- Part 1 of the guide
- Part 2 of the guide
- Bonus: How to start a Klaviyo cold email agency
- My friend Sam’s guide
- YouTube video where we talk about the $90k/month agency idea. Please subscribe!
- Here is the podcast audio version for all platforms
- Here is my weekly, business ideas newsletter. You’ll get 12 free business ideas + growth plans when you do (20k+ word tactical guide)
And Even More Below!
Email Copywriting Framework We Use To Get 400+ Replies Monthly
If you test enough targeting/messaging combos, you'll find a combo that works, or you'll discover there's no product-market fit. If you're testing out a new offer and lack product-market fit, it's especially important to test numerous angles.
Instead of providing one strategy, we're offering multiple different strategies so you'll always have something to test.
For some offers, we found a working campaign after three tries; for others, it took three months and 40 campaigns. The key is to get into the habit of testing new things daily and weekly.
How to Succeed With my Copywriting Framework
- Create a 15- or 30-minute copywriting calendar event every morning.
- When starting with a new client or yourself, create at least four different campaigns in whichever software you use, each with a different strategy from this guide.
- Create a new campaign daily in whichever software you use using a different angle or strategy from this guide.
- Continue testing new angles until you find a winning combo, then double down.
- Always test new angles and strategies alongside your winners, as every strategy will eventually get saturated.
Anatomy of a Good Cold Email
The simplest structure for a cold email consists of Personalization, Offer, and CTA. You may check this example:
Example:
Hey Tom,
Your Twitter posts are amazing! Have you thought about turning them into videos? We created a tool that turns your tweets into TikTok videos automatically.
Mind if I send more info?
Alex
This email is short, sweet, with a unique offer. It compliments something very specific and asks for permission to send more information. Although it’s minimal, it’s an excellent starting point for any niche, and you can experiment with adding more sentences later.
Personalization
Personalized lines can be created manually or with automated tools, though manually created first lines have proven to improve reply rates and positive responses. However, it’s a balance of time versus quality.
The easiest way to create personalized first lines is by complimenting people or businesses on their recent achievements, blog posts, product releases, or experiences. Here are examples for each:
- Complimenting Achievements: “I loved reading your story on Impact Innovation! It’s impressive how you’ve grown from £6m to £19m!”
- Complimenting Blog Posts: “I love the blog on your website, especially the post about seasonal skincare tips! I’ll certainly try a few!”
- Complimenting Product Release: “Wow! The new Skeleton Band looks amazing, it will definitely be a success!”
- Complimenting Experience: “35 years in business? That’s incredible in such a competitive field!”
- Complimenting Case Studies/Clients: “Love the campaign you did for Nike—looks super fresh.”
Emails with personalized first lines see a 2x improvement in reply rates and a boost in open rates across industries.
whichever software you use.ai simplifies integrating personalized lines into your outreach campaigns. Here’s how to send personalized emails at scale:
- Prepare a lead list in Google Sheets or Excel, adding a "Personalization" column.
- Write your personalized lines manually or with an AI generator.
- Upload the lead list to your whichever software you use campaign. It will automatically detect the Personalization column.
- Insert the {{Personalization}} variable in your body copy.
Offer / Targeting
The offer is the most underrated part of a high-converting cold email. If your offer is saturated or lacks appeal, no copywriting tip will help.
Work only with clients who have proven offers, and when creating your own offers, ensure it resonates with your target audience and solves a big problem for them.
Good Examples:
- Emerging markets & Fresh offers (TikTok advertising, Sustainability)
- Digital Agencies, especially TikTok and Influencer Marketing (with unique offers and strong case studies)
- High Ticket Coaching & Consulting (Business, Marketing, Sales, Management)
- SaaS & Enterprise Software (especially funded companies)
Hard Examples:
- M&A Companies (unless targeting a broad market)
- SEO Companies (outdated offer)
- Web Development & Design (outdated or very situational)
- Ecom-focused agencies (ecom founders aren't into email marketing)
- Very Small Markets (TAM below 50k, not scalable offers)
Getting Granular
Be as specific as possible with your target niche. For instance:
- Better than "Facebook Ads Agency": Facebook Ads Agency for SaaS companies.
- Better than "Digital Agency": Digital Agency helping sustainable ecom stores.
Call to Action
A strong CTA improves response rates. Ideally, prospects should book a meeting from a Calendly link, but this often has the lowest response rate. Make it easy for your prospects—consider asking for a lower-friction action first.
You may check this video on Cold Email CTAs.
Subject Line
Think of subject lines like notifications on your phone from friends or apps. What short message will get you to open your phone?
Most of the time, personalize the subject line by including the recipient's name or company.
Research and Collecting Data
To write a great email, you need to research the market you're targeting. The best cold emails make prospects feel understood. Tie your research together with your offer to resonate deeply.
Resonating Variables
The goal is to find as many variables as possible that will resonate with your target audience. The more variables, the higher the chance of getting a response.
Segmentation / Targeted Personalized First Lines
Instead of writing fully personalized lines, you can use more general but still personalized first lines. Here are some examples based on location, weather, job positions, and more.
Strategy 1: 25% Reply Rate Email Formula
This strategy is about the effort you put into researching your niche and your prospects. Here's my main template, followed by an example outreach email and a breakdown of each line.
Strategy 2: One-Sentence Email
Keep your email short and snappy with a one-sentence approach.
Additional Strategies
We offer a wide range of cold email strategies, including Research Angle, Asking for an Introduction, Podcast Angle, Loom Video, Performance-Based Offers, and more. Keep experimenting to see what works best for your target group.
Follow-Up Strategy
We typically follow up with four emails:
- Initial Cold Email
- Quick Bump (2 days later)
- Value Follow-up (2 days later)
- Break-up or Meme (3 days later)