Human-Likeness. There is a free trial with no card needed.
Try HemmingwayDownload the app
If you already have a link to the person, such as a shared contact or a meeting last year, the email is an introduction, not a cold one. How to introduce yourself in an email covers that.
Common questions
How long should a cold email be?
Under about 120 words, or five or six sentences. It should fit on a phone screen without scrolling. If you need more room, the ask is probably too big for a first email.
What is a good subject line for a cold email?
A plain one that names the topic and could only be about this reader, such as "Transport planning at your Tilbury depot". Avoid a fake "Re:", capitals and anything that sounds like an advert.
How do you start a cold email?
With the reason you are writing to this person in particular: something they wrote, built or announced. Then say who you are in one clause. Do not open with your own name and history, or with "I hope you are well".
How many times should you follow up on a cold email?
Twice at most. Send the first follow-up about a week after the original, in the same thread, with something that makes it easier to answer. If the second gets no reply, stop.
How do you cold email someone about a job?
Write to the person who would manage the role, not to a general address. Mention something specific about their team or plans, say in two sentences what you have done that is relevant, and ask a small question, such as whether you may send a CV or whether they expect to hire.