Whether you’re prospecting for new leads, following up on a previous email, or even crafting a persuasive copy to send to your boss, it all requires some email wizardry to work exactly as you intend.
A lot of salespeople struggle with writing an email that will get an open rate higher than 10%, and there are a couple of reasons for that:
- The email subject line is off
- The email is sent to spam
But even if you do write the best and most captivating email subject line that keeps your prospects at the edge of their seat and your email doesn’t look or feel spammy, its contents and the arguments you make within the main copy can either make it or break it.
This article will show you how to craft the finest of emails with the most persuasive subject lines, the juiciest body, and the most compelling CTA.
So let’s dive in!
Subject Matters
Studies show that 69% of email recipients send emails to spam or delete them after reading the subject line.
Yet another study suggests that 64% of email recipients make a decision to open emails based on subject lines.
This means that subject lines do make a difference and they can either attract a buyer to your email or scare them off. And once an email from you gets into the spam folder, it will be extremely hard to get out of the “spamzone,” if not impossible.
Now to the actual tips:
- Keep it short. Your subject line should include no more than 5-6 words. The ideal length would be somewhere between 3-4 words. Remember that the user might use mobile devices to check their email.
❌ I invite you to talk about our amazing features that will help you in day-to-day work!
✅ No more [the main pain point inherent to your prospect’s industry].
- Avoid using all caps or exclamation marks. Nobody likes being yelled at by their inbox. What’s more, it actually decreases your open rate significantly.
❌ Did you know that we have a new FEATURE?!
Quite aggressive, right?
- Appeal to FOMO. The fear of missing out can be strong and induce quite a bit of curiosity in your recipient. Again, use numbers to show how significant the thing they are missing out on is.
✅ 78% of your competition use that
- Use emojis. Studies show that using emojis in email subject lines can boost your open rates by 56%.
✅ Get your hands on a 🔥 revenue booster
Side note: millennials are sure to love this, but be more careful with older generations.
- Ask intriguing questions.
✅ Does [buyer’s company name] already use [the main benefit of your product]?
- Personalize your email subject lines. Research shows that personalization increases open rates by 22%. To be able to personalize the subject line, you’ll need to study the prospect, the company they work in, their main pain points, and competitors.
✅ [prospect’s name], are you still struggling with [the pain point]?
- Include a number. Subject lines that have a number get a 45% increase in open rate.
✅ 99 out of 100 successful entrepreneurs know that
- Avoid using words that might trigger spam filters. The list of words includes:
- Free trial
- Free offer
- Fast cash
- Cheap
- Bonus
- Special promo
- Test
- Visit website
- Increase sales
- Lifetime
- Lose
- Limited offer
- Please read
- Etc.
- Try tricky subject lines for cold emails. This technique is a tad unorthodox but worth giving a try.
A slight degree of familiarity can boost your open rates significantly. So try this:
- Meeting between [buyer’s company name] and [your company name]
- [buyer’s company name] + [your company name]: Meeting Details/Meeting Discussion
- [buyer’s name] + [your name]: Meeting Details/Meeting Discussion
- Our meeting
These subject lines will make your buyer think that you already had some previous arrangements, and they will most likely open your email. The reply rate will depend on how good and well-tailored your pitch is.
Writing a Captivating Email Pitch
Now that you got your buyer’s attention with a catchy and attractive subject line, they can still choose to ignore it or even delete it.
The whole thing’s success depends on whether you bore them with your pitch or you ignite their interest.
Tips for crafting a perfect email body:
- Do your research. The buyer will be delighted to find out that you actually did your homework and know their industry and competitors. Google any news related to the company and bring it up if it relates to any topic of yours.
- Write things down in short paragraphs consisting of one or two sentences. Also, always leave space between paragraphs so that the reader can orient better in your text.
- Use the structure: problem => consequence => confirmation => solution => CTA
- Don’t write more than 120 words.
- Talk about how your current clients use your solution and what problems it solves for them.
- Avoid verbs: imagine, assume, believe. As well as pronouns: we, I.
- Explain things in a simple language using simple words. Don’t overengineer it with fancy and intricate vocabulary. Complex terms require more concentration, and the reader loses interest faster.
- Describe your benefits from a customer-centric perspective. If you reach out to sales leaders and CEOs, only focus on mission-critical features of your solution.
- Hit the bull’s eye by addressing their pain points and bringing up the facts you know about their competitors. Sales leaders will appreciate this a lot.
- Stop at two features that you think are the most critical for your buyer’s business and leave them craving for more.
- Don’t insert any hyperlinks or videos in your email body to avoid spam filters.
Crafting a Call to Action
Now that you have both the subject line and email body up to a good standard, it’s time to wrap things up.
The best thing to do here is to finish strong with a powerful call to action.
The good practice involves mentioning your next steps and slightly nudging the buyer towards having an actual meeting.
Here’s what to do:
1. Depending on the nature of your business, you can personalize your CTA according to these next steps:
- Ask them to reply if they are interested in your services
- Ask if the recipient is interested in a demo of your services
- Try to schedule an introductory phone call.
2. Always offer to have a meeting or any other next step with a suggestive nudge instead of overconfident demand:
❌ Are you available next Thursday at 2 pm? (you don’t give your buyer any flexibility to choose the date and time that works for them and basically throw them off with overconfidence).
✅ Does this sound interesting enough for you to discuss it further? (non-intrusive and polite conclusion)
✅ Would you be interested in scheduling a call to discuss it further?
3. Don’t be too pushy by saying something like: “Get our product now! “Act now or regret later”, etc. This will throw your buyer off.
Tips for Creating an Actionable Cold Email Template
Most sales struggle with cold emails as their open rate often doesn’t go higher than 10%, and the reply rate is sometimes non-existent.
To fix that, you can test different options provided in this guide and see what works for your buyers.
What to do:
First and foremost, divide your buyers into categories. To do that, create a list of prospects and divide them according to their industry and main pain points. If your solution covers various pain points with various features, you will have several lists of prospects for each.
Use the following template to define your product’s main features, target audience, pain points, and how your product can solve them. Make this list once and customize it according to your needs.
The sales use case template [insert your answers]
1. Your solution’s main features:
Feature # 1: onboarding & coaching
Feature # 2: revenue forecasting
Feature # 3: CRM automation
Target audience: sales leaders (VP of Sales, SDR Team Leads, AE team leads, etc.)
2. Main pain points solved by your solution:
Issue # 1: Sales leaders spend a lot of time coaching new team members.
Consequence #1: They don’t have enough time to develop and perfect their sales strategy.
Issue # 2: Sales leaders and CEOs are faced with a revenue gap caused by unreliable revenue forecasts.
Consequence # 2: as the result, they have, unpredictable pipeline, inability to hit quota, and lost revenue.
Issue # 3: Only 1% of conversational data reaches the CRM.
Consequence # 3: it’s not possible to gauge the impact on business and create a solid and actionable business plan.
3. Main benefits of each feature:
Onboarding & coaching
Benefit # 1: Less time spent on coaching a new team member
Benefit # 2: Faster results and more meetings booked/clients won
Revenue Forecasting
Benefit # 1: Accurate revenue predictions
Benefit # 2: Ability to anticipate the deal’s outcome
CRM automation
Benefit # 1: Sales teams spend less time on admin tasks
Benefit # 2: All conversational data is safely transferred to CRM
The actionable cold email template
Imagine that you found an email of a lead from a small start-up that is now expanding and they are in the process of hiring a lot of salespeople.
Subject line: Onboard sales 2x faster
Main body:
Hi [prospects name]
As [buyer’s position] you know that [issue # 1].
As a result, [consequence #1] (include some numbers to prove the point)
Sounds familiar?
Unique is here to change the game. Our customers already benefit from [benefit #1].
Additionally, [benefit #2].
Does this sound interesting enough for you to discuss it further?
Let me know, and we can schedule a call.
Regards,
[your name]
Multiple email automation software allows you to change variables as much as you want so that you can include variations of the company's name, buyer’s name, issues, consequences, benefits, and solutions.
Writing Sales Emails Is Easy…
… once you spare some time for prospect research, create use cases for your product, and craft a perfect email template. Thankfully, you have this foolproof guide to help you with that!