Do cold emails work?

Picture this. There’s a party - not a huge one, but one that’s buzzy and fun, and filled with interesting figures. It’s bright and noisy and there are glasses full of colourful drinks, flowing conversations, and look - snacks! You press your nose up to the cold glass window. Inside there are strings of fairy lights, glittery stars on the tables and a huge pile of coats in the cloakroom. Laughter and singing. The only catch? You weren’t actually invited. But you never normally let a small detail like that get in between you and a mini sausage roll. 

You sidle up to the person closest to the door. “Hiya,” you say cautiously, “Can I come in?” 

The person on the door glances your way. “Um,” they say, gesturing vaguely, “Sorry. Can’t hear you.”

“Oh.” You clear your throat and try again. Still nothing.

You look down at your shoes. Maybe you aren’t dressed right. You go and change, put nicer shoes on and get ready to part-tay. This analogy has gone on long enough and you want in.

“Hiya, can I come in? I look like I belong here.”
“Oh, it’s you again. Nah, you’re alright. We’re full.”

Fuck’s sake. The snacks are vanishing at an alarming rate. Any longer and there’ll be no cheese straws left. 

You go away and do your homework. You know the person’s name, you know what the party is for, you know why they're celebrating and you’ve got a damn good reason to join them. Deep breath this time.

“Hi - you must be Comet. I’m Ruth. I can see you’ve had a great year! I loved the work you did with Rudolph’s Nose Inc. and I think I could really help out with the next campaign to get elves more engaged with their work. We should talk sometime!”

Comet smiles. “Come on in. Nice shoes, by the way.” They pour you a drink. You say thanks and hang your coat on their antlers. It’s got too weird, hasn’t it. Sorry about that.

And that - via nice shoes, veggie sausage rolls, cheese straws and something fizzy - is how you do cold emails. Boom. Don’t worry, the TL;Dr is coming. What else matters? And do cold emails even work? In my experience, they absolutely can work - provided you do them right. Here are 4 tips on mastering cold emails this winter.

1. Know their name

I can’t stress this one enough. It’s the 21st century and if you’re still sending cold emails addressed to ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ or ‘To whom it may concern’, or even ‘Hey guys’ - cease and desist. Stop it. No. Have a mooch on LinkedIn, find out who you need to talk to, and address the email to them. It’s less chilly that way, and it shows that you aren’t just sending a BCC mega-email with 50-odd people all in the same chain.

2. So what?

Why are you actually emailing them? What do you want them to do? Be clear. If you want a chat, then arrange it. If you want to work with them, make sure you’re completely clear about that. Fine words doth butter no parsnips, and it’s WINTER AND I WANT BUTTERED PARSNIPS. Whoa, sorry. If it’s an agency you want to work with and they’ve done some great work, then compliment it! It’s nice to be nice. But how does that affect you? Have you done anything similar or complementary? Share it. People like seeing your work. Agencies want to know that you’re a good fit, so don’t be shy and make sure your case studies are looking ace.

3. What are you selling?

Is it your time, energy, effort, or personality? When you work with me, you get all four, plus my humour - I’ll let you decide if that’s for better or worse. Are you a copywriter, content writer, blogger, or all 3? How are you going to make your client’s life easier? Be clear in your intentions and sell yourself with a distinct elevator pitch you can explain in a few concise sentences. Looking like you belong is important, so don’t approach companies or agencies you aren’t interested in or don’t think you’ll work well with. Wear the right shoes, basically.

4. Leave it with them

Embrace the Santa spirit and leave a trail of gifts. This time of year is when a lot of companies are winding down, so arrange to talk in the new year or at a time that works best for them. People like to know that YOU know what they want and need. A nice follow up email in the new year never goes amiss, but plan your timing carefully. No one reads their emails on the first day back, so aim for the second working week for a better hit rate.

That’s everything I ever learned about cold emails, in 4 handy hints. Did you like this blog? Leave me a comment below, or get in touch if you think we’d work well together. I’m lovely, promise. I’m filling up spaces in Q1 so don’t miss out!