12 Proven Cold Email Tips to Book Meetings Automatically
Oct 31, 2024
12 Cold Email Tips To Book Meetings On Auto-Pilot
1. Deliverability Is Everything
-Verify emails before sending (millionverifier.com)
-Keep bounce rate below 4% (don’t trust Apollo’s “verified email”. I use Findymail.com)
-Use Spintax to improve deliverability
-Rotate email accounts. Purchase subdomains, and reroute them to your main domain. More on this here Cold Email Masterclass
-Add DMARC custom name record so you don’t get marked as SPAM.
-Don’t send more than 40 emails per day per inbox. I do 35 emails max + 35 warm up emails.
-Remove leads who request to be taken off list. Make it easy for them to opt-out. Place them on DNC list and keep track of this so people don’t report you as SPAM.
-Send as HTML text only for best deliverability, and minimize links and images.
2. Personalize Your Emails
Personalization is crucial when it comes to cold email outreach. Avoid sending generic, one-size-fits-all emails. Instead, take the time to research your prospects and tailor your messages to their specific needs and pain points. You should target a specific type of client, and incorporate case studies of similar businesses you’ve helped.
I like to focus on ICP first, that is, who exactly I’m targeting. THEN, I write my scripts and tailor my messaging to that exact ICP so they message comes off more relevant.
For example, if you’re pithing short-form content solutions to health & fitness coaching, pitch your service as:
<aside> 💡 “I help health and fitness coaches become an authority figure in the health & wellness space through our personal branding growth system.”
</aside>
<aside> 💡 “My company helps tiktok agencies add $10k MRR with performance-based lead gen services, and you only pay us for the appointments we book you.”
</aside>
3. Don’t Overthink The Subject Line
-quick question (my all time favorite, almost always yields an 80%+ open rate)
-question for you {{first_name}}
-can I get your opinion on this?
-{{first_name}} // {{Your Name}} - Intro
-{{first_name}} // {{Your Company}} - Intro
-{{Their Company}} + {{Your Company}}
4. Focus On Outcome Over Features
Pitching benefits over features in cold email outreach is effective because it highlights how your service can specifically solve the recipient's problems or fulfill their needs, making it more compelling and relevant to them.
Always pitch the benefits of your product or service over the features. At the end of the day, all business owners care is about is 2 things: How much time OR money can you save me?
-Follow the “I help X do Y by Z” format no matter what your offer is.
“I can help you book 10 meetings per month with your dream clients, or you don’t pay.”
“I help health & wellness ecom brand convert an extra 20% of their website visitors into paying customers in the next 90 days, or you don’t pay us a dime.”
“We help cardiology practices like yours save 20% on their medical billing expenses with our Cardiology RCM software.”
5. Keep It Short And Direct
Keeping your cold email pitches short and to the point is important because:
Attention Span: People have limited attention spans and receive numerous emails daily. A concise and focused email is more likely to grab their attention and prevent them from losing interest or deleting the email without reading it.
Time Efficiency: Busy professionals appreciate brevity. By delivering your message succinctly, you respect their time and increase the chances of them actually reading and responding to your email.
Clarity: Clear and concise emails are easier to understand. By avoiding unnecessary fluff and getting straight to the point, you ensure that your message is understood without confusion or misinterpretation.
Call to Action: A shorter email makes it easier for recipients to grasp the desired action you want them to take. A clear and concise call to action increases the likelihood of a response or desired engagement.
I like to keep my emails under 50 words. At the end of the day, people are short on time and want to get straight to the point. Make it easy for recipients to quickly understand your message and take action.
Remember, the goal of a cold email is to pique the recipient's interest and initiate a conversation, not to provide an exhaustive explanation of your offering. By keeping your pitch short and to the point, you increase the chances of a positive response and further engagement.
-One Question Openers w/o Pitching Offer
“Do you use Klaviyo for email marketing services?”
“Are you still using Hubspot as your CRM?”
“Saw your recent job posting for an SDR position. Are you still looking to hire someone for that role?”
-One Question Openers With Offer
“I saw that you were following Cience on LinkedIn and thought it made sense to reach out because we’re a performance-based B2B lead gen agency that delivers on a pay-per-call model.
Would you be interested in seeing a one-page breakdown of how we compare to Ciense?”
“I saw that you were following David Sinclair on LinkedIn and thought it made sense to reach out because we’re partnering with health & wellness brands to offer a 24-week Age Reduction Program to their cleintele, and it comes at no cost to you.
Any interest in hopping on a call to learn more on how our program works?”
-Save case studies for follow ups (go with the 1-2 punch method)
Email 1 - Saw your recent job posting for an SDR position. Are you still looking to hire someone for that role?
Email 2 - The reason I ask is I help SaaS companies with performance-based lead gen services, and we work on a pay-per-call model, meaning you only pay for the meetings we book you.
Rather than paying someone full time as a BDR, you can work with us and pay us solely on the results we deliver you.
Any interest in hopping on call to see if we should work together?
6. Include A Clear Call-to-Action (CTA)
To encourage recipients to book a meeting, include a clear and compelling call-to-action in your email. Some alternative CTA options you should incorporate rather than pushing directly for a call:
“I put together a one-pager outlining our program and some recent case studies. Mind if I share it with you here?”
“I noticed a few things on your website that might be pushing away potential customers. Mind if I send over a loom video showing you what I’m seeing?”
“If you're willing to give me your top 3 competitors, we'll give you the keywords they're outranking you on. Thoughts?”
“Any interest in exploring this further?”
7. Be Relentless With Your Follow Ups
Don't be discouraged by a lack of response to your initial email. Following up is essential in cold email outreach. Craft a series of polite and engaging follow-up emails to remind recipients of your previous message and reiterate the value you can provide. Space your follow-ups appropriately, typically waiting a few days between each email.
You’ll notice that all your ammunition is directly in the follow ups. Sure, you may get bites on your first or second message, but case studies and follow ups is what really brings awareness to your product or service.
At minimum, you should have 5 steps in your email campaigns.
Email 1 - Today (Intro, quick question)
Email 2 - 4 days later (Follow up with case study and pitch)
Email 3 - 3 days later (Follow up with case study 2 and angle your pitch differently)
Email 4 - 6 days later (throw a curveball. I like to send the detective emoji, and that’s it)
8. Test, Analyze, and Iterate with A/B Split Testing
Effective cold email outreach involves continuous improvement. Test different elements of your emails, such as subject lines, email templates, or CTAs, to identify what works best for your target audience. Analyze key metrics like open rates, response rates, and meeting bookings. Use these insights to iterate and refine your approach over time.
I typically like to test out 2-4 variations of my messaging, and when I find 1-2 clear winners, I remove the rest and stick with the top 1 or 2 scripts.
Don’t give up on a copy until you’ve tested it enough to rule it out. Once you find the messages that covert better, double down on those and get rid of lower performing messages.
A/B Split Testing
9. Use Spintax To Improve Deliverability
Cold email spintax is a technique used in email marketing to create variations of a single email template. The purpose is to personalize the email for each recipient and increase the chances of engagement. Spintax allows you to generate multiple unique versions of the email by swapping certain words or phrases within brackets.
Here's a simple explanation of how it works:
Email Template: You start with a basic email template that you want to send to multiple recipients. This template contains the main content of your email, including the message, greetings, and call to action.
Spintax Syntax: To create variations of the email, you use spintax syntax. Spintax uses curly brackets {} to enclose different word choices or phrases separated by a pipe symbol |. For example: {Hi|Hello}, {John|Mike|Sarah}.
Word/Phrase Substitution: Within the spintax syntax, each word or phrase separated by the pipe symbol represents a different option. When you send the email, the spintax software randomly selects one option from each set of curly brackets and substitutes it in the email.
Generating Unique Emails: By using spintax, you can generate unique emails by creating multiple options for various elements in your email. For instance, you can have different variations of greetings, introductions, or even entire paragraphs. Each time you send an email, the spintax software selects different options, resulting in a slightly different version of the email for each recipient.
The purpose of cold email spintax is to make your emails feel more personalized and avoid a generic, mass-sent impression. By tailoring certain parts of the email to each recipient, you can increase the chances of getting their attention and receiving a positive response.
{Hey|Hi|Hello} {{first_name}} - {We haven’t had the chance to speak yet | We haven't had the chance to get introduced yet}, but we’ve been working with Big Data companies like Profisee to place them on the top page of Google, driving thousands of visitors to their site each month.
{I recorded a quick video sharing how we can help you rank higher, mind if I share that with you here? | I recorded a quick video sharing how we can get you more leads on autopilot, mind if I share that with you here?| If you share your top 3 competitors, I'll give you the keywords they're outranking you on and I'll prepare a competitive takedown strategy.}
10. Quality Over Quantity
Get super specific on who you want to help, and go the extra mile in your targeting. By getting laser-targeted on who you reach out to, you can anchor your services around that specific audience, and have a rinse and repeat mechanism, where you simply work with a lot of similar types of businesses. This allows you to truly understand the industry, the common challenges they face, and you can become an authority figure in that exact space.
Now rather than wasting time with people you aren’t quite sure you can help, you pitch your services to your ideal type of client, and avoid wasting time with people who aren’t a good fit. Sure you may have less contacts to reach out to, but your messaging will be more relevant and you’ll have a much higher conversion rate. Eventually you’ll learn to weed out the tire-kickers, and save your energy for only those that can truly benefit from your service. I’d rather have 10 excellent clients who pay me well and are happy then 30 clients all over the place, providing lackluster results.
11. Fulfillment, Fulfillment, Fulfillment
I can’t stress enough the importance of client fulfillment. The worst thing you can do in business is sign on new clients, and not fulfill on your said promises. When I first got started, I signed 5 clients right away, not thinking of the workload or how I’d deliver the results I promised. I quickly got overwhelmed, did a half-ass job, and didn’t really get any great results because I simply didn’t have the bandwidth or knowledge that I do now, when I was just getting started.
I know way too many agency owners, including myself when I first got stated, who get stuck trying to make it work with clients who simply aren’t a good fit. Sometimes you may just need to cut ties and move on to other businesses you know you can help. I like working on a performance-based model b/c theres less pressure to perform, and at the end of the day, if it doesn’t work out, you can cut ties.
12. Prioritize Case Studies and Testimonials
The easiest way to scale your business is by leveraging social proof and case studies from your clients. There’s a direct correlation with the number of case studies you have, and the number of new clients you sign. Selling gets easier and easier the more social proof you have because people are more inclined to trust you when they see you have experience. You should make it a priority delivering kick-ass results for you clients, and asking them for case studies in the form of a video or interview. Your clients are your biggest allies. If you can deliver great results for your clients, you can leverage those relationships to bring in similar customers. The more social proof you have, the more money you make, simple as that.
Conclusion
Deliverability Is Everything
Personalize Your Emails
Don’t Overthink The Subject Line
Focus On Benefits Over Features
Keep It Short And Direct
Include A Clear Call-to-Action (CTA)
Be Relentless With Your Follow Ups
Test, Analyze, and Iterate with A/B Split Testing
Use Spintax To Improve Deliverability
Quality Over Quantity
Fulfillment, Fulfillment, Fulfillment
Prioritize Case Studies and Testimonials