A few weeks ago, we shared part 2 of our “How to land your first 50 customers when your product barely exists” series.

In that article, we discussed sales guru Armand Farrokh’s strategy on why and how you should build a Customer Advisory Board (CAB). You can read it here. And if you missed part 1, about the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), read it here.

Today, in the third article in a four-part series, we’ll get into how to write a high-converting cold email.

Let’s dive in!

Three elements of a great cold email

1. Research trigger

Imagine you’re an HR who surfs through thousands of applicants per job listing. Which of the cold email introductions below would persuade you to read further?

a) “Hey, noticed you went to this college.”

b) “Hey, noticed you’ve got 10 job listings open. You’re probably getting thousands of applicants per listing weekly.” The email then describes the problem and the solution.  

The second one, right? It’s specific, describes your problem, and teases a potential solution.

That’s what a good research trigger does. You mention information about the prospect or their company that shows you've done your homework. But it should be relevant to your product or service.

OK, so how do you find the right trigger to connect with your ICP?

Here’s what Armand did at Pave, an end-to-end compensation platform.

• Initially, he targeted all the General Catalyst portfolio companies. And that’s how he personalized his emails—something like “Noticed you’re a GC portfolio company.”
• The second week he focused on companies that recently raised capital. “Noticed you raised $25M.”
• The third week he targeted companies that hired a comp person in the last 6 months. “Noticed you recently joined X as a Head of Comp.”

Eventually, he figured out the best trigger for his ICP.

2. Problem

After the research trigger, describe in one or two sentences the problem the prospect experiences. Use specific language that shows you really understand their industry and challenges in detail.

3. How you can solve

Now that you've identified their problem, offer your solution. Remember, this isn't a full product demo. Focus on benefits, not features and product technicalities.  

Here’s an example of an email with all the 3 elements that Armand sent to Pave’s potential customers:

Pave helps businesses decide employee pay during annual reviews (aka merit cycle). So, “It’s merit season” is an excellent trigger for a Head Of Comp person.

Armand then details the problem in two lines: “You’re buried in 3,000 spreadsheets….. making sure comp decisions go right.” He uses words like “fixing mail merged letters.” That’s a very specific problem every Head Of Comp person faces. Finally, he offers a solution — “So Pave integrates….so you never plan merit in sheets again” — without getting technical. He ends the email with a low-friction CTA, easier to say yes to than “Want to see more?” or “Open to a 30-minute demo call?”  

Simple, right? Not always.

Avoid these deadly sins

1. Too long

Long emails overwhelm readers. Your prospect will likely ignore your message if it looks time-consuming. So, keep your email short. It should be over within one phone scroll.

2. Jargony

Avoid feature language/buzzwords like “all-in-one platform,” “single source of truth,” and other words your prospect doesn’t care about. It looks salesy.

Write like you're talking to a friend. Be clear, concise, and use language your reader understands and cares about. You’ll increase the chances of a response.

That’s it for today! Coming soon in part 4: How to write follow-up emails in your cold email sequence.

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Happy email-writing!

Sameer

(pinch-hitting for Kera while she's on maternity leave)

This article was written by Sameer Ansari. When he's not writing for technology startups, VC funds, and investors, he's obsessed with human psychology and soccer.