Cold Email Best Practices: Crafting Outreach That Actually Works

When it comes to cold outreach, my weapon of choice is the cold email—but not just any email, a personalized one. We’ve all heard that personalization is key, and for good reason: it's proven to boost engagement and response rates. But here's the kicker—personalization without relevance is like a cupcake without frosting. Sure, it’s still a cupcake, but it’s not nearly as tasty.

The Pitfalls of "Cute" Personalization

Back in my early SDR days, I’d spend 15 minutes crafting each email, thinking that mentioning a company’s recent funding or their latest initiative would make me stand out. Spoiler alert: it didn’t. Personalization is great, but without relevance, proper account-based research, and a solid understanding of business, it falls flat.

Too often, people personalize emails by mentioning things like hobbies or recent news that may not even matter to the recipient. While it might make your prospect giddy, it doesn’t solve their problems. And let’s be real—what matters most to them is identifying a problem and proposing a tailored solution.

Tailoring Your Approach: Technical vs. Business Personas

When reaching out to technical personas—software developers, data scientists, IT professionals, and engineers—it's important to speak their language. These folks are natural problem-solvers, so your email should position you as a fellow problem-solver, curious and ready to help them tackle their challenges.

For business-centric personas like finance, marketing, and C-Suite executives, personalization like above can work, but relevance and business acumen are king. Show them that you understand how their business operates and that you’re offering something that directly impacts their goals.

The Follow-Up: Content is King

After your initial email, follow-ups should be packed with valuable, persona-based content. This means tailoring your message to the patterns and trends you’ve observed in your prospect’s industry, rather than just going on and on about your product. Educational awareness is key. Think of it as planting seeds for when they’re ready to buy. This helps you avoid “feature-dumping” and instead provides insights that are genuinely helpful.

Understand How People Work

To write copy that resonates for B2B buyers, you need to understand how people work together in business. You can start by observing the interactions within your own company. For example, notice how marketing and product teams communicate—what are their pain points, and how do they collaborate to solve them?

Let’s say you’re selling software to product management teams to address a common issue like project bottlenecks. Use your observations, combined with feedback from current customers, to craft messaging that speaks directly to those challenges.

Keep It Conversational

When crafting emails, think of them as a conversation you’d have in person. Go back and remember the last email you sent to a prospect. Try reading it aloud and ask yourself: “Is this something I’d say if we were chatting at a conference or business happy hour?” Your tone should be natural and business casual—just the way you’d speak with your team members.

Many salespeople get caught up in trying to sound overly formal or like a "subject matter expert." But here’s the truth: prospects see you as a salesperson—a vendor. There's no escaping this! So, be the best vendor by speaking to them as a human who understands their problems and is offering a solution. This is especially critical when reaching out to technical personas.

Ready to elevate your cold email outreach?

It’s not just about personalization—being relevant, understanding your audience, and keeping it human are what really drive results. By focusing on these elements, you can create emails that not only get opened but also spark meaningful conversations and ultimately drive new business.