Start with one of these and you’re already in my trash folder, with less chances of having your email read than the nifty viagra offers I occasionally receive. Please, if you really want something from me, include either my first name or the name of my company.
You’re the most interesting person in the world and everyone wants to hear your stories. Yeah, that’s what you think. For me, getting an email with your long story and background (unless you’re applying to work for me and submitting a cover letter) will never work.
Talk about me, I’m the most interesting person in the world because that’s what I think, and you need my response. In reality, I just want to know you did a background check and know a few things about me before wasting my time.
@BTCare Dominic Kerrigan, thanks for your call. I'll ignore the generic #BT email which contradicts our chat and refer to yours. Thank you.
— apougher (@apougher) November 24, 2014
Everyone loves generic emails. Don’t mention my name, don’t mention the name of my business, and insert a placeholder like “your company” so I know I can stop reading immediately. Even better, don’t even do a background check, just send your sales pitch and hope for the best!
This is pretty self-explanatory but please take the time to evaluate what you’re offering and what you’re asking from me. A few extra minutes in adding these details will increase the chances of your email being read.
How seriously your email will be taken is inversely proportional to the length of your email signature.
— Sriram Krishnan (@sriramk) November 1, 2014
As much as I love not reading generic emails, there’s nothing more I love than seeing a 12-row, super-corporate email signature at the bottom of a really bad email. It just helps me feel less guilty for not replying.
Remember, you’re not as important as you think you are. Don’t call yourself the CEO of your personal blog or founder of something that doesn’t even have a website. Just include your name, website, and remind me of the email address (or phone number) where I can reach you.
That’s right, I really hate being asked about my opinion, like everyone else in the world. Just write a short story about you and your company followed by an excruciatingly annoying sales pitch. Finish up with “Kind Regards”, and I’ll forget about your email in less than a day.
Finally, all this advice adds up to one thing: Think before sending emails and spamming multiple inboxes. Don’t expect people will waste their time if you haven’t.
Have you sent a cold email that had a great response? Send us yours and we may include it in a future blog post.