Do cold emails actually work?

Cold email is the act or process of sending an unsolicited email—or any type of communication not made directly by someone known personally to the recipient. The term "cold" refers to the fact that it's sent without first establishing a relationship between sender and receiver.

In other words, if you've never met this person before, they probably won't want to hear from you via email. But some people still think that cold emails are effective. If so, what makes them tick? What can you learn from their success? Should you even bother trying to use cold emails as part of your career strategy?

Here we'll walk through the ins-and-outs of cold emailing to see whether it works (it does). We'll also discuss why a lot of people give up on using cold emails altogether. Finally, I'll explain six ways to make your next cold email more successful than ever.

Should you attach your resume to networking emails?

This might seem like a no-brainer question, but many people don't know the answer. A few years back, one of my co-authors wrote an article titled How To Send An Email That Will Get You Hired. In that post he explained that resumes were generally too generic to get noticed in a networking context, because most people would just delete them unread. His solution was to include a link to your LinkedIn profile at the end of each email chain. This way, the recipients could click that link to read your full bio, which included links to all the online profiles where you'd already established yourself as a professional expert.

The same thing applies here. Don't waste your time attaching photos and cover letters to every single email you send out. Just put a short summary of who you are and what interests you into the subject line, then let the rest speak for itself. Most people will take the extra step of clicking over to your linkedin page anyway, but if they're really interested, they'll ask for more information in the body of the email. And hey, maybe they'll follow up!

Does cold emailing for a job work?

I recently talked about how important it is to have a good resume, so you know exactly what kind of qualifications employers look for when deciding whom to hire. As such, a common mistake among those looking for jobs is thinking that they need to tailor every cold email to their specific needs. For example, instead of writing something along the lines of "Hello, [name], my name is [your name] and I'm applying for [job title]. Here's a little bit about me." try to find general keywords related to your industry or field, and craft a compelling opening salvo around those topics. Then, once you start getting replies, keep honing in on those themes and expand upon them.

If you're having trouble coming up with ideas, check out our guide to creating a killer LinkedIn headline. It includes tips for figuring out what employers care about, and what to highlight in your own personal brand statement.

Another thing to consider is that you may not always receive responses after submitting your initial email. Some applicants believe they must reply immediately to any inquiries, but others prefer to wait until they feel confident enough in themselves to respond in depth. Take advantage of this situation, and continue following up with similar messages. After a while, you'll develop a rapport with whoever contacted you, and you'll eventually build trust that allows you to move forward with conversations rather than waiting for permission from the employer.

Should you cold email hiring manager?

It seems counterintuitive to approach a potential employer with an offer letter attached to a cold email, doesn't it? Well, there's nothing wrong with doing that. However, remember that companies often contact candidates with multiple different types of requests. Maybe you received an application form in addition to an interview request. Or perhaps you got called in for an informational meeting, followed by another call asking you to submit an official proposal. When you contact an employer, you need to assume that whatever task you're working toward has been completed, and simply state that you'd like to pursue it further. Your goal isn't necessarily to land an immediate position, although you should definitely aim high. Instead, your focus should be finding a role that fits well within your skillset and experiences.

For instance, if you're currently employed somewhere else but haven't found a new gig yet, you may want to explore opportunities at your current workplace. Perhaps you could volunteer for a project or help train employees. You might even ask your boss if you can work remotely for a couple weeks, with the promise of returning to your desk once things settle down. There's no harm in approaching anyone who holds influence in your life, either. They may be able to refer you to a friendlier department or team member who can better assist you.

Finally, if you're unemployed, you may want to reach out to friends or family members who work inside the organization, or individuals outside of HR who hold authority, including executives, managers, or supervisors. These folks could potentially introduce you to the right decision makers, provide recommendations, or pass along helpful contacts. Again, assuming a friendly tone, your objective shouldn't be landing a job, but gaining access to valuable resources.

How do you succeed with a cold email?

When you're ready to compose your very first cold email, remember that you only have three seconds to grab attention. Keep your introduction brief, and stick to facts about yourself and your experience. Avoid making promises, unless you're absolutely sure you can deliver. Also avoid sounding desperate or needy. If you come across as arrogant or entitled, you run the risk of being labeled rude.

Once you've written your email, hit Reply All and copy everyone in your address book. Now comes the fun part. Read the response(s) you get, and figure out what you did right and what you need to improve going forward. If you didn't get much feedback, rework your email based on the comments you received. Otherwise, go ahead and send the revised version off again, adding additional details wherever necessary.

Hopefully, you now understand that cold emailing is both possible and useful. Next time you decide to fire up Microsoft Word, remember that your inbox is packed with thousands of emails you aren't sure about, so taking 15 minutes to draft a personalized note can drastically increase its chances of reaching the intended audience. Good luck!

If you're thinking about sending out an "outreach" email or "cold call," but aren't sure if it's worth doing, then this article will help answer those questions for you and show you exactly what it takes to make a successful cold email. Before we get into the details though, let's define some key terms like "cold outreach."

When we think of cold email marketing, most people automatically picture someone who has been rejected by a potential employer (or at least feels they have). The person sends a generic email with no specific information about themselves. They also don’t include any kind of personalized cover letter either, so there isn’t anything special on their end -- just a simple pitch.

Cold calls are similar to cold email, except instead of reaching out to companies directly, you reach out through referral sources such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc. In both cases, the goal is to build rapport, learn more about the prospect, see if there might be something mutual between them, and eventually close the deal.

The main difference between cold email and cold outreach is that the former includes personalization while the latter does not. This means that even though you may feel confident enough to hit “send” without much thought, cold emailing can still come off as desperate and annoying to recipients. On the other hand, cold outreach tends to go better because it’s less intimidating.

Here’s our definitive guide to writing effective cold emails and cold outreach emails. If you want to do one thing differently next time, check out our tips for best practices in cold emailing.

What is the average success rate of cold calling?

The exact number depends on various factors including industry, size of target audience, experience level, etc., but generally speaking, cold calling rates range from 1% to 2%. That said, cold calling doesn’t always mean rejection. It could simply mean that someone has received many requests over the course of several days or weeks, so they decided to pass along the opportunity for now and keep contacting others until they find a fit.

How often do I need to cold-call a company?

There really isn’t a set rule here because every situation is different depending on whether you’re talking about hiring new employees or trying to sell products/services to existing clients. But generally speaking, you’ll probably need to talk to multiple companies per week and possibly month before getting the chance to speak with anyone inside.

Is cold emailing a skill?

Yes! And it’s important to know that it requires practice. There’s nothing inherently wrong with cold emailing, but it’s definitely not easy. You won’t necessarily receive immediate responses, so you’ll need to continue to follow up consistently. Also, you’ll likely encounter people who take offense to receiving unsolicited messages via text or email, which makes things harder than expected. However, once you develop good habits, cold emailing becomes easier and faster.

What is a cold outreach email?

A cold outreach email is typically sent to somebody who knows you personally but hasn’t yet heard of your business. For example, if you were recently hired at a job where you worked alongside another employee, you would contact her after she left for vacation. Or maybe you met her at an event and later learned that she was working on a project related to yours. In this case, you'd want to reach out to her before she leaves for Christmas break to give her a heads up that you're interested in collaborating together.

Does cold email attach resume?

In general, yes, especially if you already know the name of the individual you plan to reach out to. Even if you don’t, you can use the subject line to describe why you’d like to connect and provide a link to your website or social media profile. After all, the purpose behind cold emailing is building trust.

Also, remember to put yourself in the recipient’s shoes. What would make sense to respond to for you versus your boss? Would it be appropriate to forward your request to him or her? These are small details that add extra context to your initial message.

To wrap everything up, here are six quick tips for writing effective cold emails:

1. Keep it short and sweet. Your first paragraph shouldn’t exceed 100 words.

2. Include a compelling headline. Make sure it grabs attention right away.

3. Write using active voice. Don’t say something happened rather than saying you did something.

4. Personalize your introduction. Use pronouns like ‘I,’ ‘me,’ or ‘myself’ whenever possible.

5. Be genuine. People appreciate authenticity.

6. Proofread carefully. Spellcheck is great, but read again to catch typos and grammar errors too.

1) The Cold Email Formula

Now that we've defined all of our terms, let's talk about what makes up a good cold email.

The introduction - This section should include a short paragraph where you introduce yourself and briefly explain why you are contacting them (for example, I'm interested in working with [company] because they have a great product). You can also use this opportunity to ask any relevant follow-up questions about their business.

Body - Now comes the meaty part! If you want to sell something to someone, this is where you do it. Here you need to convince them that your offer/product is better than anything else on the market right now. It doesn't matter if you've never met the person before, as long as you can demonstrate value - either through facts, statistics, testimonials from previous customers, or simply by having a more compelling sales pitch.

Conclusion - Once again, here you need to close the sale - tell them that you'll be getting back to them soon with more information, or give them a way to contact you so that you can set up a meeting. Don't forget to thank them for taking time away from their busy day to read your email.

Remember About Inclusion

You must always include at least one of the following pieces of content within your body text:

An obvious benefit to the recipient

A clear call to action

Something specific which demonstrates value to the recipient

2) How To Write A Good Subject Line For Your Cold Emails

How do you know whether or not you should send a cold email? That depends on who you are trying to contact. If you want to pitch yourself as someone with expertise in a certain field (like marketing), then no one can stop you from reaching out to them directly.

"Cold calls", however, tend to be more effective when dealing with people outside of your industry. The main reason why they have more success than "warm calls" is because people are less likely to respond to generic emails asking them to take action without knowing the specifics. In other words, warm calls can feel too much like spam.

So how does all of this apply to writing good subject lines? Let me break down my best tips below!

1.) Be Specific About What You Can Offer Them

2.) Make Sure They Know Why It Matters To Them

3.) Include Their Name At The Start Of Your Email

4.) Mention Something From Past Experience Or Referral

5.) Keep It Short And Simple

Let's look at each tip in detail.

Cold emails aren't for everyone. They're not the easiest way to get into contact with someone and they can be intimidating if you don't know what you're doing or have tried them before and failed miserably. But there's also evidence that says they might just be one of those "secret weapons" that make it easier for you to land a job at an awesome place like Amazon, Google, Apple, Microsoft, etc... and then stick around once you start working there.

So, do cold emails really work? What makes them so powerful? Is it something as simple as putting yourself out there and asking people on social media to see who will respond positively? Or is it more complicated than that? Let us break down some of the best tips on writing a successful cold email below!

Why are cold emails effective?

In 2019 alone, over 3 million jobs were posted online by companies looking for candidates. And while most of the time this means sending an application via email (even though many employers now prefer applications submitted through their website), sometimes it doesn't even matter whether you apply directly or indirectly because it's still a chance to get noticed and heard from a potential employer.

According to LinkedIn, nearly 40% of hiring managers say they read unsolicited CVs - which includes cold emails - every day. That number increases to 80% during busy times such as holiday season. Even if you're applying for a job far away from where you live, chances are that somebody else has been thinking about the same thing but hasn't sent you a note yet. This is why cold emails can help you stand out among other applicants and give you a better shot at landing your dream gig.

If you want to learn more about using cold emails effectively, we've got a full guide here. If you'd rather skip straight to the next section, feel free to continue reading below. Otherwise, let's dive right in!

Should you include links in cold email?

Some recruiters suggest including links in your cold email in order to provide additional information that would otherwise be difficult to find elsewhere. For example, if you're trying to sell yourself as an expert on a certain topic, your resume may only mention your experience and education without giving any details regarding the specific skills you used in previous projects. In such cases, adding links pointing back to relevant sections of your CV could prove helpful.

You'll notice this tactic being used more often nowadays. The reason behind it is that recruiters are increasingly turning to tools like Linkedin Talent Solutions to identify possible hires based on keywords or past projects related to each candidate's profile. These services use algorithms to analyze data and make recommendations in terms of both quality and quantity. Recruiters like to leverage all available resources to improve productivity and save precious time. So, in short, yes, it definitely works.

The downside to this approach is that most people will likely ignore your messages completely unless you catch their attention first. As mentioned above, you need to create a compelling story that stands out against the hundreds of others that arrive daily. You won't succeed if you try to reach out to too many people at once -- it takes time to build relationships, especially since you probably haven't met anyone personally yet.

That said, if you think you have a good connection already, go ahead and link to whatever page(s) you believe will attract the person's interest. It's worth noting that this strategy tends to work better if you follow up after sending the initial email. We recommend starting off slow and building momentum slowly throughout the process.

Should you put links in emails?

While it certainly helps to add links to your cold emails, remember that it isn't necessary. Cold emails can contain anything from introductory paragraphs to detailed stories explaining why you deserve a position at the company. However, you shouldn't expect anybody to click on a link if you didn't specifically ask them to do so.

On the flip side, if you're going to share a link within your message, consider making sure it's useful to whoever reads it. People tend to skim through text-based documents quickly, so they're less likely to spend much time clicking on things that seem irrelevant. Instead, focus on sharing content that's interesting enough to prompt readers to take action.

What should I include in a cold email?

As mentioned earlier, the subject line is key when crafting your cold email. Make sure it catches the recipient's eye immediately instead of letting him/her wade through dozens of other messages. The body of the email should have three main points:

1. A clear introduction telling the reader exactly what you're offering and why he/she should care.

2. An explanation of what value you bring to the organization and why you deserve a spot.

3. Relevant examples demonstrating your expertise and ability to perform specific tasks.

Don't forget to proofread everything carefully before hitting Send. Your email has no room for mistakes or typos, so avoid spelling errors, grammatical mistakes and unclear sentences. Also, make sure your email looks professional. Add bolded headers, underlined words, italics, etc., to emphasize important parts of your pitch. Finally, keep in mind that your goal is to grab the reader's attention, so be brief and concise. Don't waste his/her time talking about unnecessary details.

When to send a cold email

There's never a wrong time to send a cold email. Just make sure you follow proper cold email etiquette and avoid spamming people unnecessarily. Here are some guidelines to help you decide when it's appropriate to hit Send:

Keep it short. Most people receive thousands of emails per week, so aim to make yours stand out. Keep it brief and direct. Start your message with a greeting and end it appropriately. Ask questions to clarify anything you don't understand. Be careful about repeating what you wrote previously in case you misspelled something or forgot to explain something properly.

Follow up. Once you finish writing your email, wait for 24 hours to ensure the message was received correctly. Then, reply with a polite thank you message. Don't forget to include a copy of your original email somewhere within the body of your response.

Be patient. Give yourself plenty of time to hear back. Some recipients will answer almost instantly, while others may require several days. Try not to rush things.

Use templates. There are tons of great templates out there for writing cold emails. Check out our list of 12 cold email templates for inspiration.

Make it personal. It's always better to connect with people face-to-face whenever possible, so be sure to include photos wherever possible. When you meet new people at interviews, networking events, conferences, etc., introduce yourself with a friendly smile and tell them briefly why you reached out to them. Afterward, let them know you enjoyed meeting them and wish you luck on your career journey.

Remember, people rarely open cold emails, so it's crucial to craft a strong opening statement that grabs attention and makes the recipient curious about what comes next. Good luck!